Act IV

            Today I have been voted out of office, the final blow to my reputation. The witch trials are fresh in everyone’s memory, especially mine. I knew this day would come, since those fateful executions…

            I had known that night that the morning’s executions would mark the end of the witch trials. I went to the Salem jail that night, knowing that if the executions were not postponed there would be rebellion in Salem. Earlier that day I had learned of the rebellion in Andover, and I knew that if the same were to happen here, I would be their first target. Furthermore, Abigail and Mercy Lewis had disappeared after taking my money! They were lucky because they knew when to flee, but I was still in Salem, and I was on the verge of ruin. The only ones who could stop rebellion would be Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor. Both being the most moral people in the village, their executions would surely catalyze rebellion. They were no Bridget Bishop or Isaac Ward. However, if they confessed to witchcraft, their lives would be spared, and the public would remain loyal to the court and church.

I called for Reverend Hale to plead with Rebecca, but she refused to confess. After Judge Danforth arrived at the jail, I pleaded with him to postpone the executions until Goody Nurse came to her senses. Danforth, stuck in his old ways and drowning in his pride, refused to postpone the executions. I tried to reason with him, revealing that my life had been targeted, that I had found a dagger waiting at my front door. I had received threats from the people of Salem! They were out for my blood! Hale also asked that Danforth pardon the prisoners, but he refused. I thought all hope was lost, but then Danforth suggested that Proctor might confess to save his life if he saw his heavily pregnant wife. I thought it was a viable option, being my only option. The plan was carried out. Elizabeth was brought out to talk to Proctor, and he agreed to confess. However, the entrance of Rebecca Nurse ruined everything! Her presence seemed to stir something inside Proctor, and he refused to sign his written confession, instead destroying it. I pleaded with him to change his mind, but he was adamant. He proclaimed that all he wanted to keep was his name. Did he not know that his selfish desires would lead to rebellion, the undermining of the court, and my potential death? His wife refused to reason with him, and so the sun rose and he was led out. I did not stay to watch the execution. From then on, the succeeding events have been blurred. His execution did spur rebellion as I had predicted, and this was cemented when the Governor’s wife was accused. I was swiftly voted out of office, and today is my last day in Salem. My reputation is ruined. I have nothing left here.   

  

Act III

             The truth has finally come out! John Proctor, the self-proclaimed moral compass of Salem, has been declared a wizard! My most formidable enemy, vanquished! I knew there was something wrong in his manner, not attending Sabbath regularly and refusing to baptize his third child, but now the court has seen what I have known all along! Corey, Nurse, and Proctor, with his servant Mary Warren, interrupted Martha Corey’s trial, proclaiming they had evidence of their wives’ innocence. I tried to warn Danforth of Proctor’s mischief, but he allowed Mary to speak anyway. I revealed Proctor’s real motives, to overthrow the court. Again, Danforth ignored me. Cheever then made an important point by revealing Proctor’s reception of the arrest warrant. Proctor tried to dismiss it as an act of rage, but we all knew his true motivations were beginning to show themselves. This was further cemented when he refused to drop his charges even after his wife was given another year to live. He then tried to rope me into his claims by saying I had seen the girls dancing. I could not lie to Danforth, for fear of my own reputation.

Abby was then called in for questioning, during which she was attacked by Mary’s specter. As she became cold in fear, Proctor denounced her claims and called her a whore! He said that he had known her and began to slander her name and credibility. Although I did not want to believe it, it did make sense. Danforth, on the verge of deciding, called in Elizabeth Proctor to confirm her husband’s lechery. Naturally, she denied it, but little did the clueless woman know she had indicted her husband and herself! I was relieved that Abigail’s credibility, and more importantly, my reputation, were still intact, but Proctor continued to plead his innocence. At that point, Abigail and the other afflicted girls saw Mary Warren’s specter in the form of a bird. No one else could see it, but the girls were petrified. Mary Warren tried to deny the attack, but the evidence was clear. Eventually she broke down and revealed the truth: Proctor had influenced her to lie to the court. At this, Proctor became mad, and yelled that he had seen the Devil, and in his face, he saw Danforth! I was taken aback by his bold accusations, and personally, I was afraid of physical retaliation, but he was quickly subdued and arrested. Hale denounced the court and stormed out. He always seemed like a fickle fellow. Now that Proctor has been arrested and the truth has been exposed, I think that my soul should feel at rest, but somehow I feel as though there is a greater danger ahead. 

Act II

                It has been almost a week since the initial discovery of witchcraft in my home. Several advancements have been made since. Betty and Abigail, along with some other girls who listened to Tituba, including Mary Warren and Ruth Putnam, have been organized as witnesses in the court established to deal with the witchcraft occurring in Salem. They have gone to court every day, testifying against several women whom they have accused as witches. I knew that the wicked likes of women like Sarah Good and Tituba were being influenced by something. Now I know that the Devil has occupied the place in their hearts where the Lord should have been! Judge Danforth, the deputy governor of Massachusetts, has been appointed as the presiding judge of these trials. His partner is Judge Hathorne. Other members of the court presiding over the witchcraft trials include Herrick, the marshal of Salem, and Ezekiel Cheever, who has assumed the responsibility as the clerk for the court. After yesterday’s court adjourned for the day, I prodded Reverend Hale as to who was to be questioned next. He revealed that Elizabeth Proctor, Martha Corey, and Rebecca Nurse were next to be questioned. He told me he would visit their homes later in the night to assess their Christian characters. It appeared he did not know there were arrest warrants for the three women he mentioned, but that is unsurprising. Reverend Hale seems like a shifty fellow, and I do not think he knows what he is doing. I heard he was in the middle of his questioning when Herrick and Cheever arrived at Proctor’s house to take away Elizabeth. I was told Proctor raised a ruckus and ripped up the arrest warrant. Proctor’s temper will surely get him into trouble later. Still, amid the Devil’s corruption of Salem, one thing pleases me. My initial worries were unfounded. Instead of ruining my reputation, the discovery of witchcraft has led to others being questioned, the witches being weeded out, and Salem being purified.   

