Name_________________________________________
Major Works Data Sheet
Advanced Placement English
Biographical Information about the Author:
Title: The Crucible
Author: Arthur Miller
Date of Publication: 1953
Genre: Psychological Drama
Historical Information:
Characteristics of the Genre:
Dramas are characterized by relating to the human
experience, human emotion, and usually center
around some climatic event. In the case of The
Crucible, the plot is meant to be a mirror of the
McCarthy anti-communist hysteria, making a point
against the direction of political policy.
Plot Summary:
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Describe the Author’s Style:
The dialogue is the simple language of country folks,
while at the same time employing old-fashioned
vocabulary and grammar. The narrative asides are
slightly more complex and use regular, standard,
1950s everyday language.
Quotes
Provide an example that demonstrates the style:
Memorable Quotes (Need at least 5)
Significance of each Quote:
2
Characters
Name
Role in Story
Significance
Adjectives
Reverend Paris
Salem’s minister
Driven by self-interest, goes
along with insanity to protect
his standing in the community
Snob, self-righteous,
oppressive, religious,
materialistic
Betty Paris
10 year-old daughter of
Reverend Paris
Brings characters to awareness
to rumors of witchcraft by
illness after dancing and
conjuring
Young, easily swayed
Tituba
West Indian Slave of Reverend
Paris
Obeys Abigail and practices
dark magic with the young
girls
Foreign, sacrificial
Abigail Williams
Antagonist
Is the cause of disruption to the
community. Has affair with
John Proctor and conjures
spirits to claim him.
Evil, selfish, neglected, willful,
powerful, influential, hateful,
promiscuous
Susanna Walcott
Dancing/conjuring girl
Involved in following
Abigail’s witch- hunt
escapades
Timid, naïve
Mrs. Ann Putnam
Thomas Putnam’s wife
1 out of 8 of her children
survived past a day old, she
believes supernatural causes
Distraught, religious
Thomas Putnam
Wealthy citizen
Buys land from people who he
accuses of witchcraft
Selfish, hateful
Mercy Lewis
Putnam family’s servant
Faithful to Abigail, ends up
leaving with Abigail when
charade is over.
Faithful, selfish, promiscuous,
fat, sly, merciless
Mary Warren
Proctor family’s servant
Tries to expose Abigail but
fails
Naïve, controlled, distraught,
17, lonely, subservient
John Proctor
Protagonist
Ridden with guilt from his
affairs with Abigail, he tries to
save his wife from Abigail’s
wrath
Reserved, stern, strong,
disloyal, quiet
Rebecca Nurse
Francis Nurse’s wife
People in the community trust
and revere Rebecca, her
judgment is held in high
regard, she falls victim to
accusations
Wise, sensible, influential,
aged
Giles Corey
One of Salem’s farmers
Death by stones
Victim
Reverend John Hale
Minister, witchcraft expert
Comes to Salem to help Betty,
gets tangled in accusations,
later tries to undo the trouble
he helped fuel.
Selfless, confused, religious,
stern
Elizabeth Proctor
Wife of John Proctor
Discovers John and Abigail
and fires Abigail, causing
Abigail’s desire for revenge.
Cold, reserved, loyal,
3
Francis Nurse
Esekiel Cheever
Influential man of Salem
Court Clerk
Enemy to Thomas Putnam
Clerk throughout the witch
trials
Religious
Bandwagoner, puppet
Marshal Herrick
Marshal
Marshal during with trials
Bandwagoner, puppet
Judge Hathorne
Judge
Presides over with trails
Stern, ignorant
Deputy Governor Danforth
Presiding Judge
Presides over witch trials,
believes anyone who fears the
court is guilty.
Ignorant, blinded, stern
Sarah Good
Homeless woman
Accused of witchcraft by
Abigail
Victim
Hopkins
Jailer
Insignificant
Dutiful
Martha Corey
Wide of Giles Corey
Is turned in for reading books
by her husband, refuses to
confess
Intelligent, religious, betrayed
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Setting
The Crucible is set in seventeenth-century Salem,
Massachusetts. Salem is where is the famous withtrials occurred. The action of this play takes place in
the homes and courthouse of Salem. In the appendix,
action takes place in a wood.
Significance of Opening Scene
In the opening scene we are introduced to Reverend Parris who
is in prayer over his daughters sickly body. It is revealed that no
cure is available from the town doctor and that there is
speculation of witchcraft. Abigail Williams admits to the
Reverend that the girls were dancing in the woods but claims to
have practiced no witchcraft. This is the beginning of suspicion
in the town. Abigail makes sure that all the other girls will go
along with her lie, using manipulation and threats. To cover their
guilt the girls accuse others of witchcraft, similar events escalate
throughout the play until the town is town apart.
Significance of Ending or closing scene
The significance of the last scene is that John Proctor refuses to
give names of anyone else on the pretense that he can only speak
for his own sins. John Proctor points out the perjury that the
court has committed and stands his ground even if it means
death. All matters are not resolved in the final scene, but the
evidence is left hanging, just like those who were wrongly
murdered were hung from the neck.
Symbols
o Witchcraft: Symbolizes the foreign contaminate that causes
fear and reeks havoc on the small, tense community.
o The crucible: Symbolizes the extremely tense situation in the
community as people use accusation as a form of unstated
confession of feelings of guilt.
o Tituba: Symbolizes the unknown and outside force that
becomes a scapegoat for misbehavior.
o Books: symbolize secret knowledge and thusly sin
o
o
o
o
o
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Old AP Questions
Supplied by Mr. Gibbons near AP testing date.
Possible Themes
Betrayal of the self and others
Opportunity for confession and grace of redemption
Mechanisms by which power is maintained
Rejection of cultural or religious contamination by pressure toward conformity.
The idea of extreme heat or tension placed on a community, a severe test by threat of destruction
Fragility of shared values
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