| Act 1 | ● Salem, Massachusetts, 1692 ● Overview of the government and daily life in Salem ● Betty is ill and rumored to be under the spell of witchcraft ● Abigail and other girls were dancing in the forest the previous night ● Abigail and John Proctor’s affair is implied● Reverend Hale is sent for ● Introduction of characters (e.g., Mr. and Mrs. Putnam) ● Proctor’s opposition towards the government is made known ● Reverend Hale is introduced ● The girls begin to accuse people of witchcraft |
| Act 2 | ● John and Elizabeth are at home eating dinner ● Tensions between John and Elizabeth become evident ● Mary Warren brings news from the court and gives Elizabeth a doll that she made ● Mary reveals that Elizabeth’s name was mentioned in court ● Hale comes to the house to investigate the accused ● Cheever and Herrick come with a warrant |
| Act 3 | ● Court scene○ Giles claims that Putnam wants more land○ Mary claims that she was not really afflicted○ Proctor is questioned○ Elizabeth is pregnant○ Abigail and the girls “gang up” on Mary○ John tells the truth, but Elizabeth’s claims do not corroborate his story○ Hale makes his opinions of Abigail known |
| Act 4/Epilogue | ● Parris is back in order to get people to confess (and save their lives) ● Abigail and Mercy are gone ● The town is in ruins ● Proctor refuses to sign the confession and gets hanged ● Elizabeth remarries |
| Tragic Hero | a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction |
The Crucible Acts 1-4 Summary
February 29, 2020