Tituba is a spiritually gifted woman born into slavery in Barbados. Raised by a village healer after the death of her parents, she learns to communicate with the dead and utilizes herbs for healing. She possesses a deep capacity for passion and physical desire, which often places her in conflict with her spiritual guides' warnings about men and colonial society.

Abena is Tituba's mother, forced into slavery in Barbados. Following the trauma of her passage from Africa, she attempts to build a family with Yao before defending herself against a violent assault by her owner. After her physical death, she transitions into a prominent spiritual figure in Tituba's life.

Mama Yaya is an elderly spiritual healer in Barbados. She instructs Tituba in the properties of local herbs, animal sacrifices, and communication with ancestors. She strictly believes that supernatural powers must only be used to heal and protect, never to harm.

John Indian is an enslaved man of mixed Arawak and Nago descent. To survive the brutality of his environment, he adopts a highly exaggerated, submissive persona around white authorities. His physical appeal captures Tituba's devotion, leading her to voluntarily enter slavery to remain by his side.

A rigid Puritan minister who purchases Tituba and John Indian. He relocates his household from Barbados to Boston, and later to Salem. Parris uses extreme religious rhetoric to justify physical violence and psychological terror against the women and enslaved people in his household.

Yao is a compassionate enslaved man who willingly adopts the unborn Tituba as his own child. He provides the only gentle masculine presence in Tituba's early life. Following his tragic end, he continues to visit Tituba alongside Abena and Mama Yaya.

A harsh plantation owner in Barbados who holds the deed to John Indian. She despises Tituba's independent background and demands that her slaves conform entirely to Christian customs. Her cruelty pushes Tituba to use her spiritual powers in a harmful manner for the first time.

The wife of Samuel Parris. She suffers constantly from physical ailments and her husband's oppressive dominance. Despite her indoctrination into Puritan beliefs, she quietly accepts Tituba's healing massages and herbal remedies, forming a complicated bond built on shared subjugation by the same man.

The young daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Parris. Subjected to her father's relentless sermons on sin and hellfire, she develops severe nervous conditions. Tituba frequently tries to comfort her, but Betsey gradually absorbs the community's racial and religious prejudices.

An orphaned niece adopted by Samuel and Elizabeth Parris. Unlike her fragile cousin, Abigail is deeply captivated by her uncle's grim lessons on Satan. She frequently taunts Tituba and leads a circle of local girls in dark games that spiral into village-wide hysteria.

A fiercely independent woman condemned by her Puritan neighbors for adultery. Pregnant and unrepentant, she challenges the patriarchal structures of colonial America. She discusses modern feminist concepts with Tituba and encourages her to rethink her deference to the men who cause her pain.

A Jewish merchant and widower with nine children. Having fled religious persecution in Portugal, he lives as an outsider in the Puritan colonies. He forms a close connection with Tituba over their shared experiences of marginalization and honors her spiritual connection to the invisible world.

The leader of a group of maroons living in hiding in Barbados. He relies on Tituba's spiritual abilities to assist his camp. Driven by a desire for power and immortality, he demands magical favors from Tituba while utilizing her primarily for his own physical satisfaction.

A young, fiercely determined enslaved boy in Barbados. After Tituba nurses him back to health, he stays with her and begins planning a widespread rebellion. He represents a profound break from the subservient roles forced upon him, embracing a passionate vision for freedom.

A plantation owner who buys Abena and two Ashanti men. His violent actions toward the enslaved people on his land set off the tragic sequence of events that results in Tituba becoming an orphan.

An elderly woman living in New England who recognizes Tituba and reveals her past connection to Mama Yaya. She teaches Tituba the local foliage, allowing Tituba to continue her healing practices in a foreign environment.