What exposition facts are presented in act 1 of The Crucible?

The literary device of exposition generally appears at the beginning of a play or other literary work to allow the author to explain past events and give the audience an overview of the characters, their personalities, and the conflicts that will arise as the story unfolds. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses exposition to establish the setting of his tale, arouse the interest of the audience, and advance the action of the play. Although not historically accurate, the play often models historical facts, and some of the characters are placed in similar historical roles.

The play is set in Salem, Massachusetts in the year 1692. Salem is a tiny village where a

predilection for minding other people’s business was time-honored among the people of Salem, and it undoubtedly created many of the suspicions which were to feed the coming madness.

The Puritan community was strictly religious, and anyone violating the religious tenets of the village was deemed to be involved in witchcraft and harshly punished:

The witch-hunt was a perverse manifestation of the panic which set in among all classes when the balance began to turn toward greater individual freedom.

As act 1 unfolds, Miller introduces the Reverend Samuel Parris. The audience learns that “In history he cut a villainous path, and there is very little good to be said for him.” He has a persecution complex and cares more about damage to his reputation than his parishioners. He holds his congregation to strict adherence to religious doctrine through fear of reprisal for immoral acts.

Miller also introduces Tituba, an outsider in the community with a belief in “spirits” and voodoo. Tituba is caught dancing in the forest with Abigail, a proven liar, and Parris’s daughter, Betty. When Betty falls ill the following day, Parris immediately suspects she is possessed by the devil and assumes Tituba is a witch.

John Proctor is the central character of the play, but at the end of act 1, his role in the community conflict is not yet known. The audience does see him as a man who would prefer to stay out of community affairs and one who rejects the concept of witchcraft, along with its hypocritical proponents.

In act 1, by means of exposition, Miller sets the scene for the play, arouses the interest of the audience, introduces main characters, and foretells the coming conflict. The stage is now set to advance the action.

Miller's play diverges from traditional expository material in that we get a great deal of information on how to interpret the text before a line is ever uttered.

For example, Miller flat out states in the preface to his work,

"This play is not history in the sense in which the word is used by academic historians...However, I believe that the reader will discover here the essential nature of one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history."

So, those who look for a true document of the Salem Witch Trials will inevitably find themselves disappointed. Miller's point is not mirrored recreation, but the deeper problem of the capacity of human beings for evil.

The introduction to Act 1 also gives more than the usual amount of clues about interpretation. We learn Reverend Parris has a persecution complex, of the town's position on the "edge of the wilderness," of its people's proclivity toward snobbery.

But the larger message is in the transcendence of these historical details and seeing how people change little, if at all, and a history unlearned is doomed to repetition. Miller's intent was to compare this witch-hunt to the witch-hunt of his own era, the McCarthy black-listings of the 1950s, in which artists were persecuted for having allegedly Communist beliefs. Miller warns:

"When one rises above the individual villainy displayed, one can only pity them all, just as we shall be pitied some day."

What does the exposition reveal in The Crucible's opening scene?

The opening scene of the play offers information about the strict code of conduct in Salem, especially regarding the occult, as well as developing the characters of Abigail and Reverend Parris. 

Abigail and Parris discuss (argue about) Abigail's tenuous position in Salem. She has a bad reputation after being fired by the Proctors. Now Abigail and Betty Parris and others have been caught doing something that looked like witchcraft in the woods at night. 

We learn that several of the teenage girls of Salem were caught dancing naked in the woods with Tituba, Parris’ slave from Barbados. The girls were discovered by Reverend Parris, who had seen Tituba “waving her arms over the fire” and had heard “a screeching and gibberish coming from her mouth.” (eNotes)

The potential scandal makes Parris fear for his own position in town. We learn that he also is not very popular in Salem. It is his top priority to maintain his position, however, and if he has to sever ties with Abigail he makes it clear that he will do so. 

Abigail plays upon his fears and demonstrates her ability to manipulate when she suggests that Parris is simply being stingy. She puts a fine point on the issue, saying:

"Do you begrudge my bed, uncle?"

Abigail's ability to dominate and manipulate others is further explored in the first act and proves to be a central element of the play.