Ms. Pennell’s Big-Bad Study Guide to help you pass The Crucible or the severe test or trial that will be the examinations for this literary work of genius by Arthur Miller. By the way, that was your first vocabulary word (crucible – heat-resistant container in which metals are melted or fused at very high temperatures; thus a severe trial or test). Get ready to have your brain melted!!
List of Characters
Reverend Parris -- vicious, shallow, cowardly, villainous, peacock of a man (former merchant in Barbados) using God as a pretense to extort whatever riches he can out of the already economically strained villagers in Salem.
Betty Parris -- daughter to Reverend Parris, mother is dead. One of the afflicted girls. She suffers from a malediction that clears up when the adults leave the room. She is terrified of her vicious and manipulative cousin Abigail and her Puritan Minister father, Reverend Parris.
Tituba – a slave purchased in Barbados to serve the Parris household. Tituba has no legal rights or standing in Salem Village and is, therefore, the easiest person to blame for witchcraft. The Puritans consider Tituba’s ability to speak to the dead shocking and scandalous, but communication with the dead is a basic part of many African religions. In many religions derived from African cultures, the dead are honored and considered to be able to provide wisdom and advice to the living. Voduon, or voodoo, is a folk religion from the West Indies, which developed from Roman Catholic beliefs mixed with African religious practices. In a voodoo ritual service, the priestess leads a gathering of people in song, drumming, dance, prayer, cooking, or animal sacrifice. As students read on, they will see that most of these details apply to the descriptions of what Tituba and the girls were doing in the woods. Ironically, a voodoo priestess is said to have the power to protect her followers from witchcraft.
Abigail Williams -- gorgeous orphan, liar, and town harlot, niece of Reverend Parris, cousin to Betty, bedded Proctor and will stop at nothing to “dance on his wife’s grave with him.”
Susanna Walcott -- servant girl to the Griggs, Mr. Griggs was the doctor in Salem Village.
(Ann Putnam, Jr.) Ruth Putnam is daughter to Thomas and Ann Putnam. She testifies against George Jacobs, claiming that he sent his spirit to her in the night through her window. In the real trials, she is the only one of the girls to ever apologize to the congregation of her church for the evil she committed.
By the time the witch hunt was over (the historical witch hunt), Ann had accused 62 people. In the coming years, she would have a difficult life. Both her parents died, leaving her to raise her nine brothers and sisters on her own. But she did something none of the other circle girls would do—publicly acknowledge her role in the trials. In 1706 she stood before the church as the pastor read her apology.
Mrs. Ann Putnam -- voted most crazy by Ms. Pennell for having endured the deaths of seven babies (infant mortality rate in Puritan New England was extremely high due to harsh conditions and lack of medical knowledge). Ann is raging in her grief and looking for someone to blame for the deaths of her babies. It is all too easy to involve Tituba and her midwife Rebecca Nurse. She is jealous of Rebecca because she kept all of her children and was twenty-six times a grandmother. Mr. Thomas Putnam -- greedy son of wealthiest man in village, would-be manipulator and unsuccessful conniver, he is an embittered man who will stop at nothing – not even murder -- to gain more land. He is vengeful because he is thwarted by the town each time he tries to pull off one of his evil schemes. First, he tries to cheat his stepbrother out of his rightful inheritance. He follows this up with incarcerating George Burroughs for debts he has not incurred. He does this to try and steal George’s job from him as minister. He wants his brother-in-law to be given this title. Francis and Rebecca Nurse put an end to this evilness, but incur the wrath of the Putnam family in the process. On top of this, Miller recounts a land feud between the two families that came to arms and lasted for two days before it was resolved. The Putnams lost here as well; thus, Thomas becomes more embittered. It is believed that he used his wife and daughter to accuse people to rob them of their land or other assets.
Mercy Lewis Sly fat girl who worked for the Putnams. Evil incarnate, she beat Ruth until she awoke from her catatonic state. She is Abigail’s minion in all the wrong doing in Salem.
Mary Warren a lonely, weepy, easily manipulated seventeen-year-old wisp of a girl absolutely devoid of spunk and with no backbone whatsoever.
