The infamous Salem witchcraft trials took place in a parish town named Salem, Massachusetts in the February of 1962 when the town's minister, Reverend Samuel Parris spotted strange goings on in the nearby woods when he was out for an evening stroll. ... Giles Corey, the minister from a nearby town was also tried of witchcraft because of his range of knowledge on Satan and evil, and at first pleaded not guilty to any charges of witchcraft, but later refused to stand trial. This refusal meant that legally he could not be convicted of any charge but his examiners chose to subject him to i...

• Word Count: 284
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

The First act starts off with Reverend Parris who has just caught one of his daughters Betty with a group of girls who were all dancing in the forest with a black slave named Tituba. ... Now the witch trials have started; fourteen people are already in jail. ... Mary goes to the Proctor house and tells Elizabeth, John Proctor's wife, that her name was mentioned in the trial, but that she spoke in her favor. Shortly after Hale visit's the Proctor house to interrogate Mrs. ... During the trial Mary testifies that the dancing had nothing to do with witchcraft, the girls were only pre...

• Word Count: 1089
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Both the theatrical version and the film reach there climax when the trials begin. Both contain intense trial scenes and endings that are horrific and tragic. ... This scene is discussed in the theatrical version through the interrogation of Abigail by reverends Parris and Hale. ... By including the hangings in the play, the viewer is exposed first hand to the true affect of such an allegation as witchcraft. ...

• Word Count: 2560
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School