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Abigail and John's Affair
While Abigail worked for the Proctor family, she had an affair with John Proctor. -
Abigail is dismissed from the Proctor's service
After Elizabeth finds out about the affair between John and Abigail, she fires Abigail. -
Dancing and conjuring of spirits in the forest
The girls (Abigail, Betty, and Ruth, Mercy, and Mary among others) danced in the forest. Some of girls were naked and Abigail drank blood. Tituba, the Parris' slave, supposedly conjured up the spirits of the seven dead Putnam children. -
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Dramatic irony
Dramatic irony is a frequently seen component of this play. The readers know that the girls are pretending to be hexed by witches but most of the characters in the play don't seem to realize this. -
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Theme of witchcraft
Throughout the play the recurring theme of witchcraft is prominent. As more incidents that appear to be caused by witchcraft occur, the town becomes more frightened and hysterical. Most of the townspeople become willing to do pretty much anything, including admitting to witchcraft, to stay alive. -
Betty and Ruth become sick
The day after the girls are caught dancing and conjuring in the woods by Reverend Parris, Betty and Ruth become ill. There is talk of witchcraft and Reverend Hale is sent for. -
Some of the townspeople come to see Betty
Rebecca Nurse, Giles Corey, the Putnams, and John Proctor come to see what is happening to Betty. Reverend Hale finally arrives during this time. -
Abigail accuses Tituba of witchcraft
Abigail accuses Tituba of performing witchcraft and forcing her to drink blood. -
Tituba admits to witchcraft
Tituba admits to performing witchcraft and says, out of fear, that she has dealt with the Devil because she doesn't want to be hung. -
The girls accuse more of the townspeople
The girls chant the names of those who they have seen dealing with the Devil and accuse them of being witches. These names include Goody Good and Goody Osburn. -
Elizabeth and John Proctor converse
John Proctor comes in from the farm to have dinner and speaks with Elizabeth about what is happening regarding the trials. The affair comes up and John thinks that Elizabeth still doesn't trust him. -
Mary Warren gives Elizabeth the poppet
Mary Warren comes back from court and gives Elizabeth a poppet she has made. Mary tells the Proctors that Elizabeth's name came up in court. John gets mad at Mary for leaving the house and going to court. -
Reverend Hale comes to the Proctor household
Reverend Hale comes to the Proctor household and asks the Proctors some questions in order to determine how dedicated they are to the God, the church, and their religion. -
Cheever and Herrick come to arrest Elizabeth
Ezekiel Cheever and Marshal Herrick come to the Proctor household with a warrant to arrest Elizabeth. They explain how Abigail was stabbed with a needle. When they see the poppet and the needle stuck in it, they assume Elizabeth used it to perform witchcraft. However, Mary Warren admits that she has just given Elizabeth the doll with the needle already in it. Nevertheless, Elizabeth is arrested and taken to jail to await her trial. Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey are also among the accused now. -
Martha Corey and others are put on trial
Martha Corey is in the middle of her hearing when her husband, Giles, disrupts the court with a sudden outburst. He is removed from the hearing. -
Some attempt to convince the court that the girls are frauds
Giles Corey, Francis Nurse, and John Proctor all try to prove to the court that their wives are innocent and the girls are lying. Mary Warren comes with John Proctor to court and admits that she has lied. -
Mary Warren admits she has lied and the other girls are summoned
The other girls are summoned after Mary Warren admits she has lied about the witchcraft. However, Abigail and the others turn on Mary and pretend that she is using witchcraft on them. -
The girls are attacked by the yellow bird
Abigail and the other girls pretend to be attacked by a yellow bird which Mary has supposedly conjured. However, the bird is invisible to all others except the girls.
This is an example of dramatic irony because the audience knows that girls are pretending to be attacked and so does Mary Warren and John Proctor. Unfortunately, the court officials are having a difficult time believing them. -
John admits to the affair with Abigail
John admits to having an affair with Abigail in order to prove that she has reason to want Elizabeth dead. -
Elizabeth is summoned
Elizabeth is summoned to verify whether John is lying or not about the affair. She lies and says that he did not have an affair with Abigail because she thinks this will protect John. However, this backfires and proves to the court that Abigail has no reason to lie and accuse Elizabeth. -
Mary Warren gets frightened
Mary Warren is scared of Abigail and the other girls and fears that since they pretended to be attacked by her, she will be killed. -
John is said to be working with the Devil
Mary says that John is the one who is working with the Devil and not her even though he tried to make her work with him too. Out of anger, John says he is working with the Devil. The court orders John, Giles, and Francis to be arrested. Reverend Hale strongly disagrees with this decision. -
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McCarthy related to the Salem judges
McCarthy and the Salem judges viewed themselves as "above the law". They felt that since they were the ones determining others' guilt, they had no guilt themselves. Additionally, they never considered the possibility that they, themselves, may be biased or corrupt. They felt that they did not have to follow the established rules or laws because it was beneath them. McCarthy forced people to testify even after they plead the fifth and the Salem judges forced people to confess to witchcraft. -
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McCarthy related to Parris
During the McCarthy trials, a reporter named Edward R. Murrow questioned how McCarthy conducted his investigation. McCarthy, angered by this, fought back and called Murrow a communist. During the Salem witch trials, Parris was questioned by others a lot and he did not like this. In retaliation, Parris said that John Proctor was trying to overturn the court. -
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Hale related to Welsh
Reverend Hale had a key role in the Salem witch trials like Joseph Welsh who had a key role in the McCarthy trials. Both of these men came to disagree with either the purpose or conduct of their respective trials. Both Hale and Welsh, at one point, denounced the proceedings of their respective courts before exiting. -
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McCarthy trials related to Salem witch trials
The McCarthy trials were a lot like the Salem witch trials. This is because the McCarthy trials' purpose was to find communists in the USA and the Salem witch trials' purpose was to find witches in the town of Salem. In both trials, there were people who testified against the accused. In the McCarthy trials, one main aide was named G. David Schine. In the Salem witch trials, Abigail Williams was one main aide.