John Proctor town stud, in his mid-thirties, strong, intelligent, and well-respected, but guilty of taking advantage of young and gorgeous Abigail.
Rebecca Nurse -- wife of Francis Nurse, pillar of the community, gentleness exudes from her, sweet little old lady with twenty six grandchildren, a midwife.
Giles Corey -- ornery, eighty year old who has spent too much time in court, married to Martha Corey, amasser of lands and wealth that lead to jealousy and resentment of the other villagers.
Martha Corey – Wife of Giles Corey. Giles makes the mistake of telling Hale that Martha reads and when she reads, his prayer is interrupted.
Reverend John Hale -- Learned man in relation to all things crazy about witchcraft, examiner of victims, strangely just in his investigations for such a wild and slippery field of work. Realizes the truth of the matter too late to stop what his “justice” set in motion.
Elizabeth Proctor – Wife of John Proctor whose justice has been known to “freeze beer,” considered herself to be too plain to deserve the love of John Proctor. Suspicious and with a disposition as cold as winter, she had the misfortune of having to fire Abigail for sleeping with her lecherous husband. Her pregnancy saved her life after she was jailed. She went on to remarry after John’s death.
Francis Nurse -- Husband of Rebecca Nurse, accused of being unreasonable when he tries to clear his wife of the charge of witchcraft.
Ezekiel Cheever -- Official of the court who arrests people accused of witchcraft. He also brings to light the fact that John Proctor misses church and plows on Sunday.
Marshal Herrick -- Another official of the court, equally guilty of following orders even though he knows it is wrong and the people being accused are innocent.
Judge Hathorne -- Of the two judges, Hathorne is much quicker to condemn. He is overly concerned with the reputation of the court; he is less concerned with fairness to those being accused of witchcraft. Deputy Governor Danforth -- Of the two judges, Danforth is the one who listens to the testimony of the people, but still insists that proper procedure is followed.
Sarah Good -- town beggar; sleeps in a ditch. Is pregnant; is therefore locked in prison until the child is born.
Osburn -- refuses to confess and is hanged for being a witch. Town drunk and is a beggar. He is someone to blame for all her sorrow and misery.
Summary for Act 1
It is 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam have mysteriously fallen ill. Abigail Williams, Betty’s cousin, confesses to Reverend Parris that she (Abigail) and the other girls were dancing in the woods to chants sung by Tituba, Reverend Parris’s West Indian slave. Abigail denies his immediate suspicion that they were practicing witchcraft.
The Putnam’s are convinced that witchcraft is to blame for Ruth’s illness. Parris has sent for Reverend Hale, an expert on the subject of witchcraft, in the hope that he can cure the girls.
John Proctor comes by looking for his servant Mary Warren. Abigail reminds John of their love affair, and he sternly tells her that it is all over. Betty begins screaming, attempts suicide by trying to fly to her dead mother, and soon the room is filled with people. Parris and the Putnams insist that it is witchcraft; Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Giles Corey are skeptical. Old conflicts between neighbors revive.
Hale enters and begins to ask questions. In mounting panic and hysteria, Betty and Abigail (to save their own hides from a beating) accuse Tituba of witchcraft. They begin to cry out other names as Parris and Hale agree to fetch the marshal.
Vocabulary, Footnotes, and Reading Comprehension Questions for Act 1
Dialogue refers to the words characters speak. Dialogue both advances the plot and reveals the characters’ personalities and backgrounds.
Stage Directions usually indicate where a scene takes place, what it should look like, and how the characters move and speak. Stage directions are usually set in italic type to distinguish them from dialogue. They are not read aloud with the dialogue!
Dramatic Exposition conveys critical information about a play’s settings, props, characters, and even historical and social context. Most playwrights provide such information in the dialogue or stage directions. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller does something quite different, interjecting lengthy prose commentaries that contain a wealth of dramatic exposition. Gather details from these essay-like passages to help you enter the world of the play.
Predilection n. Pre-existing preference (p. 1235).
Ingratiating adj. Charming or flattering (p. 1236).
Calumny n. False accusation; slander (p. 1238).
Inculcation n. Teaching by repetition and urging (p. 1253).
