The audience learns that John Proctor's wife, Elizabeth, had been unwell for some time following the birth of their third child. During this time, Abigail Williams, the orphaned seventeen-year-old niece of their pastor, came to the Proctors' home to help with Elizabeth's household tasks. John and Abigail's shared attraction became a sexual relationship, and it is implied in her dialogue that he took her virginity. Elizabeth discovered the affair and Abigail was dismissed from their employ. John, however, continued to lust for Abigail and would sometimes look up at her window after she returned to her uncle's home in the parish house. Abigail proclaimed her love for John and tried to rekindle the affair but John insisted that their relationship was over and rebuffed her advances.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Viking, 1953.
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