The
audience knows that Abigail Williams, Mercy Lewis, Betty Parris, Ruth Putnam, and Mary Warren
danced in the forest with Tituba before the beginning of the play and were caught by Abigail's
uncle, Reverend Parris. According to Goody Putnam, she sent her daughter Ruth to instruct Tituba
to conjure the dead spirits of her deceased babies. Being that Tituba is from Barbados, Goody
Putnam assumes that she has experience in the dark arts and is capable of speaking to spirits.
Therefore, Ruth was in the woods to do the bidding of her mother.
It is also
revealed that Abigail Williams drank chicken blood during the escapade in an attempt to place a
malevolent charm on Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail has strong feelings for Elizabeth's husband and
desires to kill her. Tituba was simply following the girls' instructions. As a slave, Tituba
lacks personal agency, is relatively voiceless, and is forced to obey the girls.
Reverend Parris remarks that he saw someone dancing in the nude, which turns
out...
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