ACT I: The Crucible Characters

John Proctor-  Meet John. (Hi, John!) He cheats on his wife, he can't remember the entire ten commandments even though he goes to church pretty much every week, he's more stubborn than a mule, and he's angry pretty much 100% of the time. He's also... our hero.
John Proctor, The Crucible's protagonist, has some major issues. But we can see why. Back in the day, he had everything your average Puritan man could want: a farm to ceaselessly toil upon, three sons to discipline, and a wife to make a home with. Proctor was a stand-up guy who spoke his mind. Around town, his name was synonymous with honor and integrity. He took pleasure in exposing hypocrisy and was respected for it. Most importantly, John Proctor respected himself.
Huh. What could possibly go wrong?

Elizabeth “Goody” Proctor- Elizabeth is good. She's moral. She's upright. She's composed. And she's also colder than Salem, Massachusetts, in early February.
In a neat literary twist, Elizabeth's positive qualities are also her negative ones. She is a virtuous woman who is steadfast and true—but these traits also make her a bit of a cold fish. When we first meet her, she's especially cold...and thinks she smells something fishy. She's got good reason to be suspicious and kind of distant, though: her husband has recently had an affair with their housekeeper

Abigail Williams- Sometimes literature throws us a bone in the form of a really awesome antagonist. Someone we hate... but find totally magnetic. Someone who chills us to the core... but we can't stop watching. Think Game of Thrones' Joffrey. Think Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Think Hannibal Lecter.
Think Abigail Williams.
Abigail is vengeful, selfish, manipulative, and a magnificent liar. This young lady seems to be uniquely gifted at spreading death and destruction wherever she goes. She has an eerie sense of how to manipulate others and gain control over them. All these things add up to make her an awesome antagonist.

In Act I, her skills at manipulation are on full display. When she's on the brink of getting busted for dabbling in witchcraft, she skillfully manages to pin the whole thing on Tituba and several of Salem's other second-class citizens.

Susanna Walcott- Susanna is one of the girls under Abigail’s spell (pun intended). She joins in condemning various villagers as witches.

Mercy Lewis- Mercy is the Putnams’s servant and Abigail’s most faithful friend.

Reverend Parris- First of all, Parris is greedy. John Proctor accuses Parris of this several times in the play. The Reverend gives weak justifications, but never denies any of the accusations. Some examples of Parris's greed include: quibbling over firewood, insisting on gratuitous golden candlesticks for the church, and demanding (against time-honored tradition) that he have the deed to the house he lives in.

Parris's repeated demonstrations of exceedingly selfish behavior don't help his case. In the very first scene, we see him standing over his daughter's sick bed. At first the audience might feel bad for him. But then they'd quickly realize that Parris is just worried about his reputation. He's afraid that if people think there's witchcraft in his household, he'll lose his position as minister of Salem.

Tituba- Tituba, the Reverend Parris’s slave, is a woman from Barbados who practices what the Puritans view as “black magic.” Racism undoubtedly plays a huge part in her fate. Before being brought to Massachusetts, Tituba never saw singing, dancing, and spell-casting as evil. Such practices were spiritual and descended from her African roots. This is shown in Act IV, when we see poor Tituba say to her jailer:

"Devil, him be pleasure-man in Barbados, him be singin and dancing […] It's you folks—you riles him up 'round here […] He freeze his soul in Massachusetts, but in Barbados he just as sweet." (IV.15)

Betty Parris- Reverend Parris’s daughter, falls sick after the girls are caught dancing in the forest and conjuring spirits. Though her sickness is feigned, it spurs on the witchcraft rumors and opens the door to future accusations.

Thomas Putnam- Thomas Putnam is a greedy man who urges Reverend Parris to be strong and face up to the witchcraft in their midst. He uses his daughter to accuse people whose property he covets. Miller, and most historians, believed that many of the accusations of witchcraft were based on these sorts of greedy, selfish desires. Perhaps Miller intended audiences to see parallels between Putnam and individuals in Miller's own time who were accusing people of being communists for equally selfish and petty reasons.

Mrs. Putnam-  To be fair, Mrs. Putnam might not mean any harm—she just wants to find out why her babies have been dying, and she’s sad and angry about it.

Ruth Putnam- The Putnams' daughter. She accuses individuals of practicing witchcraft. A witness claims to have heard Putnam say Ruth's accusations helped him obtain land.

Reverend Hale-- Minister in Beverly. The people of Salem summon him to investigate Betty's condition and determine if witchcraft is responsible. He supports the witch trials, but later denounces them when he learns that Abigail is lying.

Rebecca Nurse-- Wife of Francis Nurse. She is one of the most respected individuals in Salem because of her kindness and charity. She argues against the witch trial investigations. Mrs. Putnam accuses her of witchcraft.

Francis Nurse-- Farmer and landowner in Salem. He is a respected member of the community often called upon to settle disagreements between individuals.

Susanna Walcott-- Friend to Abigail. She also takes part in the trials by falsely accusing others of witchcraft.

Giles Corey-- Elderly inhabitant of Salem. He challenges the court in an attempt to defend his wife who has been convicted of witchcraft. He is pressed to death as a result.

Sarah Good-- Beggar in Salem. She is the first individual accused of witchcraft.

Judge Hathorne-- A judge in the Salem court.

Deputy Governor Danforth-- A special judge serving in the Salem court during the witch trials. He signs the death sentences for those individuals who refuse to confess their crimes. He refuses to delay any execution for fear that he will appear weak and irresolute.

Ezekial Cheever-- Appointed by the court to assist in arresting accused individuals.

Marshal Herrick-- Appointed by the court to arrest the accused individuals.

Hopkins-- Jailer.