The puritans were taught to repress (or hold in) their individual emotions. Consider the different emtions, fears, and motives of the characters in act 1. How might a repression of emotions have influenced their behaviors and the hysteria that erupts at the end of the scene in which tituba and abby confess?

Read the following scene from trifles. mrs. peters. she was piecing a quilt. (she brings the large sewing basket, and they look at the bright pieces.) mrs. hale. it’s log cabin pattern. pretty, isn’t it? i wonder if she was goin’ to quilt or just knot it? (footsteps have been heard coming down the stairs. the sheriff enters, followed by hale and the county attorney.) sheriff. they wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it. (the men laugh, the women look abashed.) county attorney (rubbing his hands over the stove). frank’s fire didn’t do much up there, did it? well, let’s go out to the barn and get that cleared up. (the men go outside.) how would a film version most likely emphasize the men’s emotions during this scene? by emphasizing the variety of props used by showing the men’s facial expressions by highlighting the characters’ costumes by focusing on the actions of the women