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Main Character Of The Crucible

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Who are The Crucible characters? What do they practise and when do they show up in the play? Discover out in this overview of the characters in Arthur Miller'southward The Crucible.

In this commodity, I'll get over each of the Crucible characters by name, pinpoint which act(s) each character appears in and/or is mentioned in, and briefly draw each character and what she/he does in The Crucible.

Primal Cast of The Crucible

To beginning off with, I'll hash out the seven characters in The Crucible who are integral to the plot of the drama: John Proctor, Abigail Williams, Mary Warren, Giles Corey, Rebecca Nurse, Reverend Unhurt, and Elizabeth Proctor. For each of these characters, you'll get an overview of their relationships with other characters in the play, a short description of their personality, and a rundown of the actions they accept throughout the play.

John Proctor

John Proctor is the central graphic symbol whom the drama of The Crucible revolves effectually. This primacy is helped by the fact that he has relationships with many of the other characters in the play: Proctor is hubby to Elizabeth Proctor, former (adulterous) lover of Abigail Williams, employer of Mary Warren, friend of Giles Corey and Francis Nurse (and by extension their wives), and not a fan (though not precisely an enemy) of Reverend Parris. Proctor is described past Miller as "respected and even feared in Salem," having "a sharp and biting way with hypocrites" even though he "regards himself every bit a kind of a fraud" (p. nineteen) due to his thing with Abigail Williams.

Act 1: We find out that Proctor had an matter with Abigail that he says he no longer wishes to continue. Proctor is skeptical of witchcraft and of Parris's claims of persecution and leaves soon after Reverend Unhurt arrives at the Parris household.

Human action ii: Elizabeth and John discuss the events that have been happening in Salem; Elizabeth encourages John to tell the court what Abigail told him most the girls faking it, which triggers a discussion about John'southward affair with Abigail and his continuing guilt about it. Over the course of the human activity, Proctor becomes frightened of the power the girls have with their accusations, especially in one case his wife is arrested for witchcraft.

Act 3: Proctor goes to court to fight the charges confronting his wife and dispute the veracity of the girls' claims; he eventually ends up being accused of witchcraft himself.

Act iv: Tormented over whether or not to confess to witchcraft to save himself, Proctor ultimately ends up vehement upwardly his signed confession and going to the gallows with what remains of his integrity intact.

For a deeper exploration of John Proctor's character traits and actions, read our grapheme assay of him.

Abigail Williams

Likewise Known As: Abby Williams

Abigail is the niece of Reverend Parris and the cousin of Betty Parris. She too used to work equally a servant with the Proctors, before she was sent abroad by Elizabeth Proctor for having an matter with Elizabeth's married man John. She is friends (or at least acquaintances) with Mercy Lewis and somewhen becomes the ringleader of the "affected" girls (i.e. the girls who accuse people of being witches). Miller describes Abigail equally "seventeen...a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling" (p. eight); in essence, he is calling her a pretty little liar.

Act one: Abigail is defendant by her uncle of dancing in the woods (possibly naked) and of being soiled; she vehemently denies this, simply when he leaves Betty wakes and accuses Abigail of drinking a potion to kill Elizabeth Proctor. Eventually, Abigail manages to get out of beingness punished past first accusing Tituba of forcing her to potable the potion and then appearing to confess her bewitching and accusing others of witchcraft.

Act ii: We find out, get-go via Mary Warren then via Ezekiel Cheever, that Abigail has accused Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft.

Deed 3: Abigail is questioned about faking her symptoms and denounces information technology every bit a lie; she then leads the girls in a hysterical display against Mary Warren when Mary tries to discredit them and succeeds in influencing Mary to abandon her testimony.

Deed 4: We hear from her uncle, Reverend Parris, that Abigail has run off with Mercy Lewis and some of her uncle's money.

For more than about Abigail Williams and her role in The Crucible, read our in-depth discussion of Abby, and our analysis of of import Abigail Williams quotes.

body_abigailwilliams-2.jpg Me? Accuse someone of witchcraft and so I could marry her hubby and run off with my uncle'due south money when that didn't piece of work out? Whyever would you recollect such a thing?

Mary Warren

Mary Warren is a servant to John and Elizabeth Proctor and part of the group of girls accusing people of witchcraft. Described by Miller as "seventeen, a subservient, naïve lonely girl" (p. 17), Mary is motivated both by her desire to exist a function of "the great doings in the world" (p. xx) and her fears of getting in trouble (whether with Abigail or the Proctors).

Act 1: Mary shows upwardly at the Parris household to confer with Abigail and Mercy about what's going on (since they were all dancing in the woods the night before).

