The+Crucible

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__Summary (Christian Bean)__
A group of girls get caught dancing in the woods. they say that they were forced to dance by witches and accused many people in the town of being witches themselves. The accusation are made out of their benefit because they get to be praised. Abigail, the leader of the girls tries to accuse john proctors wife of witchcraft so that she can have him. Abigail wants john because of the affair they had a few months ago. The plan goes over terribly when John is accused after tempting to prove that the girls are lying and he is sentenced to death. Many people die from her actions including john proctor.

__Main Characters (Madison Smith)__
__John Proctor__: As one of the leading figures in his village John is supposedly of virtuous character and for the most part he is, but it is his sins that set into motion the events of the story. When his wife became sick after the birth of one of their sons he and his wife, Elizabeth, hire Abigail Williams to help around the homestead. John and Abigail begin a torrid affair which results in Elizabeth firing Abby. This plants the seed for the events of the story. Once the fingers start to point in the witch trials John states his doubts. By the end of the play he is tried and found guilty of witchcraft. He dies shortly after.



__Abigail Williams__: Many would describe Abigail, or Abby for short, as the main antagonist of the story and they would be correct. It is her actions that lead to the deaths of about twenty people. When she and many other girls in the village are found dancing in the woods by her uncle, her cousin falls into a coma like state. It appears that this is an act as Betty, the cousin, talks to the other girls in Act 1 when alone with them. Instead of owning up to that night in the woods the girls, started by Abby, jump at the chance to

__Reverend John Hale__: Hale is an educated man that has earned his reputation as some what of a witch hunter. At the first prospect of witchery Reverend Parris calls Hale into town, even at the objection of his people. He quickly shows up with books and all. Setting out to work he fights night and day against what he believes to be the work of the devil. Hale is the character to receive the most transformation as by the end of the play he no longer believes in this cruel work. He is last seen begging for the lives of the final few of the accused who have not died.

__Elizabeth Proctor__: The wife of John Proctor and the mother to three boys, Elizabeth is a virtuous women who is respected by many although she is also seen as rigid. When she finds John running around with a young girl that she hired, Abby, she becomes more distant then ever. Months after this event she is still cold to her husband. Surprisingly when called to court to confess this affair to a judge she lies for the reputation of her husband.

__Reverend Parris__:Parris is the father of Betty and the uncle of Abby. He is generally disliked by all as he seems to be a greedy little man. Although he is the one to call in Reverend Hale he is more concerned with matters of the purse. He is seen asking for more money on top of his already set salary and according to John Proctor preached for gold candle sticks for his church.



__Rebecca Nurse__: Rebecca is the wife of Francis Nurse and the most respected women in the village, who delivered many of the children. When Betty Parris first falls into a coma like sickness in Act One she is called to inspect the child. From the very start of the accusations of witchcraft she is incredulous. It serves as a tell-tale sign that things have gotten out of hand when she is taken to prison on the charges of witchcraft. Unfortunately she is found guilty and sentenced to death.

__Judge Danforth__: He is the main judge for the trials. Throughout the story he has unrelenting faith in the work that he is doing. __Thomas Putnam__: The father of Ruth and the husband of Ann, Thomas is one of the richest men in the area. He owns a lot of land and uses the witch trials as a way to obtain more. His daughter and her friends accuse many of the men who stand in his way to more power and land.

__Ann Putnam__:The mother of Ruth and wife of Thomas she is the first to shout witch as a cause of Betty and Ruth's comas. She cites not only her daughter's coma but also the fact that eight of her nine children born died within their first few months.

__Tituba__: The slave of Reverend Parris and the first person to be accused of witchcraft by the group of girls. This is in part of the fact that she was with them on their great night of dancing in the woods, using old rituals of her people to predict whom each girl would marry. She is the easiest target for their accusations. At first she denied their claims but after a few beatings she complies. Once this is done she named a few names and confessed her need for the lord. Soon after she is transported to the jail and is not seen until the final act.



__Mary Warren__: Mary is the second girl to take position at the Proctor household and also one of Abby's friends. It seems that John kept his hands off this one. She is an active participant in the court accusations up until the point that Elizabeth Proctor, her boss, is taken into captivity. The very next day she went to court with John Proctor and attempted to confess that the all of the witchcraft accusations were a ruse.After multiple confessions she is drawn back into the group of young girls when they claim that she is a witch. She never attempts to rise up again.

__Betty Parris__: Betty is the daughter of Revered Parris and the cousin of Abigail Williams. It is her apparent sickness that brought on the initial attention to the supposed witchcraft.After Act 1 she is reduced to a sideline character and is given no more vital speaking parts.

__Historical Connections (Austin DeSpiegler)__
Basic Summary: Most of what happened in the Crucible was true and based off of historical happenings. In 1692, girls in Salem were becoming sick, which is where the girls come from. In March of the same year, over 300 suspects were put in jail because of suspicions of witchcraft. In June of the same year, the death penalty was legalized in Salem, and the Bishop Bridget was hanged. John Proctor was a real person, among many others in the book. John Proctor did die by being hanged in August of 1692, as well as 4 others. However, his wife escaped the death penalty, because she was pregnant.

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