Act I

             I am frightened and shocked beyond belief at the conjuring that has happened in my own home, behind my back! The events of the morning have rattled me, but they have also clarified the cause of the uneasiness in Salem. After calling upon the doctor for Betty, I also called Reverend Hale of Beverly. He is supposedly an expert on witchcraft and I hoped that he would put to rest the mentions of the Devil in the village. Next, I interrogated Abigail about last night’s events. She claimed that nothing unscrupulous occurred, and that they danced with Tituba on regular occasions for sport. How dare she risk my reputation for the sake of sport! How can she be so blind to the enemies that are starving to ruin me! Even after I have taken such adequate care of her? Anyway, I further questioned why she has not gotten any calls for work lately. She immediately became defensive, blaming Goody Proctor for tarnishing her name. Then the Putnam’s arrived, and with them they brought the cursed notions of witchcraft. Their Ruth was also sick, and they claimed it was the Devil’s doings. How could witchcraft be discovered in my very home! I thought this would surely ruin me, so I left with Putnam to recite the psalm. While doing so, I heard Betty scream. I rushed in to find her unable to hear the Lord’s prayers, a sure sign of witchcraft, according to Goody Putnam. At some point, that unsavory fellow Proctor came in. I could feel his righteousness before I even saw him. He proceeded to quarrel with Putnam about the existence of witches. At some point, old Giles Corey also came. Because everyone was present, I took the opportunity to voice my inconveniences. How dare they refuse to provide me with firewood, instead taking it from my salary? I am a highly educated man, and I left a thriving business in Barbados to serve the Lord. How ungrateful they are to have a Harvard educated man in charge of their church! Proctor, needing to insert his morality into everything, accused me of greediness. I suspect him of leading the faction against me.

            In the middle of the quarrels, Reverend Hale arrived. He seems to be highly intellectual, although I harbor some doubts about his actual capabilities. He came with many heavy books, and swiftly began to question Betty, Abby, and Tituba. I pleaded them to tell the truth, and much to my horror, the truth was witchcraft. Tituba confessed to associating with the Devil, and she described how she was asked to kill me! Betty and Abby began to confess the names of other witches, and I, unable to say anything more began to pray. In the hour afterwards, everyone began to disperse. Hale was clearly perturbed, the Putnam’s seemed satisfied, Tituba was taken away and Betty and Abby were taken for further questioning. Now I am alone, but I can still feel the Devil’s presence in the village.   

Pre-text

              I am doomed! I am forsaken! I am ruined! Little did I know yesterday evening before I went to sleep that such a tragedy would befall me. It went as ordinarily as any other day progresses. As the sun began to set, I finished my evening meal and went to my room for prayer. I left the table to be cleaned by Tituba, who behaved normally. However, I should have known that something peculiar was to happen as I passed the room shared by Betty, my daughter, and Abigail, my niece. I expect strict obedience from the two girls. They are soon-to-be young women and I cannot have them tarnishing my name with their strange antics and wild fantasies. I peered into their room to see that they too were reciting their evening prayers, as I do every evening. To my horror, I saw them giggling! Needless to say, upon seeing my face they ceased. I still reprimanded them, and reminded them of how they must be wary of their actions because any misstep on their part could be used against me. Oh, how I wish I were not tied down by them! It would be easy to monitor my own actions, lest my enemies take advantage of any wrongdoing, but to manage them too! Surely, the Lord is testing my patience. I was ready to have Tituba take the switch upon them, something she has been reluctant to do lately, but Betty assuaged my anger by promising that their behavior was a rare lapse in judgment, for which they repented. I was not much convinced, but I relented because I was tired from the morning’s argument with some farmers who refused to pay their dues to me.

            After prayers, I fell into an uneasy sleep. Something was disturbing me, so I arose from my sleep and took a candle so I could walk about the house and collect my thoughts. As I passed the girls’ room, I was shocked to see they were gone. I called for Tituba, but there was no response. In a fit of anxiety, I ran out of the house and into the forest. Was someone torturing them to tell secrets about me? Had Tituba kidnapped them? With these thoughts running through my mind, I searched the forest. Suddenly, I spotted a fire, and a few girls dancing around it. I thought I saw Betty, and Abigail, and one of the girls was dancing naked! In a rage, I leapt out of my place in the bushes, startling them. They scattered, but not before I could recognize Tituba; Betty collapsed. We brought her home and she is lying in bed now. I have not spoken to any of them since, and the sun has not yet risen. I will call a doctor and inquire into these matters in the morning. For now, I must get what little sleep I can so I can think clearly about how to save my reputation.