Act 2: Mary arrives back at the Proctors' slightly more than confident due to her role in the courtroom; she brings Elizabeth a poppet she made and both the Proctors news of what has been happening in Salem and reveals that she managed to stave off one accusation of witchcraft against Elizabeth (although information technology turns out that after Mary left, Elizabeth was accused again). After Elizabeth is arrested and taken abroad, Mary is yelled at by John Proctor and told she has to testify in court about how she made the poppet, stuck a needle in information technology, and gave information technology to Elizabeth.

Human action three: Mary is bullied by John Proctor into testifying how there is naught supernatural occurring in Salem. This ends up backfiring when she is accused of sending her spirit to torment the girls; eventually, Mary accuses Proctor himself of being a witch and returns to the fold of accusers.

Observe more about Mary Warren's role in The Crucible with our character assay of her.

Giles Corey

Giles Corey is husband to Martha Corey and friends with John Proctor and Francis Nurse. A cantankerous old human being who has no problem suing even his friends for perceived insults, Giles is described by Miller every bit "a crank and a nuisance, but withal a deeply innocent and dauntless human" (p. 38).

Human activity 1: Giles wanders into the Parris house to find out what'south going on. He tells Reverend Hale that he thinks it'southward weird his married woman Martha reads all the time and that whenever she reads, Giles has trouble praying (conveniently omitting the information that Giles has just started to get to church more regularly then naturally would have difficulty remembering his prayers).

Act 2: Giles comes to the Proctors' business firm along with Francis Nurse to study that both their wives have been arrested for witchcraft; he asks Proctor's advice for what to practise

Act 3: Giles storms into court to try to prove his wife isn't a witch. He ends up being condemned for contempt of courtroom when he won't name the person who told him that Putnam's daughter accused George Jacobs of existence a witch in order to be able to purchase George Jacobs' forfeited state.

Act 4: We acquire via Elizabeth Proctor that Giles was pressed to expiry (with stones on his chest) since he refused to answer the accusations against him one way or another so his property would stay in his family.

For a more detailed discussion of Giles Corey and what happened to him, read our dedicated Giles Corey character analysis.

Rebecca Nurse

Also Known As: Goody Nurse

Rebecca is married to Francis Nurse. She is friendly with anybody in Salem except for Ann Putnam, whose concerns over her daughter Ruth Rebecca kind of brushes off in Act 1.

Act 1: Rebecca comes over to the Parris household and tries to at-home anybody down, saying it's probably just girls existence girls and not anything supernatural. When it becomes articulate that everyone else wants to go ahead with the investigation of possible witchy causes for the girls' behavior, she departs.

Act 2: The audition learns from Francis Nurse that Rebecca has been arrested for the murder of Ann Putnam's seven children who died in infancy.

Act 3: The audience learns via Hale that Rebecca has been found guilty of witchcraft in courtroom (p. fourscore).

Act iv: Rebecca is saddened to learn that John is going to confess to witchcraft, then uplifted when he decides not to; they both go to the gallows together.

For more than give-and-take of the function of Rebecca Nurse in the play, make sure to read our complete analysis of Rebecca Nurse in The Crucible The Crucible.

Reverend John Hale

Reverend Hale is an "expert" on witchcraft, called in from Beverly past Reverend Parris as a precautionary measure (in case Betty Parris'due south affliction is supernatural in nature). Described by Miller at the beginning of the play equally "nearing twoscore, a tight-skinned, eager-eyed intellectual," (p. 30), Unhurt changes over the course of the play from an idealist who believes he has the ability to root out the Devil to a disillusioned man who realizes he has added to a hysteria and acquired the deaths of innocents.

Act i: Unhurt appears in response to Parris's summons. Excited to apply his specialized skills to hunt out the Devil, Hale ends up (inadvertently) pressuring Tituba into confessing until she names names.

Human action two: Hale comes to the Proctors to cheque in on them, since he'south heard some disturbing things about them (John doesn't become to church oft, Elizabeth was accused of existence a witch that day, etc); he quizzes John on his commandments and is upset/shocked to hear that the girls might be faking their fits and lying to the court. He seems conflicted ("in slap-up pain") but nevertheless unwilling to completely take how thoroughly he'south screwed everything upward (p. 68).

Human action 3: Hale ineffectually tries to stop the juggernaut he has set into motility; he at present realizes that witchcraft isn't as black and white equally he thought because at least some of the accusations clearly stem from ulterior motivations and there's no evidence besides hearsay for convictions…but it'due south likewise belatedly. Storms off after Proctor is ordered to jail by Danforth (p. 111), denouncing the court and what information technology is doing.

