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The Crucible is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692-1693.

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Abigail Williams
Reverend John Hale
Reverend Samuel Parris
John Proctor
Elizabeth Proctor
Thomas Danforth
Mary Warren
John Hathorne
Giles Corey
Rebecca Nurse

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In Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, Puritan minister Reverend Parris finds a group of girls dancing naked in the forest. Among them are his niece Abigail and daughter Better, who faints upon being discovered by her father. Knowing that they've sinned, the girls claim they were bewitched.

Given the severity of the claims, a special court is founded to investigate the accusations of witchcraft. Judges are sent from Boston to assist the residents of small town Salem. During the trials, the girls scream and faint whenever one of the supposed witches takes the stand.

Over a hundred of Salem's citizens are found to be witches. One of them, Elizabeth Proctor, proclaims her innocence to her husband, John. Her accuser, Abigail, was once an employee and was dismissed after Elizabeth discovered that John and Abigail were having an affair.

Realizing that Abigail has incited this witch hunt to target her enemies, John fights to save his wife. He admits his adultery, only to be accused of devil worship when Abigail denies the affair. John and Elizabeth are convicted of communing with the devil. The pregnant Elizabeth is spared, but John is hanged

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The play was first adapted for film as The Crucible (1957) by Belgian director Raymond Rouleau with a screenplay adapted by Jean-Paul Sartre, and by Miller himself as The Crucible (1996), the latter with a cast including Paul Scofield, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Winona Ryder.

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In his introduction to the play, how does Miller explain what really motivated the people of Salem to accuse their neighbors, friends, and relatives of witchcraft?

Miller explains that everyone in Salem wanted vengeance upon others for various reasons. Because of that, witchcraft accusations flew.

What were Abigail and the girls doing in the forest when Reverend Parris saw them?

The girls were dancing and some of them were not wearing clothes. There was a frog in the pot and Tituba was chanting.

Why is Parris so worried about the evidence of witchcraft being discovered in his own house?

Parris wants to remain minister and fears any evidence that may harm his reputation.

What does Rebecca Nurse think is wrong with the girls?

She thinks that the girls are faking witchcraft to get attention.

Why is Mrs. Putnam so eager to prove there is witchcraft in the village?

She has lost all but one of her children shortly after they were born and wants someone to blame (a scapegoat).

What is the source of the conflict between Parris and Proctor?

Proctor questions Parris's beliefs and morals. He sees that Parris is more concerned with keeping his position as minister than with practicing his true religion and devotion to God.

What is the relationship between Abigail and John Proctor?

John cheated on Elizabeth, his wife, with Abigail once. Abigail is now obsessed with John and wants to be his wife, but John feels guilty after committing adultery.

How does Abigail feel about John's wife, Elizabeth?

Abigail is jealous of Elizabeth and thus despises her.

What is unusual about Giles Corey?

He never attended church before he married his wife. He reports that his wife reads books that he does not know about. Also, he files lawsuits regularly.

Why is Thomas Putnam such a bitter man?

He wants more land and therefore, more power.

Who is Reverend Hale, and what does he accomplish?

He is a reverend who is summoned to Salem to identify witches. He puts the majority of Salem in jail, but later realizes that there is no witchcraft in Salem-only corruption. He leaves and returns later.

Why does Tituba confess so readily? What does her confession initiate?

She confesses because she is being whipped. Her confession causes the women to begin accusing one another.

What is the source of the tension in the Proctor household?

Elizabeth knows that John committed adultery and she cannot forgive him for that.

What does Elizabeh fear about Abigail?

She fears Abigail's instability and thinks that she will do anything to get her out of the way so that she can have John for herself.

What is the only way a person accused of witchcraft can save his or her own life?

They must confess to witchcraft.

How does Mary "save" Elizabeth's life, but later cause her to be accused?

Mary defended Elizabeth when she was accused of witchcraft during the trials.

According to Proctor, what concerns Parris more than his duty to God?

Parris is more concerned with keeping his position as minister. He purchased gold and candles.

Why does Hale come to see the Proctors?

Because they were not attending church and there was a needle in Abigail's abdomen

Which commandment does John forget?

Adultery

Why do Giles Corey and Francis Nurse come to see John Proctor?

Because their wives have been accused of witchcraft and they are concerned with the corruption in Salem

What happens to Elizabeth in Act II?

