Act III Character Analysis:
In order of appearance
Judge Hathorne- the judge presiding over the Salem Witch Trials;
Martha Corey- Giles' wife; he speaks of secret books she reads and how he
cannot pray while the books are out and Cheever immeiately arrests her;
Giles Corey- Martha's husband who unknowingly gives out information that is later
used to acdcuse Martha; he makes accusations against Mr. Putnam, stating that he is
using his daughter Ruth to give the name, knowing that they will be in trouble; he is
later arrested for contempt and pressed to death after refusing to plead guilty,
which would have left his sons broke and without his inheritance
Deputy Governor Danforth- Believes that the girls are tilling lies; the presence of the
devil is a sensitive subject and is overwhelmed by the presented evidence
Marshall Herrick- the marshal of Salem;
Reverend Hale- is known as an expert of witchcraft; towns summon him to
determine whether or not the devil is present; takes an active role in the court
preceedings; he realizes, when it is too late, that the girls are lying about their
accusations he then tries to convince those sentenced to death to cnofess to
witchcraft, even though he knows its not true
Reverend Parris- he is the new pastor of Salem and uncle to Abigail Williams; he
feels that he is not respected by the community as a man of God; his preachins are
of fire and brimestone until people give in; he is afraid that he too will be cast out of
Salem, as other pastors recently had been; he believes the girls because otherwise
the evil would be in his household and that would be unacceptable to the town
Francis Nurse- Rebecca's husband; he was usually a well respeced man around the
town but when he tries to speak for his wife when she's accused, he is ignored
because the accusing girls have "taken over"
John Proctor- Elizabeth's husband; had an affair with Abigail when she was working
for them and now she's infatuated with him; he knows that the girls' accusations are
false but in order to tell this he would have to admit him being alone with Abigail;
Abigail uses her "power" to convict his wife so he tries to tell the truth and this gets
him condemned; he refuses to confess to witchcraft and lie, and is hanged
Mary Warren- the present servant to the Proctors; through her, Abigail successfully
accuses Elizabeth; John takes her to court to tell the truth about the girls, but when
Abigail turns all the girls against her, Mary turns her back on John and cowardly
goes to Abigail's side
Mr. Putnam- father of Ruth (one of the girls) and husband to Ann; with his long
family line he a powerful figure in Salem; he does what only he benefits from with no
concern for others, and when he doesn't succeed, is very obstinate
Mr. Cheever- during the trials he is the clerk of the court; delivers the warrants and
arrests all who are accused or even possible witnesses or alibis
Abigail Williams- an orphan niece to Reverend Parris; she is extremely jealous of
Elizabeth Proctor, especially after her affair with John is discovered and ended; she
uses her newfound power to convict Elizabeth of witchcraft and anyone else that
she dislikes or holds a grudge against; she ends up stealing from her uncle and flees
with Mercy Lewis
Mercy Lewis- the Putnam's servant; she is an unrelenting girl who finds delight in the
girls' "activities"; she stays silent but following Abby's lead in the court and trials, but
flees with Abigail afterwards
Susanna Walcott- one of Abigail's "girls"; she is sent to find what is wrong with Betty
Parris when she is "ill" at the beginning; she is one of Abigail's many "puppets" that she can guide and control
Elizabeth Proctor- John's wife; she kicked Abigail out of her house after finding out
about her affair with John; she feels partly responsible for her husband's
unfaithfulness because she fell ill after her last child; she becomes Abby's main
target but is saved from death because of her pregnancy; after John refuses to
confess to a lie, she supports his decision in getting hanged, even though it will
leave her alone