The Crucible Plot Summary
Uploaded by xsparklyvix on Sep 05, 2005
Plot Summary
Act 1
The play begins on Rev. Parris praying by the bedside of his daughter Betty who has turned strange overnight and will not wake. His niece Abigail enters and Parris believes he has seen her dancing in the forest and conjuring. Abigail fiercely denies conjuring but admits to harmless dancing. Mr and Mrs Putnam enter and are pleased that misfortune has befallen on Parris because they are jealous of him becoming minister over their own family. The Putnam’s compare Betty with their own daughter who has also fallen ill. Mrs Putnam believes the girls are not sick but it is ‘death drivin’ into them, forked and hoofed’. This raises the question of witchcraft. Abigail is left alone with Mercy Lewis (the Putnam’s servant), Marry Warren (the Proctor’s servant) and Betty. Abigail admits to other girls she confessed to dancing in the forest and that ‘He knows Tituba conjured Ruth’s sisters to come out of the grave’. The girls talk to each other and the truth is revealed that they were conjuring spirits and that Abigail drank blood to kill Goody Proctor. Abigail blackmails the other girls to keep it a secret with the threat that she will come and beat them otherwise. In class, we worked on Abigail’s pivotal speech to the other girls helping us to understand her actions and how her past; through watching her parents being killed affects her treatment of others. The other girls leave and John Proctor is left alone with Abigail. Through the following scene we find out that John and Abigail had an affair but John wishes now to deny his feelings for Abigail. She is very resentful of this and the scene turns angry. This helps the audience to understand the rationale behind Abigail’s actions and increases the depth of her character. Betty begins to scream again and Rebecca Nurse calms her. Through a conversation between Mr Putnam, Giles Corey and Proctor we learn more of a dispute over land. This helps to recreate a more genuine atmosphere to which the audience can believe. Hale (an educated witch finder) enters and admits ‘we cannot look to superstition for this’. Mrs Putnam mentions that Tituba is involved in witchcraft. Abigail is then questioned by Hale, The audience find out that there was movement in the kettle and the ground trembled whilst they were dancing. Abigail and Parris both agree to...