Reverend Hale could certainly have done a lot more to end the hysteria. As both a man of God and an expert in witchcraft he should've been able to see straight away that there was no foundation to Abigail Williams' lies and false accusations. Although he did intervene to try and halt the court proceedings, by that time it was too late. The hysteria had already got completely out of control and no one was in a position to stop it, no matter how hard they tried.
Danforth, as the most senior judge in the Salem witch trials, could've put a stop to the hysteria early on by ruling that there was insufficient evidence to determine that anyone was guilty of witchcraft. But for largely selfish reasons he chose not to. An incredibly vain man, he was so puffed up by the enormous power and prestige that the trial brought him, so enamored of being the center of attention, that he wanted the proceedings to continue for as long as possible. Instead of trying to get at the truth and deliver justice for the accused Danforth abused his authority, his exalted position as judge to send innocent people to their deaths.
Abigail Williams could have brought the hysteria to an end; after all, she is the one who started it by threatening the other girls into silence and perpetuating it by implicating more and more people for her own selfish motives.
Mary Warren and the other girls could have come clean to the Salem authorities and informed them of Abigail's threats. If they had presented a united front against her instead of shrinking in fear, lives could have been saved.
If he had behaved as a leader of his congregation instead of becoming preoccupied about holding onto his job, Reverend Parris could have saved lives. His willful blindness about Abigail's machinations and his own daughter's involvement in witchcraft, as well as his eagerness to take down political enemies like the Nurses, Coreys, and Proctors, prevents him from putting a stop to the hysteria.
Hathorne and Danforth, as the magistrates with the power to levy judgment and punishment, could have suspended the trials until more investigation was conducted. By allowing spectral evidence and not looking more closely at the accusers and their possible motivations, the two magistrates are ultimately responsible for letting the hysteria destroy a community.
There are several characters who play a significant role in the spread of hysteria and other characters with important information that could have ended the witchcraft hysteria in Salem. One could argue that John Proctor's hesitance to reveal Abigail Williams's true nature results in the spread of hysteria and the arrest of numerous innocent citizens. In act 2, John's wife urges him to travel to Salem immediately and expose Abigail. However, Proctor hesitates because he does not want to ruin his reputation and has a hard time believing that the citizens actually trust the young girls in court.
Mary Warren is another character who knew that Abigail was lying. Instead of telling the authorities about Abigail's malevolent intentions, Mary Warren ends up following Abigail's orders and adds to the hysteria.
Reverend Hale is another character who could have stopped the spread of hysteria but quickly assumed that the accusations were true instead of immediately examining the characters of Abigail and her followers. Instead of questioning the source of the accusations, Reverend Hale initially believes that the girls are not lying and becomes suspicious of the citizens accused of witchcraft.
Many of the named characters in the play The Crucible are based upon actual historical records and people who were actually involved in the events portrayed. Certainly, any number of these people could have acted in ways to shift the course of events. For example, Abigail Williams could have chosen not to spread lies or to manipulate the other girls into following her lead. Justice Danforth could have chosen not to believe the girls' fantastical stories (referred to in court proceedings as "spectral evidence") over the accused. The Reverend Hale could have chosen to remain involved in the trials, instead of walking away in frustration; his attempts to be a voice of reason put him at odds with the judges and court magistrates, who had various political reasons for wanting rebellious people like John Proctor to be silenced.
Any number of townspeople could have refused to believe the accusations of witchcraft, instead of being willing to believe that witchcraft was behind any number of occurrences, from Betty Parris' strange afflictions, to the other things described (cows' milk drying up, children falling ill, etc.). Being able to accuse others of witchcraft effectively meant that community members could bring about the ostracization and ruination of their neighbors without ample evidence or proof, because the environment was so superstitious and supportive of these witchcraft rumors.
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