The Crucible Play Guide for AQA GCSE Drama

SECTION B STUDY OF A SET PLAY: THE CRUCIBLE 29 KEY TERMS Protagonist: The leading character in a play. Catalyst: Someone or something that begins a chain of reactions. Antagonist: A character who opposes, works against or brings down the protagonist. Comic relief: A break from the more serious content and tone of a play provided by a humorous or light- hearted character or interlude. TIP As you experiment with portraying the characters, think about how their ages might affect the physical or vocal choices made when performing them. GILES COREY • Eighty-three, ‘knotted with muscle, canny, inquisitive and still powerful’. • Frequently in legal dispute with his neighbours. • Married to Martha, who is accused of witchcraft. • Fights to save Martha and is himself imprisoned. • His combative nature provides some comic relief . • Goes bravely to his death. REVEREND JOHN HALE • ‘Nearing forty’, ‘eager-eyed intellectual’, educated at Harvard College. • The minister of Beverly, Massachusetts. • Brought to Salem to discover if there is any evidence of witchcraft. • A devout Christian who seeks to destroy the Devil’s work and save souls. • Grows suspicious of the girls’ accusations and denounces the court’s proceedings. • Tries to save Proctor by getting him to confess. DEPUTY GOVERNOR DANFORTH • ‘A grave man in his sixties’. • Serves as one of the judges and is a representative of the government. • Treated with respect by others due to his status and authority. • Demands that procedures are followed. • Believes the girls’ accusations. • Refuses to pardon or postpone the executions of any of the accused. JUDGE HATHORNE • ‘A bitter, remorseless Salem judge’, ‘in his sixties’. • Particularly critical of Mary Warren’s truthful testimony, asking if she can ‘pretend to faint now’. • Pleased when he thinks that John Proctor will confess. • Has no regrets about the executions, saying they were greeted with ‘high satisfaction’. REVEREND SAMUEL PARRIS • Minister in Salem, ‘middle forties’. • Father of Betty Parris, uncle of Abigail Williams. • His character description states that ‘very little good’ can be said of him. • In conflict with John Proctor, who considers him greedy. • His actions contribute to the play’s tragic outcome. • A broken man at the end of the play. BETTY PARRIS • Ten-year-old daughter of Reverend Parris. • At the start of the play, she appears to be ill and ‘inert’. • One of the girls in the forest with Tituba. • Some characters believe that she is bewitched, others think that she is play-acting. • Reverend Parris’s discovery of the girls in the forest and Betty’s subsequent state are the catalyst for calling Reverend Hale. TITUBA • A black slave in her forties, brought from Barbados by Reverend Parris. • Blamed by Abigail for the activities in the forest. • When accused of being a witch, she accuses others. • In prison, she dreams of returning to Barbados. ABIGAIL WILLIAMS • A ‘strikingly beautiful girl’, 17 years old. • An orphan, niece to Parris and formerly a servant of the Proctors. • Had a relationship with Proctor and wants to resume it. • A leader of the girls, she accuses others of witchcraft. • Reverend Parris says that she has run away after stealing his money. • Could be seen as the play’s antagonist , who brings down Proctor. The Parris household The Court