A review of the play by Arthur Miller

1. The Crucible Study Guide
An intense story of the happenings in the Salem Witchcraft-Trials and this
powerpoint helps this story come to life

2. Act I
• Reverend Parris is upset at the beginning of the play when his daughter,
Betty Parris, who was found dancing in the woods the previous night, is
unresponsive. It turns out that Abagail Williams and the other girls were
really dancing over the pot with a slave from Barbados, Tituba, trying to
conjure spirits to kill Elizabeth Proctor. We also find that Thomas Putnam
and Giles Corey get into land disputes. When Reverend Hale, a witchcraft
expert, is summoned on the scene, he questions Tituba who confesses in
fear for her life, and she starts naming people who might have done
witchcraft as well, and so do the other girls in Tituba’s lead. From here,
Salem goes into a hysteria all led by Abagail Williams who wants to kill
Elizabeth Proctor

3. Act II
• In this Act we learn that the relationship between John and Elizabeth
Proctor is heated, because Elizabeth knows of the affair between him and
Abagail and how John still has feelings for her and will not condemn her in
the court. Elizabeth Proctor, however, from her slave Marry Warren, finds
that Elizabeth Proctor’s name had been mentioned in the court, and
Elizabeth immediately realizes that Abagail Williams is trying to kill her, he
asks Proctor to tell Abagail that he is not interested anymore. Ezekiel
Cheever comes to their house to arrest Elizabeth Proctor, because Abagail
framed her by pretending that a “voodoo” doll in Elizabeth’s house had
stabbed her. Proctor is enrage by this, and he must go to the court with
Mary Warren to prove the people’s innocence, his wife’s innocence and
that the girls were lying

4. Act III
• Thomas Putnam is involved in the trials to get land, because he has had a
grudge on the people for not accepting him even though he is important
and smart. Giles Corey can’t mention a name of a witness in a land claim,
and because of this, he is arrested with charge of contempt of the court.
Danforth does not believe Proctor and Mary Warren and Proctor is mad,
because Mary Warren won’t confess or pretend to faint. Marry Warren
eventually lies, even though she had intentions to tell the truth, because of
Danforth threatening her, it mad her confused and made her lie to tell him
what he wants to hear. John Proctor tells Abagail Williams that she is a
whore and is lying to the court. In fear, Abagail Williams pretends to be
attacked by Mary Warren’s spirit, as a yellow bird, but after this, and
Mary’s confusion, she tells the court that John Proctor is possessed by the
devil, he is then arrested. Reverend Hale starts to believe Proctor and Mary
Warren, not Abagail Williams.

5. Act IV
• Reverend Hale can barely take the hysteria and starts telling people in the
jails to confess so that they can live, but they do not and at the end they
are hanged, he feels like it’s his fault. Reverend Parris and Reverend Hale
try to postpone the execution, but only Elizabeth can be postponed
because she is pregnant. Danforth does not want to postpone them
because it will make him, and the court, look weak and he is worried about
his position in the town more than the people’s lives at stake. John Proctor
eventually confesses to being with the devil, but he will not sign, for proof
of adultery for it to be posted on the church. He rips it up and tells all of the
truth. Elizabeth Proctor sees the goodness in him and he dies a happy
man.