Human activity 4: Hale has returned to Salem to attempt to get the accused witches to confess and save their lives then he can feel less guilty/accumulate less claret on his easily. He does not succeed.

body_dejection.jpg Reverend Hale, by the end of The Crucible .

Reykjavik statue/used nether CC Past ii.0/Cropped from original.

Elizabeth Proctor

Elizabeth Proctor is married to John Proctor. Elizabeth dislikes Abigail Williams, likely due to the fact that John Proctor committed adultery with Abigail. While Miller does not give Elizabeth any specific phase management descriptions they manner he does with many of the other characters, we larn through various bits of dialogue that Elizabeth had been sick the previous winter (p. 61).

Act two: Elizabeth tries to urge her husband to go to town to tell everyone Abigail is a liar – beginning because it's the correct thing to do, then because she's worried Abigail is going to accuse Elizabeth of being a witch in order to take her place in John'south life (and bed). She is disappointed that John met with Abigail alone and somehow failed to mention that detail to her, but is not allowed to defend herself because John'southward internal guilt causes him to react angrily and volubly to her fears.

Elizabeth accepts a poppet from Mary and tries to protect Mary from John's wrath at Mary'south having neglected her duties at dwelling to go off to the court and accuse people of witchcraft. At the finish of the human activity, Elizabeth is arrested and taken in later on it'south revealed Abigail called her out as a witch (afterward Mary Warren and Unhurt left for the day) and she has that damning poppet with a needle stuck in it.

Act 3: Elizabeth is brought into the courtroom to confirm that Abigail Williams was dismissed from her position for sleeping with John Proctor, since John has boasted that Elizabeth never lies. In a crunch of faith, Elizabeth chooses to lie to protect her husband'south reputation; this unfortunately ends up having a negative upshot as it undercuts John'due south accusation that Abigail is accusing Elizabeth of being a witch in order to marry John.

Act 4: Elizabeth is asked past Danforth and Hale to convince John to confess to salve his life; instead, she basically merely acts as a sounding board while John agonizes over what to do. She also tearfully confesses that John Proctor is the best and that she shouldn't have judged him considering merely he can judge himself, and tells him that whatever he chooses is okay by her (p. 127):

Do what you will. But let none be your judge. There be no higher judge under Heaven than Proctor is! Forgive me, forgive me, John—I never knew such goodness in the earth! She covers her confront, weeping.

When Parris and Hale endeavour to get Elizabeth to stop John after he'due south torn up his confession and is on his way to the gallows, she does non, stating, "He accept his goodness at present. God forbid I take it from him!" (p. 134).

Other Salem Residents in The Crucible

Aside from the seven central Crucible characters listed above, at that place are also many other Salem residents who appear in this play. Whether they accuse others of existence witches, are accused of being witches themselves, or are simply townspeople with an axe to grind against Reverend Parris, the characters below all contribute to move the action of the plot forward.

Reverend Samuel Parris

Reverend Parris is the father of Betty Parris, uncle of Abigail Williams, and minister of Salem. He is not portrayed in a positive calorie-free in this play, being described by Miller from the very outset as someone who "cut a villainous path through history" who "believed he was being persecuted wherever he went." Through his deportment and words, Parris "very little adept to be said for him" (p. 3).

Act ane: Parris is worried that Betty is sick, and then he has chosen on Dr. Griggs for medical care and sent for Reverend Unhurt for spiritual care. He questions Abigail almost her dancing in the woods with Betty and Tituba and discusses how he thinks there are people plotting against him and his fears about how people volition perceive him if witchcraft is discovered under his roof.

Act iii: Still self-of import and petty, Parris accuses people who he perceives every bit a threat or who land they don't believe in witchcraft of lying or having "come to overthrow the court" (p. 82).

Act 4: Parris asks Danforth and Hathorne to see him in jail to hash out the dangers attendant on hanging well-respected members of the customs like Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor. Parris explains that he and Hale have been praying with the convicted witches and hoping they'll confess; for Parris, this is because the people about to hang are influential and so their deaths might cause trouble for him. He too mentions that Abigail has disappeared and seems to accept stolen his life savings, which prompts Danforth to call him "a brainless man" (p. 117).

Parris also tells Danforth that he's been threatened as a result of his deportment in the witch trials: "Tonight, when I open my door to go out my house – a dagger clattered to the footing" (p. 119), simply Danforth does not seem to care.

Betty Parris

Betty is the 10-twelvemonth-sometime daughter of Reverend Parris and cousin to Abigail Williams...and doesn't get much more of a character description/development than that. She is the third person in Salem to accuse people of witchcraft (after Tituba and Abby). Other than a brief time onstage in Act iii (when she chants in unison with the balance of the witch-accusing girls), Betty is only onstage during the opening human action of the play.

