''The Crucible'' Act 1 Study Guide

Where and when is the opening scene of the play set?
Salem, 1962, in the upstairs bedroom of Samuel Parris’ house

Why has Parris sent for Reverend Hale from Beverly?
To discover if there is witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts

What do we learn about the events in the forest and Abigail Williams' connections with the Proctor family?
We learn that the events in the forest are evil and that the devil does his work in the forest and that evil things happen within the forest.

Abigail Williams’ has been thrown out of the Proctor’s family house and removed from their services.

What does Ann Putnam claim in the play about her dead infant children?
Ann Putnam claims in the play that her infant children were murdered.

Before the arrival of John Hale, what are some of the subjects for petty disagreement among the characters?
Before the arrival of John Hale, subjects that include law, land, and authority were amongst the characters in their petty disagreement.

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According to the stage directions, how does John Hale enter for the first time?
According to the stage directions, John Hale enters for the first time weighted with heavy books.

What happens when John Hale interrogates Tituba? How does the scene’s atmosphere become hysterical?
When John Hale interrogates Tituba, she breaks down and confesses to being a witch, although she denied practicing witchcraft. The scene’s atmosphere then becomes hysterical because the girls then begin accusing everyone of witchcraft.

Miller colors the play with dialect, or specific regional speech.

Pick out some examples of dialect in this act. Some examples of dialect in this act include, “I give she chicken blood,” “I do believe somebody else be witchin’ these children.”