01 — How old was john proctor at the time of the witch trials?

In “The Crucible”, John Proctor is a character in his thirties. In real life, Proctor was 59 years old at the time of his death.

02 — were john and elizabeth married in real life?

Yes, but Elizabeth Proctor (as depicted in “The Crucible”) was actually John’s third wife in real life. John was married first to Martha Giddens until her death in 1659, and then to Elizabeth Thorndike until her death in 1672. John met and married Elizabeth Bassett in 1674.

03 — did john proctor have an affair with abigail williams?

Being that Abigail Williams was only approximately 11-12 years old at the time of the trials, had likely never previously met the Proctor family, and no historical evidence exists of this - it is highly improbable. The fictionalized affair as depicted in “The Crucible” came from Arthur Miller’s own artistic interpretation of the trial proceedings as depicted in court records that were available to him at the time, as well as inspiration from events in his own personal life.

04 — was john accused only when he attempted to save elizabeth?

Yes - John was one of the most outspoken against the trials from the beginning, calling the accusers “frauds and liars” and highly skeptical of the proceedings. When John and Elizabeth’s own servant Mary Warren ultimately became a court witness, Elizabeth Proctor was the first of the family to be accused. On April 11th, 1692 (the day after Elizabeth’s arrest), John came to court in support of his wife. By the end of the long day of “examinations” of the accused, the accusers (including Ann Putnam Sr. and Abigail Williams) had named John to be a “witch” as well. Both Elizabeth and John were sent to Boston and held in jail for trial.

05 — were any other proctor family members accused and jailed?

Yes - in addition to their servant Mary Warren becoming accused herself (and subsequently jailed several days after John and Elizabeth), John Proctor’s sons William and Benjamin and daughter Sarah were also accused and jailed a few weeks later. They survived the trials.

06 — was elizabeth proctor actually pregnant?

Yes - Elizabeth was pregnant with her 7th child at the time of the trials, which prompted a delay for her execution (and subsequently saved her life, when the trials were ended and all prisoners released).