During Act 1, Betty falls ill after dancing in the woods with Tituba and some of the other girls of the hamlet (Abigail Williams, Mercy Lewis, Mary Warren, and Ruth Putnam). When she temporarily rouses from her stupor, Betty accuses Abigail of drinking a potion to kill Goody Proctor (p.18), before falling back into an inert land. Betty livens upward over again at the end of the act to chinkle in with her ain hysterical accusations of witchcraft.

Tituba

In her forties, Tituba is Reverend Parris'south slave that he brought with him from Barbados. She is devoted to Betty (p. seven, p. 41) but possibly harbors some resentment confronting Parris that comes out in her "confession" of witchcraft (p. 44):

TITUBA, in a fury: He say Mr. Parris must be kill! Mr. Parris no goodly homo, Mr. Parris mean man and no gentle human being, and he bid me rise out of my bed and cutting your pharynx! They gasp. Simply I tell him "No! I don't hate that man. I don't want kill that man." But he say, "Yous work for me, Tituba, and I make you complimentary! I give you lot pretty dress to wear, and put you way high upward in the air, and you gone wing back to Barbados!"

Various townspeople (Abigail, Mrs. Putnam) seem to think that Tituba besides can "conjure" spirits, which at some points it seems that Tituba herself may besides believe ("Devil, him be pleasance-man in Barbados, him be singin' and dancin' in Barbados. Information technology's you lot folks – y'all riles him upwards 'round here; it exist as well cold 'round hither for that erstwhile Boy. He freeze his soul in Massachusetts, merely in Barbados he just every bit sweet...", p. 113).

Act 1: Tituba tries to find out how "her beloved" Betty is doing, but Parris shoos her away; later, she is accused by Abigail of forcing the girls to do the Devil'southward piece of work. When pressured past Unhurt and Parris to confess and give the names of those who are abetting her, Tituba somewhen does by naming Goody Good and Goody Osburn (the ii women Putnam had previously suggested as witch candidates).

Act iv: Tituba is in the jail with Sarah Good, acting as if she very much believes in the Devil. She and Goody Good are hustled out by Herrick to make way for the judges.

Susanna Walcott

Susanna works for Doc Griggs and is described by Miller as "a little younger than Abigail, a nervous, hurried girl" (p. eight). Eventually, she joins in with Abigail, Betty, Mercy, and Mary as the "affected girls" who charge others of witchcraft.

Deed 1: Susanna tells Reverend Parris that Medico Griggs is concerned Betty's illness is supernatural in origin (p. 9).

Act ii: Susanna has become part of the group of accusers; is one of the people Mary Warren says would've witnessed Mary sewing the poppet in court (p. 72).

Act 3: Susanna joins in with Abigail and Mercy in accusing Mary Warren of bewitching them via Mary'due south bird-shaped spirit (p. 107).

body_fluffyyellowbird.jpg steve p2008/used under CC Past ii.0/Cropped from original.

Mercy Lewis

Mercy is a servant to the Putnams and seems to be the detail caretaker of Ruth. She also appears friendly with Abigail Williams (which makes sense, as they were dancing in the woods together) and contemptuous of Mary Warren. Mercy is described by Miller every bit "a fat, sly, merciless [get it, get it, because her name is MERCY yet she shows no mercy] girl of 18" (p. 16).

Act one: Mercy has come to the Parris house to detect out what'southward going on. She gets to confer with Abigail well-nigh getting their stories straight near what happened in the woods (since Mercy was apparently running around naked in the wood) earlier she's sent abroad to get Doctor Griggs for Ruth.

Human action 3: Mercy is i of the girls in court who accuses Mary Warren of bewitching them via Mary's bird-shaped spirit (p. 106).

Human action 4: Parris says that he believes Mercy has run away with his niece, Abigail Williams (p. 116).

Mrs. Ann Putnam

Besides Known As: Goody Putnam, Goody Ann

Ann Putnam is wife to Thomas Putnam and the mother of the afflicted Ruth (who we never see onstage) and seven other dead children (who we also never see onstage — considering they're expressionless). There appears to be some friction between her and Rebecca Nurse, possibly because Rebecca Nurse has many living children and grandchildren while Ann only has the one child; it besides seems that Rebecca may have chided Ann in the past for not beingness up to snuff (p. 36):

Let God arraign me, not you, not you, Rebecca! I'll not have you judging me any more!

Miller further describes Ann every bit being "a twisted soul of forty-five, a death-ridden woman, haunted by dreams" (p. 12). So clearly the woman has some issues.

Human action 1: Ann comes to the Parris household to find out what's going on and report that her daughter is being afflicted past something peradventure supernatural. She knows that the cause of her girl's affliction is something supernatural because she sent her girl to Tituba to find out (via supernatural ways) who murdered Ann's other seven children in infancy.

