Characters
The farmer who struggles with guilt over an affair
John Proctor
Where and when is the play set?
Salem, MA in 1692
Name two central themes of The Crucible
Hysteria, reputation, integrity, power, justice
She is the first to be accused of witchcraft in the play
Tituba
What kind of irony occurs when the audience knows that the girls are lying but the court does not?
Dramatic irony
The girl who leads the accusations and seeks revenge against Elizabeth Proctor
Abigail Williams
Why were the girls originally in the woods?
They were dancing
What does the poppet symbolize in the play?
Fabricated evidence and the manipulation of truth
She is charged with "the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnam's babies."
Rebecca Nurse
Elizabeth uses this device when she says of Abigail, "where she walks the crowd will part like the sea for Israel".
Simile
A minister who arrives confident in rooting out witchcraft but later regrets his role
Reverend Hale
What object leads to Elizabeth’s arrest?
A poppet
What do the gallows symbolize?
Wrongful punishment, death, and the extreme consequence of mass hysteria
Accused of bewitching Mr. Walcott’s pigs with her books
Martha Corey
When John Proctor forgets the commandment against adultery, it is an example of this type of irony.
Situational irony
Values reputation above almost everything and fears its loss most
Reverend Parris
Which commandment does John Proctor forget while being questioned by Reverend Hale?
The "weight" of Salem's sins and the burden of the court proceedings are represented by this method of execution used on Giles Corey.
Being pressed with stones
She accuses Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft because she wants to take her place
Abigail Williams
The entire play is considered one of these, as it compares the Salem witch trials to the McCarthyism of the 1950s.
Allegory
Attempts to expose the girls lies in court, but the girls turn on her and she accuses John Proctor of witchcraft
Mary Warren
Giles Corey tells Hale that his wife, Martha, was arrested for this strange action that caused him to be unable to pray
The Salem witch trials, and Miller's play, are often interpreted as an allegory for this 1950s American political phenomenon
McCarthyism or The Red Scare
This is the reason why Elizabeth Proctor is accused of witchcraf
The needle in the poppet
When John Proctor says "I'll tell you what's walking in Salem—vengeance is walking," he is using this device.
Personification