The Putnams, another family in Salem, also have an afflicted child, and Hale goes to examine Ruth Putnam as well. Reverend John Hale arrives and examines Betty, consulting a number of books to determine if she is marked by the Devil. Rebecca Nurse, an older respected woman in the community, stands above Betty until she returns to sleep, and then comments that the child is likely only experiencing a passing illness, and rushing to the conclusion of witchcraft is a dangerous action. Proctor resists Abigail's advances, telling her it is over between them, which leads Abigail to rail against Proctor's wife, claiming she is slandering her in the town.īetty again awakens in hysterics upon hearing a psalm sung below, and several townspeople rush to her room. When Proctor and Abigail are left alone, Abigail pleads to Proctor to give her a "soft word" and alludes to a previous affair between the two (Act I, p. John Proctor arrives and chastises his servant, Mary Warren, for being away from his home and her duties. Abigail slaps and threatens Betty into submission, and tells the rest of the group if they admit anything happened that night besides dancing, she will hunt them down in the night and do them great harm. When Betty awakens, she is hysterical and claims Abigail drank blood the night before in a ritual designed to kill Elizabeth Proctor. When the adults leave the room, Abigail, along with Mercy Lewis, attempt to rouse Betty. Parris requests Beverly summon Reverend Hale, an expert in the subject of the demonic arts, to examine Betty for signs of the Devil. Reverend Parris questions Abigail as to the night's events, and Abigail denies any claims of witchcraft, insisting the girls were only dancing. The night before, Reverend Parris discovered Betty, her cousin Abigail, and several other village girls dancing in the woods with Parris's slave, Tituba. The play opens with Reverend Samuel Parris standing over the bedside of his daughter, Betty, who has fallen into a comatose-like state.
Miller's tragic drama follows the protagonist John Proctor and his plight for justice amongst mass hysteria, and metaphorically examines the motivations and corruption of the McCarthy era in Miller's own time. The play, first produced on Broadway in 1953, illustrates the story of the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693. The Crucible is a dramatic work by American playwright Arthur Miller.
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