Ann is set and willing to believe whatsoever explanation for why her children died except that it was natural causes (understandable for a grieving mother). She seizes eagerly upon Tituba'south saying that Goody Osburn was a witch, saying, "I knew it! Goody Osburn were midwife to me iii times. I begged you, Thomas, did I not? I begged him not to telephone call Osburn considering I feared her. My babies always shriveled in her hands!" (p. 44).

Thomas Putnam

Thomas Putnam is married man to Ann Putnam and father of the affected Ruth. Described by Miller equally "a well-to-practise, difficult-handed landowner, near fifty" (p. 12) and "deeply embittered" with "a vindictive nature" (p. 14), Putnam has quarrels with nearly every major (male) character who appears onstage in this play. He dislikes Francis and Rebecca Nurse (since their family helped block Putnam's candidate for minister), Reverend Parris (since he got the chore instead of Putnam's brother-in-law), John Proctor (because he is chopping down woods that Thomas Putnam believes rightfully belongs to him), and Giles Corey (because Corey accuses him of conspiring with his girl Ruth to kill another human being for his land).

Act 1: Putnam urges Parris to investigate possible supernatural causes of Betty's (and his daughter Ruth'due south) ailments. Miller intimates (via phase directions) that Putnam doesn't necessarily believe in witchcraft – he only is looking for a fashion to proceeds power and/or make Parris do something dumb that he can then exploit: "at the moment he is intent upon getting Parris, for whom he has only contempt, to motion toward the abyss" (p. xiv).

Act 3: Putnam briefly shows up in court to say that Giles' accusations confronting him are a lie (p.89).

Francis Nurse

Francis is the husband of accused witch Rebecca Nurse and friends with Giles Corey and John Proctor. Francis is described by Miller as "1 of those men for whom both sides of the argument had to have respect," although "as he gradually paid for [the land he'd originally rented] and raised his social condition, in that location were those who resented his ascent" (p. 24). Basically, Francis is seen every bit a off-white and ethical citizen of Salem, although there are some who resent his social-climbing. Through one of Miller's character essays, we learn that Francis is part of the faction that opposed Thomas Putnam'south candidate for government minister of Salem (p. 24), which led to bad feelings between the two families (that may have motivated the accusations of Rebecca as a witch).

Deed 2: Francis lets the Proctors know his wife's in jail and charged with supernatural murder (p. 67).

Act 3: Francis appears in court to nowadays evidence of the girls' fraud jointly with John Proctor and Giles Corey (p. fourscore); brings a petition signed by neighbors attesting to his married woman's good name that is then used past the court as a source for abort warrants, much to Francis'south horror (p. 87)

Sarah Good

Also Known Every bit: Goody Good

The first adult female to be accused of witchcraft in Salem, Sarah Adept is described past Elizabeth Proctor as "Goody Adept that sleeps in ditches" (p. 58).

Deed 1: Thomas Putnam floats her proper noun as a possible witch (p. 43); Tituba then picks up on this priming and names her as a co-conspirator (p. 44), followed presently by Abby (p. 45)

Act ii: Mary Warren reports that Sarah Skillful confessed to attacking the girls supernaturally and so won't hang; also, Sarah is pregnant at age 60.

Act 4: The first (and but) fourth dimension Sarah Good appears onstage is at the beginning of this human action: she is hanging out with Tituba in the jail, acting a little crazy, and seeming to see the Devil. It's unclear whether she thinks the Devil is existent or if she's just playing forth at this point because she doesn't have anything to lose and won't be hanged since she'due south confessed and is pregnant.

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The Courtroom Officials

Besides the full general residents of Salem, The Crucible also has the characters involved in the "legal" part of the witch trials and the "justice" system.

Ezekiel Cheever

Cheever was originally an "honest tailor" (p. 69) merely past the time of his advent in the play (in Act 2) has become "a clerk of the courtroom" (p. 68). Elizabeth that he "knows [John Proctor] well" (p. 50), but by the time of the trials it is clear that he is no longer held in quite as high esteem ("You'll burn for this, do yous know information technology?", p. 69).

Act 2: Cheever comes to arrest Elizabeth Proctor on orders from the court; he is convinced of her guilt when he finds a poppet with a needle stuck in it (p. 70), and isn't willing to believe other explanations for information technology, fifty-fifty though Mary Warren clearly states that she's the i who fabricated the poppet and stuck the needle in information technology.

