Because this play is a re-telling, so to speak, of the Salem Witch Trials, each act presents one stage or period of the trials.
The dramatic action of Act I is watching the hysteria and panic rise to a level which finally causes the first "calling out" of witches in Salem. The act ends with the frightened, guilty, and impressionable girls screaming out the names of women in the town--the first "hit list," if you will for the subsequent trial. This act employs dramatic irony, in the sense that the audience knows what silliness prompts this outcry, but most of the characters do not.
Act II depicts the actual trials, events full of dramatic moments. We get a clearer indication of Abigail's motives; a more complete understanding of Proctor's guilt, shame, and resolve to repair the damage he has caused; a closer look at the accusation and arrest process for...
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those who have been "named"; a picture of a husband and wife who love each other but end up in jail for that very reason; and a town and court system gone utterly mad with witch hysteria.
Finally, Act III shows both a picture of redemption and the tragic conclusion to this ugly episode in history. Proctor, a self-accused sinner, cannot, in the end, confess falsely to the one sin he did not commit; in doing so, he regains his soul and finds some peace for his guilt-ridden conscience. As these innocent people die on the gallows (in front of a crowd which has finally lost its taste for hangings), we understand this awful injustice is the beginning of the end.
As a whole, the play presents in several hours what, in reality, took several years. Each act creates dramatic impact for each aspect of the historical event.
What are the dramatic functions of each act in The Crucible?
This play consists of three acts, divided primarily by the passing of time and the momentum of the witch trials in Salem. Each act takes place in one day, though what happens in the interim is explained; and each act is a mini-drama of its own.
Act I depicts the source of the trouble, the cause of the witch hunts. Miller introduces us not only to each character but also to the antecedent action (that which happened before the story began). We understand the environment which exists as well as the paranoia and suspicion which will soon breed such despicable things. The conflicts become evident; the alliances begin to form; and the battle lines (both spiritual and physical) are drawn.
Act II takes place eight days later, once the trials have begun. The protagonist, John Proctor, has not been privvy to any of the action going on in town, so others must inform him of the hysteria that has struck Salem. In this act we watch broken trust get painfully rebuilt and broken again; the motive of the primary instigator, Abigail, is horribly confirmed; and our hope that this is just some kind of ridiculous over-reaction evaporates in the face of alarming false accusations. The climax of this act happens in the courtroom, when John tells the truth but is not believed, and his wife Elizabeth lies but is taken as truthful. Despite the fact that we all know the witch trials did end in a relatively short amount of time, there is little hope that the characters we have developed relationships with will survive the ordeal.
Act III is set in another season, probably several months after Act II ends. The hopelessness we feared has come to pass; and, though they are still alive, the primary characters in the play are facing an imminent and undeserved death. Dramatically, the moment when Proctor denies his confession and cries out "I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" is both awful and amazing. This reversal represents the hope, at last, that common sense may once again rule in Salem. And, even though at least twenty innocent people lost their lives in the hysteria, the few we feel we know died as upright citizens and people of faith.