| John Proctor | Subject for the Moral Heroism essay!- Generally stern and harsh-tongued- Hates hypocrisy- A farmer- Husband of Elizabeth Proctor- Had an affair with Abigail Williams- Executed in the end of the book- Motives: (1) love for Elizabeth (2) hate for Abigail (3) moral correctness |
| Abigail Williams | – A devious, smart liar- Portrayed as the main antagonist- Reverend Parris’s niece- Had an affair with John Proctor- Once a servant for the Proctor household but was fired by Elizabeth Proctor after the affair- Causes the entire witch hunt in the first place- Motives: (1) protecting herself (2) getting Elizabeth out of the way |
| Reverend John Hale | – A very smart man who is able to think clearly- An expert on witchcraft- Called in to Salem to perform an exorcism on Betty- He participates heavily in the witch trials, but later regrets his actions and attempts to save the lives of the accused by having them confess- Motives: (1) religion (2) having a clean conscious |
| Elizabeth Proctor | Possible subject for the Moral Heroism essay!- Virtuous and cold- Wife of John Proctor- On bad terms with John in the beginning of the play because of the affair- Fired Abigail after the affair- Motives: (1) love for John (2) moral correctness |
| Reverend Parris | – Paranoid, power-hungry man- Disliked by many of the townsfolk- Minister of Salem’s church- Motives: (1) not having his name tarnished (2) staying in power |
| Rebecca Nurse | – Wise and sensible- Wife of Francis Nurse- Accused by the Putnams in the witch trials, leading to her execution- Motives (for not confessing): (1) religion (2) moral correctness |
| Francis Nurse | – Wealthy and influential man in Salem- Respected by most people- Enemy of the Putnams |
| Judge Danforth | – Honest, diligent and thorough- Deputy governor of Massachusetts- Presiding judge at the witch trials- Convinced he is doing right with rooting out witches- Portrayed as an antagonist in the story- Motives: (1) what he deems is for the good of the people (2) personal glory |
| Giles Corey | – Brave, feisty and determined- Famous for his tendency to file lawsuits- Husband of Martha Corey- Eventually held in contempt of the court- Pressed to death with large stones (a form of torture to get information of a person)- Last words were “More weight.”- Refused to give information during torture so his land would be passed down to his sons- Motives: (1) moral correctness (2) his family |
| Martha Corey | – Giles Corey’s third wife- Her reading habits lead to her arrest and conviction of witchcraft |
| Thomas Putnam | – Ruthless and greedy- Portrayed as an antagonist in the story- A wealthy, influential citizen of Salem- Holds a grudge against Francis Nurse for preventing his brother-in-law from being elected to ministerial office- Uses the witch trials to his advantage by accusing people of witchcraft and then buying all their land |
| Ann Putnam | – Paranoid, eccentric, and crazy- Has given birth to 8 children but only one, Ruth Putnam, survived- Convinced that the other 7 were murdered by supernatural means (witchcraft)- Sends Ruth Putnam to investigate by having her ask Tituba to communicate to the spirits of her dead babies- Motives: (1) getting revenge for her 7 dead babies (2) she crazy |
| Ruth Putnam | – Putnams’ lone surviving child- Falls into a strange, coma-like state after Parris catches her in the forest much like Betty- Sent to investigate Ann Putnam’s 7 dead babies |
| Tituba | – Strange, eccentric and somewhat insane- Believes she is in contact with the devil- Reverend Parris’s slave from Barbados- Performs a charm to kill Elizabeth Proctor at Abigail’s request- One of the main reasons for the witch hunt- Motives: (1) she does what she is told (2) to serve the devil |
| Mary Warren | – Timid and susceptible to mass hysteria- Servant in the Proctor household- A member of Abigail’s group of girls- Tries to expose the hoax but fails- Motives: (1) to help herself (2) she is forced by John Proctor to help him |
| Betty Parris | – Reverend Parris’s 10-year-old daughter- Goes into a coma-like state after she is caught dancing in the woods/drinking chicken blood- Creates the first rumors of witchcraft with her illness- Rumored to be seen flying over a barn |
| Ezekiel Cheever | – Upright and determined- A man from Salem who acts as the clerk of the court during the witch trials- Motives: (1) determined to bring justice (2) determined to do his duty |
| Judge Hathorne | A secondary judge who works jointly with Danforth during the witch trials |
| Herrick | The marshal of Salem |
| Mercy Lewis | – Unrelenting and cruel- One of the girls in Abigail’s group- Ironically, she is unmerciful, contrary to her name- Motives: (1) to protect herself (2) she likes causing trouble |
The Crucible Characters
March 1, 2020