The Crucible Act 1
1. Act I ends with the following stage direction: "On their ecstatic cries." What does this direction imply?
2. Describe what Rev. Parris encountered in the woods. Why would this be an especially upsetting sight for a Puritan minister?
3. Explain the argument regarding ...
The Crucible Act 1 Study Guide/ Questions about Act 1 of The Crucible (Answered Winter 23). As the play begins, why has Reverend Parris sent for a doctor? - His daughter Betty is "sick" - as if in a coma What advice does the doctor send back? - That he can find no medical reason for her illness, and he should look for an "unnatural reason." Wha t does Reverend Parris question Abigail about? - If her name in the village is "white" - meaning, is her reputation good. What is Parris 'main concern? - His reputation as a minister and material possessions. What/Who did Parris see in the woods the nigh t before? - He saw Abigail, Betty and other girls dancing in the woods. What has Elizabeth Proctor said about Abigail? - Elizabeth knows that Abigail and her husband had an affair, so she fired her from their service. Abigail believes that Elizabeth has s pread "rumors" about the affair. Why does Abigail say she was dismissed by the Proctors'? - She claims that she was dismissed because she refused to be treated like a slave. She calls Elizabeth a "...bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman..." What rumors have circulated about Betty Parris? What proof later occurs that "proves" that she is a witch? - Villagers say they saw her flying over a barn. When Betty has a fit as people downstairs sing a psalm (a religious song), Mrs. Putnam claims that Betty cannot bear to hear the Lord's name because she is a witch. Why did Mrs. Putnam contact Tituba? - She has lost 7 children in childbirth and wants to know who is "killing" her babies. Who does Abigail accuse of conjuring spirits at this point? - Tituba What does Betty Parris reveal about what happened in the woods? - Betty reveals that Abigail drank blood as a charm to kill Elizabeth. What threat does Abigail make to the other girls? - She threatens to "...come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you." In other words, she threatens to hurt them physically if they tell.
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