Author, Title, Type, Time
Arthur Miller, The Crucible, Play, America early 1950s
Plot
The play opens in Betty Parris’s bedroom and her father, the Reverend Parris, is wondering what is wrong with her. The night before he caught his niece Abigail, his daughter Betty, and other girls dancing in the forest. He is worried about witchcraft in his household. Tituba confesses to witchcraft and reveals the names of many other women in Salem who are also consorting with the devil. The girls, led by Abigail, begin to accuse other women of witchcraft. Elizabeth Proctor is arrested. John Proctor tries to get his wife out of jail by appealing to the court. He has confessions of adultery with Abigail and the failed testimony of Mary Warren. Elizabeth and John discuss whether he should confess to save his life on the day he is scheduled to hang in the gallows. John Proctor decides not to confess and goes to his death, redeemed as a good man.
Characters
John Proctor, Abigail Williams, Reverend John Hale, Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend Parris, Rebecca Nurse, Francis Nurse, Judge Danforth, Giles Corey, Thomas Putnam, Ann Putnam, Ruth Putnam, Tituba, Mary Warren, Betty Parris, Martha Corey, Ezekiel Cheever, Judge Hathorne, Herrick, Mercy Lewis
Point of View
Since The Crucible is a play, the audience and the reader are outside the action.
Style
Old-fashioned vocabulary and grammar

Motifs
Empowerment, accusation, confession, legal proceedings in general
Symbols
The entire play is meant to be