She is arrested for witchcraft and put in jail.

What does Proctor demand of Mary Warren in Act II?

That she tell the court that she put the needle in the doll to free Elizabeth of accusations, but Mary refuses because she says that Abigail will kill her

Of what does Giles Corey accuse Thomas Putnam in Act III?

Of telling his daughter to accuse Corey's wife of witchcraft so that he could buy Corey's land

How does Rev. Hale change as the proceedings progress?

He begins to see that Salem's court and church are corrupt. He finally withdraws himself from the court and its proceedings.

Why will Elizabeth's life be spared for at least a year?

Because she is pregnant ane the Church will not kill an innocent child.

What does Proctor reveal in Act III in an effort to discredit Abigail?

He confesses that he committed adultery and had an affair with Abigail. He calls her a "whore".

Explain Proctor's last speech in Act III.

It was mainly about the corruption in the Puritan church. He cries that God is dead. This speech demonstrates his almost complete madness and loss of faith in hypocrites

How has Salem been affected by these several months of court proceedings?

Salem is falling apart. Because so many are in jail, children and animals run free. Everyone is confused and frightened by the extent to which the trials have been taken and fear that they will be accused next.

What is Parris' real reason for pleading the postponement of the executions?

To save his own reputation and position

Why does Hale return to Salem in Act IV?

To convince the accused to confess and save their innocent lives

Why doesn't Elizabeth beg John to sign the confession?

She wants John to do what he wishes and "have his goodness"

How has Elizabeth changed during her imprisonment?

She has forgiven John and apologizes for keeping such a "cold house".

How did Giles die? Why did he refuse to answer the charge?

He was crushed to death by stones because he didn't want to subject someone else to hatred from Thomas Putnam pver key land by divulging a name. He, himself, would die either way.

What makes John Proctor finally tear up his confession and decide it is better to hang?

He does not want his confession nailed to the church door before all to see. He claims that all he has left is his name and they won't even leave him that.

What happens to Elizabeth Proctor at the end of the play?

She is spared for at least a year because she is pregnant.

What happens to Reverend Parris at the end of the play?

His reputation has been destroyed and he is fired.

What happens to Abigail at the end of the play?

She goes to Boston and becomes a prostitute.

# data[].attributes.body
predilection
n. preexisting preference

ingratiating

adj. charming or flattering

dissembling

n. disguising one's real nature or motives

calumny

n. false accusation; slander

inculcation

n. teaching by repetition and urging

propitiation

n. action designed to soothe or satisfy a person, a cause, etc
licentious

adj. lacking moral restraint

pallor

n. paleness

ameliorate

v. make better

avidly

adv. eagerly

base

adj. low; mean

deference

n. courteous regard or respect

theology

n. the study of religion

qual

v. cringe from

gingerly

adv. cautiously

abomination

n. something that causes great horror or disgust

blasphemy

n. sinful act or remark

contentious

adj. argumentative

deposition

n. the testimony of a witness made under oath but not in open court

imperceptible

adj. barely noticeable

deferentially

adj. in a manner that bows to another's wishes; very respectfully

anonymity

n. the condition of being unknown

prodigious

adj. of great size, power, or extent

effrontery

n. shameless boldness

confounded

v. confused; dismayed

incredulously

adv. skeptically

blanched

adj. paled; whitened

agape

adj. wide open

conciliatory

adj. tending to soothe anger

beguile

v. trick

floundering

n. awkward struggling

retaliation

n. act of returning an injury or wrong

adament

adj. firm; unyielding

cleave

v. adhere; cling

sibilance

n. hissing sound

tantalized

n. tormented; frustrated

purged

v. cleansed

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1. Miller originally called the play Those Familiar Spirits before renaming it as The Crucible
2. The word "crucible" is defined as a severe test or trial; alternately, a container in which metals or other substances are subjected to high temperatures. The characters whose moral standards prevail in the face of death, such as John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse, symbolically refuse to sacrifice their principles or to falsely confess
3. In 1953, the year the play debuted, Miller wrote, "The Crucible is taken from history. No character is in the play who did not take a similar role in Salem, 1692." This does not appear to be accurate as Miller made deliberate changes. Abigail Williams' age was increased from 11 or 12 to 17, probably to add credence to the backstory of Proctor's affair with Abigail. John Proctor himself was 60 years old in 1692, but portrayed as much younger in the play, for the same reason.