Study Questions &
Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Discuss the
role that grudges and personal rivalries play in the witch trial
hysteria.
2. How do the
witch trials empower individuals who were previously powerless?
3. How does John
Proctor’s great dilemma change during the course of the play?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Compare the roles that Elizabeth
Proctor and Abigail Williams play in The Crucible.
2. What role does sex, and sexual
repression, play in
The Crucible?
3. Why are Danforth, Hathorne,
and the other authorities so resistant to believing the claim that
Abigail and the other girls are lying?
4. What kind of government does
Salem have? What role
does it play in the action?
5. Analyze Reverend Parris. What
are his motivations in supporting the witch trials?
6. Discuss the changes that
Reverend Hale undergoes in
the course of the play.
