Act 5, Scene 1, Part 1 Summary

This act is set a year and a half after the events of Act 4 and takes place outside Brand's new church. The Schoolmaster and the Sexton decorate the church for its consecration, talking about the numbers of people arriving and about how life before Brand began preaching was simple and focused on hard work. They also talk about how they as public officials have to keep themselves apart from controversies such as those that seem to be arising around Brand and the way he preaches. The Sexton speaks of an acquaintance who described the village since Brand arrived as having developed more promise.

As the Schoolmaster and the Sexton debate the meaning of the term "promise," their argument is interrupted by the sound of Brand playing the organ inside the church. The Sexton comments that Brand seems to be...