Reverend John Hale A scholar from Beverly, Reverend Hale comes to Salem on Reverend Parris ' request to investigate supernatural causes for Betty Parris ' suspicious illness and thus instigates the rumors of witchcraft. Hale approaches the situation precisely and intellectually, believing that he can define the supernatural in definitive terms. Despite his early enthusiasm for discerning the presence of witchcraft in Salem, Hale soon grows disillusioned with the witchcraft accusations that abound and defends Proctor when he challenges Abigail. Hale does this out of guilt, for he fears that he may have caused the execution of innocent persons. Giles Corey An irascible and combative old resident of Salem, Giles Corey is a comic figure …show more content…
Thomas Putnam One of the wealthiest landowners in Salem, Thomas Putnam is a vindictive, bitter man who holds longstanding grudges against many of the citizens of Salem, including the Nurse family for blocking the appointment of his brother-in-law to the position of minister. Putnam pushes his daughter to charge witchcraft against George Jacobs, for if he is executed, his land will be open for Putnam to purchase. Rebecca Nurse One of the most noble and well-respected citizens of Salem, this elderly woman is kindly and sane, suggesting that Betty 's illness is simply a product of being out too late in the cold. However, because she served as midwife to Mrs. Putnam, Rebecca Nurse is charged with the supernatural murder of Putnam 's children, who were each stillborn. Rebecca Nurse is the clear martyr in the play, the most pure and saintly character hanged for witchery. Judge Hathorne Hathorne is the judge who presides over the Salem witch trials. He remains largely subservient to Deputy Governor Danforth, but applies the same tortured reasoning to charges of witchcraft. Francis Nurse Francis is the husband of Rebecca Nurse, and a well-respected wealthy landowner in Salem. Francis Nurse joins Giles Corey and John Proctor in their challenge against the court when their respective wives are charged with witchcraft. Betty Parris The young teenager daughter of Reverend Parris, Betty falls
The affected girls were accusing the most likely culprits. Powerful and wealthy families were blaming the less fortunate. According to Jenrette, one well-known family feud at the time was of the Putnam family and the Nurse family. Ann Putnam, age twelve, accused Rebecca Nurse of being a witch. The Nurse family was working towards owning about three hundred acres of land while being targeted by the Putnam family (Jenrette n. pag.). The family’s progress stopped abruptly after Rebecca Nurse was accused of being a witch. Jones stated by the time the trials were over, more than one hundred and fifty people had been accused of being witches. Looking back in history, most of the colonists were accused because they were older, poor, and in family
Convicted of witchcraft but is upheld due to a pregnancy. Forgives Proctor in the end. Francis Nurse- Very influential and wealthy husband of Rebecca Nurse. Hated by the Putnam's but also respected by many others.
John Demos’s nine point portrait of a witch is one way to analysis the case of Rebecca Nurse. To do so, one must first evaluate and understand the history of Rebecca Nurse and her role in the Salem in the late 1600’s. Rebecca Nurse was the wife of Francis Nurse, a farmer who became wealthy after buying and tending a large plot of land between Salem Village and Salem Town. Together they had eight children, and as a family they were prosperous. Connecting this information to Demos’s portrait of a witch, Rebecca Nurse falls under the first four points made in his sketch. These first two points are that she was “female” and that she was of “middle age”. However, the latter point is slightly inaccurate because Nurse was older than sixty years. The final two points that Rebecca Nurse falls under in Demos’s portrait of a witch are that she was of “English” and “Puritan” descent and culture, and that she was “married”, with little or no children. Again, the latter point is not fully accurate because Rebecca Nurse, while married, had, in fact, eight children in her lifetime. The significance of these traits of Rebecca Nurse agree, for the most part, with the
He lives with his third wife(Martha Corey)in the Salem Village. During the Salem Witch Trial, he and his wife are both accused by Ann Putnam claiming that Giles Corey forces her to write her name on the Devil’s book. There are more information shows that Giles Corey’s real life is big different from the play. In the play, Giles Corey is a naive, rich
The beginning of the Salem Witch Trials started in the home of the Parris family. Before all of the witch crisis started, Samuel Parris was living in London with his father a “cloth merchant”. His father died when Samuel was in his early twenties, he did not have any money so he decided to move to the “New World”, America, to start his new life as an owner of a sugar plantation. His business soon failed. When it failed he went to school to become a minister (Ragosta). He went to Salem to find out that they were in need of a new minister and after “a year to make his decision” (Ragosta) he became the minister of Salem. He was high maintenance man when he became the minister “He saw his position as something demanding and deserving respect
Reverend Parris wants to gain and keep power, and the Putnams are seeking land and power from Giles Corey. All the characters in the play demonstrate human failings. Reverend Parris, Abigail, and the Putnams show greed, selfishness, and vengeance throughout the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail Williams main human failings were jealousy and greed. Abigail was very jealous of Elizabeth Proctor,
Giles Corey’s real life is similar to Giles Corey’s play. Giles Corey is an interested character in the Crucible, he is a naive and rich farmer who lives with his wife in the Salem Village. During the Salem Witch Trial, he accidentally sets up his wife to be arrested when he tells the judge that he finds his wife’s behavior’s difference. In Giles Corey’s real life, it shows that he is a faithful man with honor and churchman who marries three times. When he is 80 years old, he moves to live in the Salem Village with his third wife(Martha Corey).
