The Crucible Characters by Arthur Miller

The Crucible

Cast of Characters (Act I):

Reverend Samuel Parris: The minister for Salem. He is fighting with his congregation over his salary and his right to own the minister’s house, and he believes that a faction (group) of congregation members are “out to get him”.

Betty Parris: The minister’s ten-year old daughter.

Tituba: The minister’s slave, originally from the island of Barbados. She is persuaded by Abigail to entertain a group of girls with her knowledge of “conjuring spirits”- this is what starts the trouble.

Abigail Williams: Reverend Parris’s niece and the leader of the group of girls- both in convincing them to dance and conjure in the first place, and in leading the “crying out” against those accused of witchcraft. Attractive and intimidating, she frightens the girls, the townspeople and the judges into following her lead. Her short affair with John Proctor has made her determined to get Elizabeth Proctor out of the way so that she can win John back.

Mrs. Ann Putnam: A gossipy woman who is determined to get revenge on any that have gone against her. She has had seven children die in the hour after they were born, and is convinced that a witch is murdering them. She sends her daughter Ruth to Tituba in order to conjure the spirits of the babies and find the “murderer”.

Thomas Putnam: Ann’s husband; rich and influential, he has had many fights over property and power with other villagers (especially the Nurses). He leads the “crying out”, getting revenge on his enemies.

Ruth Putnam: Thomas and Ann’s daughter, one of the group of girls who “cry out.”

Mercy Lewis: The Putnam’s servant; sly and merciless; one of the group of girls who “cry out.”

Mary Warren: The Proctor’s servant; lonely, naïve and timid; one of the group of girls who “cry out.”

John Proctor: An honest, sensible, strong man who is well respected but makes enemies because he is not afraid to voice his opinions and tell people when they are wrong. He had a short affair with Abigail when she worked at his house, but he immediately confessed to his wife Elizabeth.

Rebecca Nurse: One of the most respected, holiest women in the village. She and her husband Francis have a lot of influence and have often had disputes (disagreements) with the Putnams.

Giles Corey: A foolish but basically harmless old man who gets blamed for nearly anything that goes wrong in the village; shows himself to be brave and strong in his beliefs in the end.

Reverend John Hale: The witchcraft “expert”; he believes that dealing with witchcraft is a science, and he arrogantly believes that from his books he has all the knowledge he needs to defeat the devil.