1. The Crucible
Themes

2. The Individual and the Community
Act 1
Proctor – doesn’t believe in witchraft, Abigail tells him the truth
Mary Warren – the only girl who wants to tell the truth about dancing
Parris – feels isolated from community over pay and lack of respect
Rebecca Nurse – the voice of reason, doesn’t believe girls under any kind of spell

3. The Individual and the Community
Act 2
Community – supporting Abigail and the girls – belief in their accusations
Individual: Proctor – not attending church regularly / his conflict with Parris over money and his style of preaching
Hale – as an outsider – begins to have doubts about those accused
Mary Warren – is part of community BUT is being forced by Proctor to step outside their influence which she believes will place her in danger

4. The Individual and the Community Act 3
Court proceedings seemed to be a ‘day out’ a ‘social event’, a spectacle / entertainment for the community
Mary Warren – individual but is turned because of peer pressure / of community – not strong enough to hold onto integrity
Proctor – individual – ends with him being accused – body of community against him, admitting a sin weakens his standing in community
Admitting lechery at this point weakens his argument as can be seen only as a defence of Elizabeth
Or strengthens this argument as why would he lie as it involves losing his good name

5. The Individual and the Community Act 3
Elizabeth – individual as an accused – but allows the community to be caught up in the hysteria – she doesn’t stand against it
Hale – individual – voice of objection to the way proceeding being carried out – demands Proctor be allowed a lawyer
Giles Corey – individual – refuses to give name of source, strength of character – protecting the innocent – gets arrested for his actions

6. Ignorance v’s wisdom Act 1
Ignorance: Giles Corey – his wife Marth reading books
Goody Putnam – deaths of babies
Belief in girls flying
Wisdom: Rebecca Nurse not believing girls ‘witched’

7. Ignorance v’s wisdom Act 2
Cheever – ignorant as he totally believes in Abigail’s story and witchcraft
Wisdom
Could argue that Abigail has this as she is aware of her influence over the court and that she would be believed, wise to her own power
Hale shows that he is thinking, he is not totally convinced by the accusations, but at this point is not ready to take a stand or speak out against the proceedings. He still has a strong belief in the church and justice.

8. Ignorance v’s wisdom Act 3
Hale – knows it’s wrong to allow proceedings to go ahead as they are but feels unable to force change.
Danforth – uses his education and position of power to manipulate the situation to prevent himself from looking like a fool / to patronise and take advantage of those less educated
Giles Corey – wise – because of his deposition and experience in court, his knowledge of what will happen to his source if he gives him up.
Mary Warren – ignorant as she chooses the easy path although she knows it to be wrong and a lie

9. Ignorance v’s wisdom Act 3
Parris – ignorant as still trying to protect his own reputation by undermine Proctor
Abigail – wisdom – because she is clever enough to realise that threatening Danforth is not a good idea and turns on Mary instead, who she successfully manipulates to return to her ‘community’.

10. Hysteria
Act 1
Abigail
The girls join in the chorus

11. Hysteria Act 2 Proctor’s response to Elizabeth’s arrest
Ripping up the warrant
Mary Warren’s response to the thought of challenging Abigail
The number of accusations of witchcraft having risen so as 14 were in jail

12. Hysteria Act 3 Abigail and the girls accusing Mary Warren
Mary Warren’s accusation of Proctor
Proctor’s outburst at the end of the act

13. Cruelty in the name of Righteousness
Threats to Tituba of death if she didn’t confess

14. Cruelty in the name of Righteousness
Elizabeth being chained following her arrest
Rebecca Nurse being accused of killing goody Putnam's babies

15. Cruelty in the name of Righteousness Act 3
The court’s treatment of Giles Corey
Mary Warren’s treatment of Proctor

16. Corruption and Justice
Abigail – corrupt as she is prepared to falsely accuse innocent people to get her own way
The court – corrupt as has arrested Rebecca Nurse for killing goody Putnam’s babies with no evidence
Justice – Hale strongly believes in the justice of the court, that the innocent will be exonerated (their names cleared)
Proctor – doesn’t believe the court is just, but believes in justice in the wider sense

17. Corruption and Justice Act 3
Danforth – the way he conducts proceedings
His argument about not needing lawyers
His belief in Abigail, against a reasonable defence which shows motive, by Proctor
Elizabeth’s belief in the system