John Proctor. 35-year-old farmer. Main character. Had an affair with Abigail Williams when she was his live-in servant. Affair is now over, but the tension with his wife Elizabeth remains. Is well respected in Salem. Does not respect Reverend Parris or Thomas Putnam and argues with them about the way the village is run.

Elizabeth Proctor. 35-years-old. John Proctor’s wife. Knows about the affair, and is still distrustful of John. Fired Abigail when she found out about the affair.

Mary Warren. 18-year-old live-in servant of the Proctors. She began working for them after Abigail was fired. Is friends with Abigail and is one of the afflicted girls.

Rebecca Nurse. 75-years-old. Very respected by all of the villagers, and well-known for her charity and good works. She questions Reverend Parris’s practices and doesn’t fully respect him. She is NOT a nurse--”Nurse” is just her last name. Friends with the Proctors and the Coreys.

Francis Nurse. 75-year-old husband of Rebecca. Very respected by the villagers, well known for his charity. Also is skeptical of Reverend Parris. He is a minor character. He is NOT a nurse--”Nurse” is just his last name. Friends with the Proctors and the Coreys.

Giles Corey. 83-year-old farmer. Very strong but not very smart. Is hard-of-hearing and sometimes confused. Friends with the Proctors and the Nurses. Does not like Reverend Parris or Thomas Putnam.

Martha Corey. 60-year-old wife of Giles Corey. Outspoken and critical of Reverend Parris and Thomas Putnam. Friends with the Proctors and the Nurses.

Reverend Samuel Parris. As the minister, Parris is supposed to be the leader of the village. He is insecure and more concerned with his reputation than with preaching. He knows the Proctors, Nurses, and Coreys don’t respect him and he argues with them. Because he is insecure, he kisses up to Thomas Putnam, the richest man in the village. He uses the witchcraft hysteria to try to secure his own power.

Betty Parris. 9-year-old daughter of Rev. Parris. She is one of the afflicted girls, caught up in hysteria, and believes that she is being tormented by witches.

Abigail Williams. 17-year-old niece of Rev. Parris. She is an orphan, and as a result has lived with Parris since she was a child. She had an affair with John Proctor when she was working as his servant. Since she got fired she has come back to live with Parris. She is obsessed with John Proctor and believes that if she gets rid of Elizabeth, he will marry her. She is one of the afflicted girls.

Tituba. 30-year-old enslaved servant of Rev. Parris. She came with him from Barbados, and as the only enslaved person of color in the village, she is isolated, lonely, and mistrusted by the villagers. She uses her traditional religion to tell fortunes for the girls, which triggers the witchcraft hysteria.

Thomas Putnam. 45-year-old farmer and the richest man in Salem. He is greedy and power-hungry. Although he doesn’t respect Parris, he manipulates him to gain power. He argues with Proctors, Nurses, and Coreys and is often involved in land disputes with his neighbors. He uses the witchcraft hysteria to gain land and power.

Ann Putnam. 45-year-old wife of Thomas Putnam. Seven of her eight children died as babies. She has come to believe that witches killed her babies. She sends her one surviving daughter Ruth to Tituba because she believes Tituba can speak to the spirits of her dead babies and find out who killed them.

Ruth Putnam. 9-year-old daughter and only surviving child of Thomas and Ann. One of the afflicted girls.

Mercy Lewis. 16-year-old live-in servant of the Putnams and one of the afflicted girls.

Reverend John Hale. Expert witch-hunter from the neighboring town of Beverly. Rev. Parris calls Hale in to investigate when the witchcraft hysteria begins. Hale genuinely believes in witchcraft and tries to find the truth.

Deputy Governor Danforth. Deputy Governor of Massachusetts and one of the judges in the witch trials. He is from Boston and comes to Salem for the trials. He is concerned about maintaining his own power and the hierarchy that already exists, and he will never admit to making any mistakes.

Judge Hathorne. A local judge from Salem and one of the judges in the witch trials.