“She is one foot in Heaven now.” Referring to Rebecca Nurse, a character from The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor makes this statement to her husband John on the morning he along with Rebecca and Martha Corey are scheduled to hang. Rebecca Nurse was accused of sending her spirits and murdering Ann Putnam’s seven babies. She would not confess to witchcraft; therefore, she was condemned to hang. I consider myself having similar personality traits as Rebecca Nurse in that we are dedicated to our religious beliefs, recognized for our charitable contributions, and believed to be reasonable ladies.
In 1687, Hathorne was asked to mediate a dispute whether Salem Village should break away from Salem Town. The next time Hathorne returned to Salem Village in 1692, he was Chief Examiner of the Salem Witch Trials and became local Salem Magistrate. (John Hathorne:The Salem Witch Judge) He was chosen by Governor Sir William Phips to be a judge in the Salem Witch Trials. Hathorne took the role of a prosecutor of the witch trials rather than an impartial judge. Hathorne’s questioning began with the presumption of guilt rather than innocence, and he was on the side of the accusers. Hathorne encouraged the people under examination to confess to being witches and also snitch out others that might be witches. Hathorne’s first ever examination was March 1st ,1692. (Salem Witch Trials) Hathorne questioned Sarah Osbourne, Tituba and Sarah Good at the Salem Village meetinghouse. After the Salem Witch Trials ended, everyone regretted who they accused of witchcraft. But Hathorne did not show any remorse at all. John kept his seat on Boston’s Governing
The fear of being affiliated with or even being a witch and the shame and dishonor that comes along with it. Reverend Parris is a very paranoid but victimizing character misguided by fear. His daughter Betty becomes ill and he is afraid it’s regarding witchcraft, however he is not fearful for her health. He is concerned with keeping his reputation and position as the Church’s minister. This selfishness is not only a characteristic Parris demonstrates but other people in the town as well. A lot of characters of characters share this interest in saving their own skin under the influence of fear and shame. This will sooner than later contribute to the downfall of the town as a whole. Another reactive character includes Ann Putnam. Another paranoid woman in the town, ready to throw around accusations regardless of how logical or faulty they are. This may be due to the loss of 7 of her 8 children she’s given birth to. On account of this, she is convinced they were murdered by supernatural means, particularly witchcraft. For example she is immediately use Tituba as a scapegoat and blame her for the death of her babies. Other characters within Salem, not only Parris and Ann, will use any opportunity they can to assure their own safety and to save face in front of others. Their lack of consideration for the wellbeing of others will get others into danger and cause a load of anarchy and
Rebecca Nurse then proves herself an honest character that is well respected through the plot of the story. She is so well respected that even male figures throughout the play respect her advice. This is shown when Rebecca gives honest advice to John Proctor saying “No, you cannot break charity with your minister. You are another kind, John. Clasp his hand, make your peace” (Miller 181). This is important to Rebecca Nurse as a character because it entails an honest opinion that John should just make peace with Reverend Parris rather than fight fire with fire against him. In addition, when Goody Nurse is convicted of witchcraft, Reverend Hale knows that Rebecca is a very honest and trustworthy person and that in the end she would not be convicted in a trial of witchcraft. This evidence is essential when analyzing Rebecca considering the fact that she was able to Justify in the short time she was with Reverend Hale the honest and trustworthy women she is. All in all, Rebecca Nurse manifests herself as an individual who is can always give her honest opinion and is well respected.
As the trials go on, many more accusations are made. Giles Corey accuses Putnam of trying to get other landowners hanged for witchcraft so that he can have their land for himself. Marshall Danforth asks for a source and the person’s name. Giles says that he cannot give out the person’s name. Giles is in the court because his wife, Martha Corey had been arrested and accused of witchcraft. She gave away a pig to a man, and the pig became ill and died shortly after the pig was acquired. Francis Nurse is in the court because his wife, Rebecca Nurse was arrested too. He along with Giles continue to confront Danforth about Putnam’s doing, but Danforth responds with that they will have to put their thoughts into writing
Mr. Putnam is a very wealthy and influential man in Salem. As a result of him being driven by power and wealth he uses the witch trials to his advantage. In the past, the Nurses and the Putnams have had disputes: “Thomas Putnam’s man for the Salem ministry was Bayley. The Nurse clan had been in the faction that prevented Bayley’s taking office” (Miller 27). Thomas Putnam would have gained power by having his choice for the Salem ministry chosen. He would gain status and the favor of the leader of Salem, but the Nurse family stood in his way. This incident sparked anger in Mr. Putnam against the Nurse family and now he is out for revenge and he is using the trials to get it. Another grudge he has against the Nurses is connected to land: “Another suggestion to explain the systematic campaign against Rebecca, and inferentially against Francis, is the land war he fought with his neighbors, one of whom was a Putnam” (Miller 27). The Putnams have a history of fighting over land with the Nurse family and this gives him a motive to go after them and their land. Putnam’s desire for land and wealth also gives him the motivation to take the land from the Nurse family in any way he can, including blaming them for witchcraft. This dispute is important because it gives motive to the Putnams and shows their determination to get what they want.
Also, Rebecca Nurse was treated unfairly in court due to suspicion of being involved in witchcraft, but should have been judged based on solid evidence. Rebecca is a positive individual who suggests to solve everybody’s problem: “let us go to God for the cause of it. There is prodigious danger in the
There were many more accused witches in Salem. Although they were not the main characters in the play, they were a victim of the mass hysteria sweeping the town too. One of these people was Goody Nurse. Mrs. Putnam claimed that she was a witch because of the death of