Summary Of Act 1 Of The Crucible '

As the act opens, Giles, Proctor and Francis Nurse want to talk to Danforth to persuade him that their wives are not witches. They bring Mary Warren and a petition with 91 signatures as evidence.
We learn that Rebecca Nurse has been sentenced to hang. Hale is starting to believe that these trials are getting out of hand and that maybe the girls are pretending.
Reverend Parris accuses Proctor of trying to overthrow the court.
Two pieces of evidence that are brought out against Proctor in regards to his Christian nature are he doesn’t go to church and he plows on Sundays.
Danforth tells Proctor that Elizabeth is pregnant. The deal Danforth tries to make with Proctor is if Proctor drops his charges, he will see if Elizabeth shows signs of pregnancy
in one week and if she does she has a year to live. John’s reaction is shock. He also tells the court that his wife never tells a lie.
The 91 people who signed the testament are going to be brought in for questioning.
Giles Corey’s accusation against Thomas Putnam is he’s reaching out for land. His proof is he was told by an honest man that he overheard Putnam say that he told Ruth to accuse Mr. Jacob of witchcraft to obtain his land. Giles doesn’t reveal his source because he doesn’t want another innocent person to be arrested. The consequence for his silence is he is arrested under the charge of contempt.
Reverend Hale’s advice to Danforth as he is about to read Proctor’s deposition is to consider if the girls are lying. Danforth dismisses Hale.
She is asked to faint. She cannot faint on command.
Abigail pretends to feel a cold wind and see spirits when the suspicion that she might be pretending falls on her. In an attempt to discredit Abigail, John admits he had an affair with her.
Elizabeth is called to back up John’s testimony. She lies about John’s affair thinking that it would save him.
Reverend Hale is dismissed by Danforth. Abigail and the girls also start pretending to feel a cold wind and seeing spirits.
At first Mary Warren begs Abigail to stop but eventually goes along with Abigail’s performance in court. She accuses Proctor of making her sign the Devil’s
book.
When Proctor is arrested, Reverend Hale quits the court.

QUOTATION QUESTIONS
The irony of Proctor telling Mary to tell the truth and nothing will happen to her is during the trials those who did tell the truth got hanged and those who lied were saved. This also refers to a biblical allusion where the angel Raphael guides Tobias, an exiled Jew. Proctor exclaims, “God is dead!” because he believes that there is no good left in the court/Salem and that this is not justice.
Danforth’s metaphor shows that he believes the court will reveal all liars. This metaphor also refers back to the title, The Crucible because a crucible is used to purify items.
In this line Danforth is saying that a person is either with or against the court. The significance of this line is it demonstrates dichotomous thinking or black and white thinking/fallacy where it seems as though there are only two options, even when there are obviously more options.
This quote was stated by Proctor after he has been arrested for witchcraft. The significance of this line is it shows that John believes there is hypocrisy in everything and everyone will soon be accused.
This quote relates to Proctor’s exclamation because like Proctor, Nietzsche believes morality in society has declined.