Human activity 3: Cheever testifies nigh his feel with Goody Proctor and John Proctor in the previous Human activity (finding the poppet after Elizabeth denied keeping them, John ripping upward the arrest warrant); though he prefaces his testimony with an amends to Proctor

Marshal Herrick

Herrick is the marshal for the courtroom system in Salem, which is to say that he is the person sent to gather upward prisoners, stop people from leaving the courtroom and from attacking other people in the courtroom, and pb convicted witches to exist hanged.

Deed ii: Forth with Cheever, Herrick comes to the Proctors' house to take Elizabeth Proctor away to the jail, as per orders of the court.

Act 3: Herrick vouches for John Proctor's character (p. 86) and acts as the arm of the court (he stops Proctor from attacking Abigail, stops Abigail from leaving when she's accused of whorishness, and is asked to take Proctor and Corey to jail).

Human activity four: Herrick drunkenly clears Sarah Good and Tituba out of on cell of the jail to make way for the judges' discussion with Parris and Unhurt. He also shepherds the prisoners (Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor, and Rebecca Nurse) dorsum and forth betwixt the cells, the chief room, and (ultimately) the gallows.

Gauge Hathorne

Guess Hathorne is a Salem estimate presiding over the witchcraft trials. Described by Miller in the stage directions every bit "a bitter, remorseless Salem approximate" (p. 78), Hathorne lives up to that depiction in both word and human action – he shows no mercy to the defendant witches or their families and is e'er willing to believe the worst of people. Approximate Hathorne appears in Acts 3 and 4 of The Crucible.

Act 3: Hathorne is very concerned with all civilians showing the proper respect to the court and the law (although he's less shrill about information technology than Parris is).

Act four: Hathorne comes to the jail to confer with Danforth; he is confused past and suspicious of why Hale is dorsum, disapproves of Parris's increasingly "unsteady" and wishy-washy demeanor (p. 115), and seems to remember everyone is filled with "high satisfaction" (p. 117) at the hangings of the witches.

Fun fact: The character of Judge Hathorne is based on the historical Hathorne who was and then reviled that his descendant, author Nathaniel Hawthorne (The Reddish Alphabetic character, House of the Seven Gables), changed the spelling of his last name to avoid existence associated with him.

Deputy Governor Danforth

At the fourth dimension of the events in the play, Danforth is the Deputy Governor of the entire Province (of Massachusetts). Danforth oversees all of the court proceedings in the play as the highest legal authority. He is described by Miller equally "a grave man in his sixties, of some humor and sophistication that practise not, however, interfere with an exact loyalty to his position and his cause" (p. 79). While no one in the play seems to similar him, exactly, he does command respect from well-nigh of the characters, at to the lowest degree at beginning - every bit the play continues and it becomes clear that Danforth is more concerned about process than justice, characters (including Giles Corey and John Proctor) vocally display their loss of respect for Danforth.

Act 3: The audience starting time sees Danforth in his position equally the presiding court judge for the witch trials. Danforth is non swayed by emotion only is swayed by the girls' demonstrations of witchcraft (possibly because he tin meet it with his own eyes, feel their clammy skin, etc). The combination of his dispassionate questioning and his belief in witchcraft means that what logically follows is him ordering the arrests of everyone who signed the petition affirming the good characters of Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey, belongings Giles in antipathy of court, and ordering Proctor's arrest.

Act iv: Danforth fills the audience in on what has been going on in Salem between Acts 3 and 4. He continues to lack detectable emotions and base his decisions on legality (eastward.g. it wouldn't be off-white to postpone the hangings of these witches considering we already hanged others) instead of morality (we should avoid killing people unless absolutely necessary and unless all other avenues take been exhausted). When he senses that John Proctor might not be entirely candid in his confession, he warns that if Proctor is lying about beingness a witch, and then he can't end Proctor from hanging; when Proctor rips up his confession, Danforth feels no qualms about sending him to the gallows (p. 134):

Hang them loftier over the town! Who weeps for these, weeps for abuse! He sweeps out past them.

Hopkins

A baby-sit at the Salem jail who helps Herrick clear Tituba and Goody Good out of the room to make fashion for Danforth in Deed 4. Hopkins doesn't even become a kickoff proper name, and only has i line (p.113) - he's more often than not there to announce Danforth'southward arrival.

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Unseen Characters in The Crucible

In that location are several characters in The Crucible who don't actually show upward onstage but still play an important role in the play. In one instance, a character actually has more lines from offstage (Martha Corey) than some other grapheme does onstage (Hopkins), while in other cases these offstage, unseen characters are used to motility along the action of the play.

Martha Corey

Martha Corey is the (3rd) wife of Giles Corey, defendant of witchcraft directly by Walcott (and indirectly past Giles himself). We learn through Francis Nurse that Martha Corey is highly idea of in town - or at to the lowest degree, she was until she was accused of witchcraft (p. 67):

...Martha Corey, in that location cannot be a woman closer even so to God than Martha.

