The Crucible Act 1 Summary

1692: The wooden gallows contrast the sky. John Proctor stands motionless as the noose is placed around his neck and tightened. Abigail Williams stands among the viewers. She shows no emotion as John Proctor is pushed over the edge and hanged dead on the rope…
Eight years later: A flash of lightning streaks across the sky of Barbados. Through the pouring rain a woman of 25 years makes her way along the pieced together wooden dock towards a ship headed for the Americas. Its destination…Salem Massachusetts. On the edge of Salem an afternoon wind flows gently through the field where two of the proctor children, Jonathan and Nicholas, are at play. (Jonathan being the older of the two.) In the distance approaches Elizabeth Proctor, widow of the late John Proctor. ELIZABETH: "Children, go get ready for dinner." "Where is James?"
JOHNATHAN:
He arrives as the first passengers are getting off the vessel. Soon after, Abigail Williams starts to makes her way off of the ship. James approaches with knife in hand. He had not traveled but ten feet when he hears the cries of his mother in the background. He runs at Abigail. Abigail turns and sees James approaching her with knife in hand. JAMES: "You killed my father!" Enter Marshall Cheever who quickly gets James to the ground.
James is now angry as Abigail starts to walk away. JAMES: "Stop her!" "She killed my father!" “Stop her!” Cheever now calls to Abigail. CHEEVER: "Abigail, is he telling the truth?" ABIGAIL: "This man is nothing more than the son of a bottom feeder, he speaks nothing but lies." Hearing this, James gets angry and breaks free of Cheever's hands and throws Abigail to the ground. He raises his knife at her throat.
JAMES: Cuts Abigail’s throat "You killed my father!”
ELIZEBETH: “What have you done my son?”