The document provides a detailed summary of the plot of Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible". It describes how rumors of witchcraft in Salem lead to accusations against many townspeople. John Proctor's refusal to confess to practicing witchcraft, even when pressured by the court, seals his fate and he is hanged for his unwillingness to falsely implicate others. His wife Elizabeth supports his decision to maintain his integrity and not sign a false confession, despite it costing him his life. The document comprehensively outlines the key events and characters in the play.

1. *The Crucible
Prepared by
Adnan Hadi
Supervised By
Mr. Khorsheed

2. Reverend Samuel Parris is praying next to the sick bed of his 10-year-
old daughter, Betty Parris. The night before, Parris caught her
dancing in the woods with a group of girls, including his teenage
niece, Abigail Williams, and his slave, Tituba. Since then, Betty has
been in a deep sleep and will not respond to any efforts to wake
her. Rumors have spread around town that witchcraft is the cause
of Betty’s illness, and people are now gathered in the parlor of the
Parris household. Parris, concerned about his reputation, interrogates
Abigail about what happened, but Abigail says they were just
dancing.
*

3. A woman named Ann Putnam says that her daughter, Ruth, who was
with the group of girls, is also afflicted with a strange illness. Ann
claims that she sent Ruth to see Tituba so that Tituba could facilitate
communication with Ann’s other children who died as infants. Abigail
admits that Tituba and Ruth were, in fact, conjuring spirits in the
woods.
*

4. Abigail and two other girls named Mercy Lewis and Mary Warren, who
were also part of the group in the woods, are left alone with Betty.
When they try to wake her up, she blurts out that Abigail drank
chicken blood to cast a spell that would kill Elizabeth
Proctor. Abigail threatens Betty and the others with violence if they
don’t keep quiet about this.
*

5. A farmer named John Proctor (Elizabeth Proctor’s husband) then enters
the room. The other girls leave, and he speaks with Abigail
alone. John and Abigail had an affair when Abigail worked as a
servant in his house, and Abigail wants it to continue. John rejects
her because he has recommitted himself to his wife.
*

6. Reverend Hale arrives from the town of Beverley to investigate
Betty’s situation, and Abigail confesses that Tituba called the Devil
after more details about the night in the woods come to light. When
Tituba is threatened with hanging, she confesses that she’s been
forced to work for the Devil. Abigail and Betty then confess their
coerced involvement in witchcraft and name several other people
who they claim to have seen with the Devil.
*

7. John and Elizabeth Proctor discussing the witch trials in
Salem. Elizabeth tells John he has to go into town and inform them
that Abigail is a liar. John’s reluctance to do so leads to an argument
where he accuses Elizabeth of being too judgmental and she accuses
him of still harboring feelings for Abigail.
*

8. *
Mary Warren, who went to Salem to testify against the Proctors’
wishes, returns to the house and gives Elizabeth a doll she made in
court. Mary reveals that Elizabeth was among the accused.
Elizabeth knows that Abigail is accusing her because she hopes to
take her place as John’s wife. Elizabeth urges John to tell Abigail
directly that there’s no possibility of them ever reinstating a
romantic relationship.

9. Reverend Hale arrives and questions the Proctors about
their religious devotion because of the accusations against
Elizabeth. John tells him that the girls are frauds, and Hale
starts to believe him. Giles Corey and Francis Nurse come to
the house and reveal that both of their wives (Martha Corey
and Rebecca Nurse) have been arrested for witchcraft. Then,
Ezekiel Cheever and Marshal Herrick arrive with a warrant
for Elizabeth’s arrest. They find the doll that Mary gave
Elizabeth and notice that it has a needle stuck in it. This
matches up with an “attack” on Abigail that was allegedly
perpetrated by Elizabeth’s spirit.
*

10. Proctor gets Mary to tell them that she made the doll in
court and stuck the needle in herself with Abigail sitting
right next to her. Hale, Cheever, and Herrick are still not
convinced Abigail is lying. Proctor tears up the arrest warrant
in frustration, but Elizabeth agrees to go with the
officials. Proctor tells Mary that she must testify on
Elizabeth’s behalf in court. Mary is terrified to do so because
she fears that Abigail will turn the court against her. Proctor
expresses his feelings that he and all the other hypocrites are
finally being punished for their sins.
*