While Martha never appears onstage, she is mentioned in all four acts and has three offstage lines in Deed 3.

Deed 1: Giles first brings up his suspicions that Martha's bookishness is somehow causing him to stammer at his prayers (despite the fact that he just started regularly going to church building when he married her, and so "it didn't have much to make him stumble over [his prayers]" (p. 38).

Act 2: Giles reports that Martha'due south been taken away later Walcott accuses her of bewitching his pigs; Giles explains that he didn't mean to imply his wife was a witch because she read books (fifty-fifty though that is absolutely what he implied).

Human activity 3: Martha is heard from offstage being questioned past Judge Hathorne about witchcraft at the opening of the act; later, she is mentioned equally being one of two defendant witches who 91 people declared their good opinion of in a petition (p. 86-87).

Act four: Martha is mentioned as one of the defendant witches Hale is trying to convince to confess; subsequently, when John Proctor asks if Martha's confessed, Elizabeth confirms that "[s]he will not" (p. 125).

Ruth Putnam

The just surviving kid of Thomas and Ann Putnam, Ruth, like Betty Parris, shows signs of being bugged. According to Ruth's parents, Ruth was sent by her female parent to Tituba to effigy out who supernaturally murdered Ruth'due south seven expressionless infant siblings; this is no doubt the reason why Ruth "never waked this morning, but her eyes open up and she walks, and hears naught, sees naught, and cannot consume" (p. 13). While she never appears onstage, Ruth (and her strange illness) is used in absentia to corroborate the presence of some supernatural evil in Salem during Act 1.

Ruth is merely brought up once again a couple of times during the residue of the play: in Human action iii, the audience learns that Ruth is said to have accused George Jacobs of being a witch (p. 89), and that she is not in the court when John Proctor brings Mary Warren to face up the other girls (p. 94).

Sarah Osburn

Too Known As: Goody Osburn

The name of Goody Osburn beginning comes up in Act 1, when she is suggested by Thomas Putnam as a possible witch (p. 43). This suggestion is then corroborated by the accusations of Tituba (p. 44) and Abigail Williams (p. 45). In Human action 2, nosotros acquire that Good Osburn is the first witch to be condemned to hang in Salem (p. 54). We as well learn that it's not all that surprising that someone would accuse Goody Osburn of being a witch, since she is "drunk and one-half-witted" (p.58).

George Jacobs

In the first human activity of The Crucible, George Jacobs is named as a witch by Betty Parris (p. 45). His proper name briefly comes upwards in Act two as the owner of a heifer John Proctor is thinking almost ownership for his wife (p. 48), but information technology is non until Human activity three that he becomes more of import. In Act 3, Giles Corey alleges that he's heard that Ruth Putnam accused George Jacobs of witchcraft because convicted witches forfeit their holding, and the merely person who has enough coin to buy up that belongings just and so happens to exist Ruth'due south father, Thomas Putnam (p. 89):

...the twenty-four hour period [Putnam's] girl cried out on Jacobs, he said she'd given him a fair gift of state...

The accusation that Ruth had basically handed her father George Jacobs' property by accusing him of witchcraft, still, is never brought to trial considering Giles refuses to reveal the proper name of the person who told him nearly Putnam's words; therefore, George Jacobs becomes the indirect cause of Giles being arrested for contempt of court (and, ultimately, pressed to death).

Bridget Bishop

Also Known As: Goody Bishop

Bridget Bishop is a tavern proprietor in Salem (p. 4) and is the outset witch named by Abigail who wasn't also named by Tituba (p. 45). Goody Bishop's main role inThe Crucible is equally a contrast to Rebecca Nurse; to illustrate how the people hanged earlier in the play were of lower moral character than those set to hang during Act 4, Parris mentions how Bridget "lived three year with Bishop before she married him" (p. 117).

Doctor Griggs

Medico Griggs is mentioned in Act ane as the man Parris has consulted with to detect out what's wrong with Betty (p. eight) and in Deed 2 as the man who confirms Sarah Good is meaning (p. 56). He'southward also the employer of Susanna Walcott.

Other People Mentioned in The Crucible

In addition to all the characters who we've previously discussed, at that place are also several other people mentioned over the form of the play. Some of these names are useful to know because they requite context to character relationships that shape how events unfold in The Crucible (for example, James Bayley is the brother-in-law of Putnam who was passed over for minister of Salem due to opposition past other townspeople, including Francis Nurse, which causes bad claret betwixt the ii families). Some of the other names might be useful if your teacher asks y'all to listing off people defendant of witchcraft over the class of the play, or to list people who accused others of witchcraft.

