The Crucible

Tituba is Parris’s slave. Parris brought Tituba to Salem when he moved from Barbados, where he used to work as a merchant. Tituba has an extensive knowledge of herbs and folk medicine. She makes love potions for the girls in Salem and led a seance for Ann Putnam (who tried to conjure the souls of her dead babies).

When the authorities confront Tituba about her role in a ritualistic ceremony—wherein Abigail and the other village girls danced naked in the woods—she defensively offers a false confession of practicing witchcraft. She claims that she saw members of Salem’s community with the devil (including women of ill-repute, such as Sarah Good). She is imprisoned with Sarah Good. By the end of the play, she believes she can communicate with the devil.

As the first innocent person accused of witchcraft—and the first scapegoat for Abigail’s misdeeds—Tituba is a symbol for the unfairness and injustice of the witch trials. In the witch trials, the most vulnerable members of society—including Black slaves, sex workers, and women with substance abuse issues—are the first people subjected to false blame. The witch trials are an easy (and politically convenient) way to dispose of these vulnerable community members.

Betty is Parris’s 10-year-old daughter who becomes mysteriously ill after he catches the girls dancing in the woods. She is one of the first girls to accuse Salem community members of witchcraft.

Abigail is a beautiful and wild-spirited 17-year-old woman. She is an orphan who witnessed her parents killed by Native Americans in King Phillip’s War (and thus is no stranger to violence). Abigail previously worked as a servant for John and Elizabeth Proctor. During her time as a servant, she had an affair with John Proctor. Elizabeth discovered the affair and dismissed Abigail, who then went to live with her uncle, Reverend Parris.

Abigail uses her status as Parris’s niece to add credibility to her witchcraft accusations. She initially uses her accusations of witchcraft to distract from her leadership in the conjuring ceremony (wherein she was trying to summon a spirit to murder Elizabeth). Though Proctor repeatedly insists that his affair with Abigail is over, she believes that he is secretly still in love with her. She accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft, believing that Proctor will marry her after his wife dies.

Abigail ruthlessly devotes her time to her own desires. She perceives Salem’s citizens as religious hypocrites, and believes that the mass execution of “witches” is a kind of “cleansing” process. When an uprising begins to stir in Salem, Abigail steals her uncle’s money and flees for England, afraid to face the consequences of her actions.

John Proctor is a local farmer and the husband of Elizabeth Proctor, one of Salem’s many citizens accused of witchcraft. Proctor is known for his independent, defiant spirit. He is one of the few Salem community members who does not regularly attend church services (because he does not ascribe to the conservative “fire and brimstone” beliefs of Reverend Parris). His critical attitude toward the church casts suspicion on his family when Abigail accuses his wife of witchcraft.

Proctor had an affair with Abigail when she was his servant. During this affair, he frequently denounced the “hypocrisy” of Salem’s religiously conservative citizens. Proctor’s rejection of “hypocrisy” is one of the qualities that most attracts Abigail (and leads her to lash out against the community). Because Proctor is greatly ashamed of his affair, he initially resists Elizabeth’s pleas to testify against Abigail. When Elizabeth gets charged, however, he must reveal his affair in court (so his wife will not die as a result of his “sins”). He enlists his servant, Mary, to corroborate his testimony, but John ultimately gets betrayed and stands accused of witchcraft himself.

Proctor feels morally conflicted throughout much of the play. He struggles with the decision to offer a false confession of witchcraft (and thus escape execution) or to remain silent and steadfast (and thus commit himself to death). When faced with this decision, to betray other members of the community, he ultimately refuses. As the sheriff takes Proctor to his hanging, Elizabeth declares that he has found his “goodness.” She believes Proctor’s refusal to lie—and his symbolic act of solidarity with other accused “witches”—has cleansed him of his adulterous affair with Abigail.

Elizabeth is John’s wife. She is a pious and honest person with a strong commitment to moral justice. Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft because Abigail holds a grudge against her for firing her (and ending her affair with John Proctor). She gets spared from execution for one year when she claims she is pregnant. Though Elizabeth feels conflicted between her love and distrust of her husband, she ultimately forgives him by the end of the play, claiming he has found his “goodness.”

Mercy Lewis is a young servant girl who collaborates with Abigail’s witchcraft accusations. In the final act, she flees to England with Abigail.

Mary is the Proctor’s servant. She is a mild-mannered, weak-willed, and easily manipulated girl. When Abigail compels Mary to accuse Salem community members of being “witches,” she becomes so swept up in the performance that she initially feels it is real. Proctor brings Mary to court to testify against Abigail. She retracts her testimony, however, when Abigail and the other girls turn on her, pretending she is sending out an evil spirit to harm them. To save herself, Mary accuses Proctor of witchcraft, leading to his arrest.

Ann Putnam is a wealthy and influential woman in Salem. She has one daughter, Ruth, but seven of her previous children died shortly after their births. She believes that witches are responsible for the deaths of these children.

Thomas Putnam is a greedy and wealthy member of Salem’s elite society. Putnam convinces Parris to “discover” the presence of witches in Salem, explaining that these accusations will be politically advantageous to both of them. He also manipulates his daughter, Ruth, into accusing George Jacobs of witchcraft so he can purchase his land at a cheap price.

Giles Corey is a farmer and a close friend of Proctor. He is similarly stubborn and strong-willed. When Corey’s wife stands accused of witchcraft, he goes to court to corroborate Proctor’s case against Abigail. He claims that Putnam convinced his daughter to accuse George Jacobs in order to steal his land. When the court demands to know how he learned of Putnam’s intentions, however, Corey refuses to name the individual, knowing the individual will face arrest. Because Corey refuses to cooperate, he’s held in contempt of court and sentenced to execution. He is “pressed” to death under stone slabs, and his defiant dying words are, “More weight.”

Rebecca is an elderly, wise, and well-respected member of Salem’s community. Despite her high standing in the village, she is accused of witchcraft (because Ann Putnam believes she murdered her babies when delivering them). Rebecca is one of the first highly respected citizens of Salem to face the accusation, and her sentence leads to an outcry within the village.

Reverend Hale is a young and well-educated minister from Beverly. Known for his expertise on the supernatural, Parris summons him to investigate accusations of witchcraft in Salem. Hale begins his investigations of witchcraft in earnest, hoping to protect the community from nefarious activity. As the witch trials progress, however, he observes numerous injustices and abuses of power that lead him to doubt charges of witchcraft. Disheartened and disillusioned, Hale tries to coerce confessions from as many people as possible, hoping to save them from execution.

Hathorne is one of two judges who preside over the Salem witch trials. He is a staunchly religious man who wholeheartedly believes Abigail’s testimony.