Characters in 'The Crucible' by Arthur Miller

AQA GCSE English Literature, The Crucible, Exploring Modern Texts, Arthur Miller

1. The Crucible
Character Review

2. Abigail Williams
Orphaned niece of Rev.
Parris
Mistress of Proctor
Leads “crying out”
during the trial
Uses her power to rid
herself of Elizabeth
Flees town when she
fears the villagers are
about to turn on her

3. John Proctor
Good man with human
frailties and a guilty
secret
Often the voice of
reason in the play
Accused of witchcraft
Will not commit to a
confession to save
himself
He finds goodness in
himself when he
decides not to confess

4. Elizabeth Proctor
Wife of John Proctor
She discovered an affair going on between
her husband and Abigail and turned Abigail
out of her house
She is Abigail’s main target, but is saved from
hanging by pregnancy
She feels responsibility for driving her
husband to an affair
When John will not lie to save himself, she
supports his decision because it is his way of
redeeming himself and she cannot take it
from him

5. Putnam
Vindictive, bitter villager who believes he has
been wronged and cheated
Leading village voice against the witches
All but one of his children have died – he
needs someone to blame
He is accused of coercing his daughter to
accuse people, for example, George Jacobs,
in order to gain their forfeited land.

6. Mrs. Putnam
Wife of Thomas Putnam
First plants the idea that Betty has been
bewitched
All of her children except one have died
Sent her daughter to Tituba to cast a
spell to discover the supposed
murderer of her children

7. Ruth Putnam
Daughter of the Putnams
In a coma like state at the opening of
the play because she has supposedly
been “bewitched”
Involved in the “crying out” at the trials

8. Mercy Lewis
Putnam’s servant
Also involved in the accusation of
witches (seems to enjoy it)
When Abigail flees town, it is believed
Mercy goes with her

9. Mary Warren
Proctor’s servant
An easily swayed, weak young girl who plants
the evidence of witchcraft on Elizabeth
Admits the accusations of the girls are false,
but then changes her story because she fears
Abigail as the other girls start to turn against
her
Used by Abigail to accuse Elizabeth of
witchcraft

10. Giles Corey
Has brought numerous lawsuits against neighbours
before the courts
Thrown in jail for contempt of court for not revealing
where information accusing Putnam of false
witchcraft accusations against George Jacobs came
from
Inadvertantly accuses his wife of witchcraft
He is eventually pressed to death when he refuses to
enter a plea to the charges (pleading guilty or
conviction would have meant forfeiture of his land,
leaving his sons with no inheritance)
Dies for truth and honor. His last words were “more
weight.”

11. Hathorne
One of the judges at the trial

12. Tituba
Parris’s slave from Barbados
First accused witch
Enlisted by Abigail and Ruth Putnam to
cast spells and charms
Due to pressure and fear, admits to
“consorting with the Devil” and names
others as witches

13. Rebecca Nurse
Wife of the respected Francis Nurse
Midwife
Exemplary Christian
Accused witch who refuses to admit to
witchcraft and is hanged
News of her arrest and execution shows
how out of control the situation in Salem
is.

14. Rev. Hale
A minister who is a
recognized authority on
witchcraft
At the play’s end tries to
save the accused by
convincing them to
confess
Suffers guilt for he says
the executed people’s
blood is on his head

15. Sarah Good
Accused witch who cracks under the
strain of imprisonment
Becomes delusional due to the harsh
conditions of the jail, but is not executed
because she is pregnant

16. Reverend Parris
A minister in Salem who is more worried
about his reputation than the life of his
daughter or the lives of his parishioners
Encounters the girls in the woods dancing
Not well-liked by many of the villagers and
fearful for his job, Reverend Parris eventually
sees the complete chaos brought on by the
trials. He urges Proctor to confess and save
himself

17. Susanna
Doctor’s messenger
Involved in the “crying out”

18. Cheever
Works as an official of the court to
arrest the accused witches

19. Herrick
An official of the court who acts as the
jailkeeper
Pressure of his job drives him to drink

20. Martha Corey
Giles Corey’s wife who is inadvertantly
accused of witchcraft by her husband
for reading books

21. Goody Osburn
Midwife at birth of three Putnam babies
who were born dead
Accused and executed witch

22. Danforth
Deputy Governor of
Massachusetts who
is taken in by the
testimony
He is overcome with
his own power. He
will not postpone the
trials or executions
because he is not
willing to admit to
any mistakes.

23. Betty Parris
Parris’s young daughter
Until Abigail gives her a
valid explanation for
dancing in the woods,
she lies mute in her
bed, terrified of her
father
One of the girls who
“cries out” during the
trial, she is weak and
terrified. She is easily
made Abigail’s fool.

24. The Crucible
The Setting

25. Act One, Setting and
Summary
Act One takes place in the home of
Reverend Parris. Conflicts,
resentments, and motives for accusing
others all surface in this act, which
begins with witchcraft and ends with a
chilling “crying out” of those who
supposedly kept company with the
devil. The tragedy of Salem is set in
motion.

26. The Motives
Fear
Self-preservation
Spite and malice

27. Act Two, Setting and
Summary
Act Two is set in the home of the
Proctors as the Salem troubles visit
their doorstep. We learn that Abigail
has accused Elizabeth of witchcraft.
Haunted by Abigail’s accusation as a
consequence of his affair, John Proctor
must decide if he has the courage to
publicly admit his affair in order to save
his wife.

28. Act Three, Summary and
Setting
Set in the Salem courtroom, the Third
Act reveals that Justice is not always as
it is depicted. As characters with
varying and often opposing motives
take the stand, it becomes clear that the
search for justice can be affected by
human impulses, both ill and well
meant.

29. Act Four, Summary and
Setting
The setting turns to the jail as the
morning of John’s execution arrives.
The judges force John to decide
whether he will live or die. Proctor must
search his soul to discover if he is
strong enough to face death rather than
to be dishonest. In the end, he finds
goodness in himself by choosing to die
rather than to be dishonest.