The Court

(Act 2 from the perspective of John Proctor)

     I had been in town all day and I arrived home to a seemingly empty house, where I was greeted with the smell of soup cooking over the fire.  I placed my things on the table and my wife Elizabeth walked down the stairs.  She asked why I was so late so I told her that I was out planting on the edge of the forest and that I was done planting the farm.  She had cooked a rabbit that had just walked into the house for no apparent reason. "Elizabeth: No, She walked into the house this afternoon; I found her sittin' in the corner like she come to visit." (Pg. 48)  Elizabeth wanted to know if I had gone to Salem and if that was why I was so late.  She also told me that Mary Warren had gone to Salem.  I was angry when she said this and I told her that she was a coward for letting Mary leave and go to Salem.  

     Mary returned to the house not long after I had and she said that she was in court all day.  She gave Elizabeth a doll that she had made while she was sitting in the courthouse.  Also, she said that they were going to start hanging people for witchcraft.  I was also completely shocked when she said that Sarah Good confessed to witchcraft.  I also found this accusation to be completely wrong because there was not any evidence against her.  "Proctor: But the proof, the proof!" (Pg. 55) She even said that they had accused Elizabeth but Mary said that she put in a good word for Elizabeth.

Ezekiel Cheevers has a warrant to arrest 16 women

     Later that evening, Reverend Hale arrived at my house and said that he was going to the homes of all of those who were accused of witchcraft.  He said that he had just been at Rebecca Nurse's house and he thought she was a witch.  He asked me why I rarely come to church on the Sabbath Day.  I told him that It was because Elizabeth had been sick this past winter and that I wanted to stay with her and make sure that she was going to be fine.  He did not like this answer and he proceeded to ask me why I had not had my youngest son baptized.  I told him that it was because I did not see the light of God in Reverend Parris.  He said that because Parris was a minister, he had to have the light of God within him.  Then, he asked me to recite all of my commandments, and I was able to remember all of them except for Adultery.  Giles Corey and Francis Nurse showed up at my doorway and told me that Ezekiel Cheevers came and took their wives to jail for being witches.  Then Cheevers showed up and said that he was issued a warrant to arrest Elizabeth because there was a needle left in the doll that Mary made her and that Abigail was stabbed by a needle.  This made me very angry because I knew that Abigail was just trying to get rid of my wife and I tried to get the men to leave Elizabeth with me.  They would not listen and they left with her. After everyone left, I told Mary that she was going to have to tell the court everything that she knew about all of the witchcraft accusations.  She said that she did not want to but I strongly encouraged her to.

Betty's Illness

(Act 1 from the perspective of Abigail Williams)

     When I found out that my cousin Betty was sick, I was very worried, as was my father.  We had sent Suzanna Walcott to the doctor to find out what was wrong with her, but the doctor did not have any idea of what could be wrong.  My Uncle, Reverend Parris, thought that there might be some supernatural cause of her illness so he sent for Reverend John Hale of Beverly.  I told my uncle to go downstaris and tell the people gathered in the parlor of the house that there was not witchcraft involved so that they would stop creating rumors.  I also told Suzanna to not speak of unnatural things happening in town.

     My uncle started to question me about what had happened when he had found us dancing in the woods and I lied and told him that we had not been doing any witchcraft or black magic.  The other girls entered the room and I told them that they needed to not tell anyone about being in the woods.  Betty woke up and I told her that I told her father about her being in the woods, but she was afraid of me and ran towards the window saying that she was going to fly.  She also confronted me about drinking blood to kill Elizabeth Proctor and I told her to never speak of it again.  I am in love with John Proctor, and his wife Elizabeth is just in the way.

Everyone begins pointing fingers at each other

     When Hale arrived, he questioned me about what had happened in the woods and I told him that we were making soup and a frog jumped in.  After I had said this, he asked if I called the devil but I told him that Tituba did. "Abigail: I never called him! Tituba, Tituba . . ." (Pg. 40)   I also claimed that Tituba sent her spirit upon me and made me laugh in church and everyone believed me.  This started a chain of people being accused because Tituba claimed that she saw Sarah Good with the devil. "Tituba: . . . And I look- and there was Goody Good." (Pg. 44)  Then, after she said this, I confessed to dancing for the devil.  Once I realized that my father believed me, I said that I saw Sarah Good, Goody Osburn, and Bridget Bishop with the Devil.  Then, Betty rose up from the bed and said that she saw Martha Bellows, Alice Barrow, and Goody Bibber with the Devil. I also claimed that I had seen Goody Sibber, Goody Hawkins, and Goody Booth with the Devil.