Whatever the reason, if you want a list of every proper name mentioned in The Crucible, nosotros're here for you: encounter beneath for the nittiest-of-the-grittiest table of all the named people in The Crucible.

Proper name

Description

Citation

Mr. Collins

Reports seeing Betty Parris flying.

p. 12

Ingersoll

Owns the barn over which Betty Parris is said to take flown.

p. 12

James Bayley

Blood brother-in-law of Thomas Putnam who was prevented from becoming minister of Salem by "a faction" (including Francis Nurse & family unit).

p. 13

John Putnam

Brother of Thomas Putnam who helped Thomas jail George Burroughs.

p. 14

George Burroughs

Minister of Salem jailed for debts he didn't owe past Thomas and John Putnam (perchance out of spite because Burroughs became minister where Bayley wasn't able to)

p. 14

Edward Putnam

Signer of the outset complaint against Rebecca Nurse; blood brother of Thomas Putnam.

p. 25

Jonathan Putnam

Signer of the first complaint confronting Rebecca Nurse; brother of Thomas Putnam.

p. 25

Goody Howe

Defendant of being a witch by Betty Parris.

p. 45

Martha Bellows

Accused of being a witch by Betty Parris.

p. 45

Goody Sibber

Accused of beingness a witch by Abigail Williams.

p. 45

Alice Barrow

Accused of being a witch by Betty Parris.

p. 45

Goody Hawkins

Accused of being a witch by Abigail Williams.

p. 46

Goody Bibber

Accused of beingness a witch past Betty Parris.

p. 46

Goody Booth

Accused of being a witch past Abigail Williams.

p. 46

Jonathan [Proctor]

Son of Elizabeth and John Proctor. Is not the person who snared the rabbit eaten for dinner by John and Elizabeth in Deed ii.

p. 48

Walcott

Male parent or other relative of Susanna Walcott. Accuses Martha Corey of witchcraft against his pigs.

p. 68

Judge Stoughton

Judge at the Salem witch trials.

p. 86

Guess Sewall

Approximate at the Salem witch trials.

p. 86

Mr. Lewis

Father of Mercy Lewis; reports he thought his girl was staying over with Abigail Williams for a night.

p. 116

Isaac Ward

Drunk Salem resident hanged as a witch; John Proctor is compared favorably to him.

p. 117

Goody Ballard

Named by Elizabeth Proctor as someone who confessed to existence a witch.

p. 124

Isaiah Goodkind

Named by Elizabeth Proctor as someone who confessed to being a witch.

p. 124

Common Give-and-take Topics for The Crucible Characters

Now yous know all well-nigh the characters in The Crucible. But what might you be asked about them? Here are some common essay questions/word topics nigh characters in The Crucible. Practice answering them for yourself to gain a deeper understanding of the play (even if your teachers don't end upwardly asking you these specific questions).

  • Choose a graphic symbol who you call back might correspond a certain "type" of person. In your essay, argue which blazon of person this character represents. Apply evidence from the play to support your claims. Be sure to explicate why Arthur Miller might have chosen to have this graphic symbol represent this type of person.
  • Compare and contrast Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams. How is each woman affected by her position in the Puritan theocracy of Salem?
  • How do different characters serve as foils for each other (e.g. Elizabeth and Abigail, Hale and Danforth)?
  • How do characters change throughout the play, namely John Proctor, Mary Warren, and Reverend Hale?
  • How does John and Elizabeth Proctor'due south human relationship drive the play?
  • Choose one character from The Crucible. Then, argue whether their actions throughout the drama are selfish or sacrificial. Are they heroic or villainous?
  • Was Proctor'due south conclusion not to confess foolish or noble? Is John Proctor a tragic hero? Is The Crucible as a whole a tragedy?
  • How does John Proctor's dilemma change over the course of the play?
  • Tin can nosotros fully blame Abigail for the events in the play?

For more than about how to write effectively virtually the characters of The Crucible, be sure to read our article on character analysis in The Crucible.

What's Next?

Looking for specific character analyses from The Crucible? We've got detailed guides to John Proctor, Abigail Williams, Mary Warren, Giles Corey, and Rebecca Nurse on our weblog.

Want a rundown of the play'south action? Then be sure to read our full plot summary of The Crucible.

Are you wondering, "What themes does this play comprehend? Is McCarthyism somehow involved?" Discover out with our discussions of The Crucible themes and McCarthyism in The Crucible!

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Well-nigh the Author

Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master'south caste in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard Higher. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high schoolhouse.

Main Character Of The Crucible,

Source: https://blog.prepscholar.com/the-crucible-characters-list

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