Marshal Herrick

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Mr Hale is nearly 40, tight-skinned, eager-eyed intellectual. A young minister reputed to be an expert on witchcraft. Mr Hale is called in to Salem to examine Parris’s daughter Betty. His intimate liking toward Proctor actually stuns we, as readers, that a third party could be so understanding and is able to try and console those in need.

In this case, Hale actually proves to be a upright citizen who tries to save Proctor from the noose by advising him to succumb to a false crime. His intentions were good like a committed Christian and hater of witchcraft.

It is his assurance that ‘we cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise’. His critical mind and intelligence save him from falling into blind fervor. His arrival sets the hysteria in motion, although he later regrets his actions and attempts to save the lives of those accused.

Elizabeth Proctor Elizabeth does not appear until the beginning of Act Two. She is referred to beforehand, notably in a scathing comment by Abigail. When we first hear her, though, she is singing lullabies to her children, giving us the impression of a homely woman.

The atmosphere in the Proctor household tells us that she has had difficulty in coming to terms with her husband’s brief adultery. She is accused by both Proctor and Abigail of being cold and she confirms this opinion of herself in the last act.

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But she is no fool and understands well Abigail’s intentions, well before Proctor himself does. Her love and understanding of John is crystal clear in the last act when she leaves him to make his own decision over whether to confess.

Why Is Thomas Putnam Bitter

She undoubtedly recognizes that he will not be able to live with a decision to confess, but she allows him to come to his own realisation of this. Danforth Deputy Governor Danforth represents both the authority of the Law and the Church within this community. He takes his position seriously and seizes every opportunity to impress the importance of his work upon others. This is reflected in some of the long, serious speeches he gives in Act Three. His determination to enforce the Law is unrelenting.

He is not interested in the individual and will not allow the work of the court to be questioned. His manner is inflexible and unemotional. It is impossible to tell why he does not accept the horror of the situation. Does he actually believe all that the girls allege? Or does he think that events have gone too far, but to stop the process would undermine his authority? Proctor has no doubt that Danforth is allowing himself to be fooled, and that he will be damned because of it Giles Corley An elderly but feisty farmer in Salem, famous for his tendency to file lawsuits.

Giles’s wife, Martha, is accused of witchcraft, and he himself is eventually held in con-tempt of court and pressed to death with large stones. As the start of the play, Corey is something of a comic character and Proctor deals with his argumentative tendency is a good-natured way. He unwittingly implicates his wife in witchcraft, and whilst protesting to the court refuses to name an informant, and so is arrested himself. The grim manner of his death – being pressed by great weights to try to force an answer – is poignantly revealed to Proctor in jail. The Putnams

A bitter couple, who between them represent the worst aspects of Salem society such as jealously, small-mindedness and greed, it was Ann Putnam that sent her daughter to conjure spirits in the first place and Thomas Putnam sought to gain from the tragedy of others. Thomas Putnam – A wealthy, influential citizen of Salem, Putnam holds a grudge against Francis Nurse for preventing Putnam’s brother-in-law from being elected to the office of minister. He uses the witch trials to increase his own wealth by accusing people of witchcraft and then buying up their land. Ann Putnam – Thomas Putnam’s wife.

Ann Putnam has given birth to eight children, but only Ruth Putnam survived. The other seven died before they were a day old, and Ann is con-vinced that they were murdered by supernatural means. Ruth Putnam – The Putnam’s lone surviving child out of eight. Like Betty Parris, Ruth falls into a strange stupor after Reverend Parris catches her and the other girls dancing in the woods at night. Rebecca Nurse Francis nurse’s wife, the elderly and respected Rebecca is a wise, sensible, and upright woman, held in tremendous regard by most of the Salem community, and one of the voices of good sense in the play.

Hale has already heard of her good reputation before meeting her. However, she falls victim to the hysteria when the Putnams accuse her of witchcraft and she refuses to confess. The conviction of Rebecca reveals how low the community at Salem has fallen. She goes to her death with dignity and acceptance Francis Nurse – A wealthy, influential man in Salem. Nurse is well respected by most people in Salem, but is an enemy of Thomas Putnam and his wife. Mary Warren Mary is the Proctors’ servant. She is weak and easily influenced, so it is ominous that Proctor’s evidence rests on Mary’s confession.

She can barely speak in the courtroom and it’s relatively simple for Abigail to ‘turn’ her. This is devastating for Proctor as Mary then testifies against him. Tituba – Reverend Parris’s black slave from Barbados. Tituba agrees to perform voodoo at Abigail’s request Betty Parris – Reverend Parris’s ten-year-old daughter. Betty falls into a strange stupor after Parris catches her and the other girls dancing in the forest with Tituba. Her illness and that of Ruth Putnam fuel the first rumors of witchcraft. Martha Corey – Giles Corey’s third wife.

Martha’s reading habits lead to her arrest and conviction for witchcraft. Ezekiel Cheever – A man from Salem who acts as clerk of the court during the witch trials. He is upright and determined to do his duty for justice. Judge Hathorne – A judge who presides, along with Danforth, over the witch trials. Herrick – The marshal of Salem. Mercy Lewis Servant to the Putnam household. She is a merciless girl who seems to delight in the girls’ activities. The threats Abigail uses on the other girls are unnecessary for Mercy. When Abigail eventually leaves town, Mercy goes with her.