11. At the start of Act 3, the audience hears Judge Hathorne
questioning Martha Corey aggressively off-stage. Giles Corey
interrupts the proceedings to defend his wife and is dragged
into a room off of the court (on stage) by Marshal Herrick.
They are accompanied by Judge Hathorne, Governor Danforth,
Reverends Parris and Hale, Francis Nurse, and Ezekiel Cheever.
*

12. After a short discussion where the truth of the accusers’
claims is disputed by Francis Nurse and Giles Corey, Mary
Warren and John Proctor enter the room. Mary admits to
Danforth that she and the other girls were faking the whole
time. Danforth is not convinced that this is the truth based on
all the supernatural events he’s witnessed in court (including
people ostensibly being choked by spirits and slashed by
daggers, which he describes on page 84).
*

13. Proctor presents a petition signed by 91 people who are
willing to vouch for the good character of Elizabeth Proctor,
Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey. Danforth orders warrants
to be drawn up for all the people who signed the petition.
Proctor then presents a statement from Giles Corey where
Corey testifies that Thomas Putnam encouraged his daughter
Ruth to make accusations against George Jacobs so Putnam
could snatch up his land. However, Giles refuses to reveal his
source, so this evidence is discredited, and he is arrested for
contempt of court.
*

14. Finally, Proctor gives Danforth Mary Warren’s statement where she
admits in writing that she and the other girls were faking. The
other girls are brought in from the courtroom for questioning,
and Abigail denies Mary’s accusations. Mary is asked to pretend to
faint if it was so easy for her before, but she is unable to act under
pressure. Abigail and the other girls feign symptoms of witchcraft to
turn the court against Mary. Proctor is enraged and calls Abigail a
whore. He admits that they had an affair so she will be
discredited (although it also means destroying his own reputation).
Danforth brings Elizabeth Proctor in for questioning on this issue, but
she covers up the affair to protect her husband because she doesn’t
realize that he has already confessed. John’s charges against Abigail
are dismissed.
*

15. Abigail claims to see a bird on the rafters above her that she
insists is Mary Warren’s familiar spirit poised to attack
her. Mary breaks down under the pressure of these
accusations and "confesses" that Proctor has forced her to
work for the Devil. Proctor and Corey are arrested, and Hale
quits the court in disgust at this blatant display of
irrationality.
*

16. The fourth act opens with Herrick removing Tituba and
Sarah Good from a jail cell so the court officials can hold a
meeting there. Both Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris are
currently praying with the condemned prisoners, which is
unsettling to Danforth and Hathorne. When Parris arrives at
the meeting, he explains that Hale is actually trying to get
the prisoners to confess to their crimes to avoid execution.
He also reveals that Abigail and Mercy Lewis have run away,
and Abigail stole his life’s savings.
*

17. The authorities then discuss the state of social unrest that
has emerged in Salem after the jailing of so many
citizens. Hathorne denies that there is any possibility of
rebellion, but Parris is very concerned about what will
happen if they hang people like Rebecca Nurse and John
Proctor, who are still well-respected. He advises that they
postpone the hangings and continue pushing for confessions,
but Danforth refuses because it would make him look bad.
*

18. Hale arrives and says that he hasn’t gotten confessions out of
anyone. The one prisoner who he hasn’t talked to is John
Proctor. The officials decide that they will bring in Elizabeth
Proctor to speak with him and convince him to confess. When
they are left alone, Elizabeth informs John of Giles Corey’s
death, and John begs her to tell him whether or not he
should confess. He’s leaning towards confessing because he
feels his soul is already beyond redemption. He asks for
Elizabeth’s forgiveness, but she says her forgiveness doesn’t
mean anything if he won’t forgive himself. She tells him that
only he can decide whether or not to confess.
*

19. John tentatively agrees to confess, but he refuses to
implicate anyone else and then is reluctant to sign the
confession. He decides he can’t go through the rest of his life
after signing his name into disgrace in this permanent way. He
snatches the confession away at the last minute and rips it
to shreds, thus sealing his fate. The others beg Elizabeth to
convince him to reconsider, but she refuses to deprive him of
this choice when it’s the only way he’s finally been able to
break free from his self-hatred and see some good within
himself. Herrick leads John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse off
to the gallows.
*

20. Thank you