The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Reading Guide for Acts I and II
ACT I – For Act I, read (just) the passages listed below to examine the subtler details
Important Literary Terms – dramatic exposition, stage directions, direct and indirect characterization
1. Record the definition of dramatic exposition on page 1123. After you finish reading the passages for Act I, come back to
this question and describe what kind of information you gain about the characters and the situation from the dramatic
exposition.
2. When Abigail enters, she is described as “a strikingly beautiful girl...with an endless capacity for dissembling. Now she is
all worry and apprehension and propriety [as she approaches Betty’s bedside]” (1130). What does the phrase an “endless
capacity for dissembling” suggest about Abigail’s actions and character?
3. Read the first two paragraphs of the dramatic exposition discussing Parris on page 1126. Based on his words and actions,
what seems to be Parris’s motivation for inadvertently causing the hysteria?
(HINT: why is he so concerned with whether Abigail’s reputation is “entirely white”?)
4. Read the dramatic exposition about Thomas Putnam on page 1133. What are some of Putnam’s motivations for his
actions in Salem?
5. Through her daughter Ruth’s actions, what role did Ann Putnam play in the dancing in the forest? (cut from movie, page
1150) What is the importance of what Ann asked her daughter to do?
6. What does the threat of a “pointy reckoning” reveal about Abigail’s true nature? (1137)
7. Read the dramatic exposition about John Proctor on page 1138. What do you learn about his character strengths and
weaknesses? What kinds of people does he find most offensive?
8. Read the dramatic exposition about Rebecca and Frances Nurse on page 1141. What grudges could the Putnam’s have
against the Nurses, in particular?
9. Read the scene between the adults (John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Giles Corey, Reverend Parris, Thomas and Ann
Putnam) on pages 1142-1145. What problems or issues stand at the root of the following conflicts? How do you think
these problems might factor into the growing hysteria?

Proctor and Giles versus Parris

Rebecca Nurse versus Ann Putnam

Proctor and Giles versus Thomas Putnam
10. In what ways do Thomas and Ann Putnam drive the accusations and inflame the hysteria? What do they have to gain
from people being accused of witchcraft?
11. Read the first paragraph of Reverend Hale’s dramatic exposition on page 1146. What do you learn about him? How much
real experience does he have with witchcraft? What happened with the bewitched woman in Beverly?
12. What motivates Tituba to confess and what does her speech indicate about her life in the Parris household?
13. What motivates Abby and Betty to begin denouncing everyone?
14. Which characters seem to call for calm? Which characters seem to drive the hysteria and panic?
ACT II – For Act II, read the passages listed below to examine the subtler details
Important Literary Terms – internal conflict, external conflict, situational irony
1. What is the importance or meaning of the following symbols? What do these mundane details reveal about the state of the
Proctor’s marriage (emotional, etc.) and life in the Proctor house?
the soup when John seasons it
the flowers when John says, “it is winter in here yet”
the cider when Elizabeth forgets it
2. Why does John hesitate to travel to Salem and tell the court what he knows about the girls dancing in the woods? What
does this problem reveal about his internal conflict (with himself) and his external conflict with Elizabeth?
3. What do the following metaphors suggest about problems in the marriage between John and Elizabeth? Consider what
the metaphors reveal about how each character feels and thinks:
a.
John: “an everlasting funeral marches around your heart” (54)
b. Elizabeth: “The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you.” (55)
c. Elizabeth: “[Abigail] has an arrow in you yet, John Proctor, and you know it well” (1275)
d. John: “Your justice would freeze beer” (55)
4. Why does Mary Warren disobey her employers and go to Salem? What new position does she hold? How has this position
changed her? Why does Elizabeth call her “a mouse no more”?
5. What does Hale’s motivation for visiting the Proctors tell the audience about his personality and how he sees his role in
Salem?
6. In what ways does Hale question John Proctor’s religious devotion? (3 answers)
7. Explain how Hale tests Proctor’s belief in God (what does he ask Proctor to recall). What is ironic about Proctor’s failure
to fully complete this test (and Elizabeth’s assistance)?
8. For what reasons are Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, and Elizabeth Proctor arrested? What evidence is offered to support
the accusations against them, and is the evidence valid/truthful?
a.
Rebecca Nurse
b. Martha Corey
c. Elizabeth Proctor
9. If Mary contradicts or stands up to Abigail, how would she be “charging cold murder on Abigail”? What would happen to
Mary?
10. Why does Proctor consider Hale a “broken minister”? Do Hale’s opinions about the proceedings change by the end of
the act? In what way?
11. Explain the demand Proctor makes of Mary Warren at the end of scene one and her significant response to his threat.