Summary of Act I

Reverend Parris with his slave Tituba

Beginning in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, the play begins in the house of Reverend Parris. He is praying for his daughter Betty who has a strange illness that makes her appear to be lifeless. The town doctor is puzzled as to what the issue is and Reverend Hale of Beverly must be brought in to help the situation. Looking for an explanation, Parris tries to get Abigail to admit that she and the girls performed witchcraft in the forest while they wait for Hale to arrive. Parris says he saw the girls dancing in the woods and even witnessed one girl naked. Abigail admits that they were dancing along with Parris’ slave Tituba.  Ann and Thomas Putnam are also introduced in this act and their daughter, Ruth, has similar symptoms to Betty.  They feel that evil is coming over the town and that spirits have been evoked.  Putnam tries to convince Parris to confess that Abigail was dancing in the woods, but he is worried it will ruin his reputation.  Parris is eventually convinced to comment and Abigail is left with Betty.  She tries to get Betty to wake but she remains stolid.  Mary Warren comes to talk to Abigail because she is afraid they will get in trouble and when she mentions that Abigail drank blood to kill Goody Proctor, Abigail is infuriated and threatens to kill the girls if they ever mention a word of what she did.  When John Proctor enters the scene, Abigail tries to seduce him, but to no avail.  When John refuses her and leaves, Betty wakes and starts to scream.  Parris returns because he hears the cry and everyone gathers around Betty’s bed as Rebecca nurse and Giles Corey enter to look at Betty.  Rebecca is able to calm Betty and there is worry that the Devil has indeed infiltrated their town.  Meanwhile, Parris and Proctor argue over each other’s faith as Proctor decries Parris’ sermons while Parris questions how Christian Proctor really is.  The rival relationship between these two is set up in this first act.  Towards the end of this act, Reverend Hale arrives from Beverly to a welcoming Salem.  Hale inspects Betty and assures the town that if the Devil is indeed present, he will find him.  When Hale interrogates Abigail as to what happened in the forest, they are shocked and in frenzy Abigail blames Tituba.  She implicates that Tituba tried to make her drink from the kettle.  Tituba is whipped until she admits she has relations with the Devil, but instead she implicates Sarah Good, saying that she has seen her with the Devil.  Eventually, the girls implicate many people in the town out of their fear.