Propitiation n. Action designed to soothe or satisfy a person, a cause, etc. (p. 1254). Licentious adj. Lacking moral restraint (p. 1258).
Footnotes
Shovelboard game in which a coin or other disk is driven with the hand along a highly polished board, floor, table marked with transverse lines.
New Jerusalem in the Bible, the holy city of Heaven.
Junta noun, assembly or council.
Lucifer the devil.
Goody title used for a married woman; short for Goodwife.
Abyss noun, deep crack in the Earth.
Quakers members of the Society of Friends, a Christian religious sect that was founded in the mid seventeenth century and has no formal creed, rites, or priesthood. Unlike the Quakers, the Puritans had a rigid of conduct and were expected to heed the words of their ministers.
Luther Martin Luther (1483-1546), German theologian who led the Protestant Reformation.
Lutheran member of the Protestant denomination founded by Martin Luther.
Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus (1466? – 1536), Dutch humanist, scholar, and theologian.
Succubi female demons thought to lie on sleeping men.
Incubi spirits or demons thought to lie on sleeping women.
Abrogation abolishment.
Congerie heap; pile.
Klatches informal gathering.
Fetishes Objects believed to have magical power.
Dionysiac Characteristics of Dionysus, Greek god of wine and revelry; thus, wild, frenzied, and sensuous.
Victorian characteristic of the time when Victoria was queen of England (1837-1901), an era associated with respectability, prudery, and hypocrisy.
In nomine Domini Sabaoth sui filiique ite ad infernos “In the name of the Lord of hosts and His Son, get thee to the lower world.” (Latin)
Reading Comprehension Questions and Answers Act 1, 1263 1. Were you surprised when the specific accusations against specific individuals multiplied? Explain.
Students were probably surprised. One accusation would have been enough for the girls to escape punishment for their games in the woods.
2. What is Betty’s condition when the play opens?
She is in a heavy sleep.
What does Abigail say that she and Betty were doing in the forest?
She says they were dancing.
What seems to be the main motivation for Reverend Parris’s concern about the girls’ behavior in the forest?
He is afraid of how it may affect his position in the community if his enemies find out.
3. What do Abigail, Betty, Mercy, and Mary discuss after Reverend Parris leaveshis daughter’s room?
They try to agree on what story they will tell; Abigail threatens the others with vengeance if they say that she tried to kill Goody Proctor.
What events does this scene suggest will occur later on in the play?
It suggests that the girls will be asked what happens in the woods and the girls will lie.
4. Who is Reverend Hale?
He is a pastor from Beverly.
Why is he contacted?
He is reputed to be an expert on demonic possession.
Do you think he is being fair and impartial so far?
He does not rush to judgment, but he presumes guilt instead of innocence.
5. Summarize Abigail’s prior relationship with the Proctors. What does Betty’s revelation about Abigail’s actions suggest about Abigail’s feelings for Goody Proctor?
Abigail was their servant and, briefly, John’s lover. Abigail is clearly filled with jealous hatred of her.
6. What evidence suggests that sharp divisions exist among the people of Salem Village?
Parris mentions enemies that want to drive him from the pulpit. Rebecca mentions strife in the town. Proctor and Corey suggest that the Putnam family cheats and angers everyone. Proctor and Rebecca may be accused next because everyone resents them. Act 1 Literary Analysis, 1264
1. What do Miller’s stage directions and dialogue reveal about the character of Abigail Williams?
Both stage directions and dialogue reveal that Abigail is a liar. Dialogue reveals that she hates Goody Proctor: “It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman” and “You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!” Dialogue and stage directions show that she loves John: “I walk and walk about the house as though I’d find you comin’ through some door.” She clutches him desperately.
2. In the scene between Abigail and John Proctor, in what ways do the stage directions add to your understanding of their relationship?
The stage directions mention her “concentrated desire” for him and indicate that she tries to touch him and make him touch her. They also mention her anger and resentment at his rejection.
3. Why does Miller include such extensive background on seventeenth-century Salem and its inhabitants? To whom is this information addressed?
He wants the readers to understand the attitudes and beliefs in the time and place in which the play is set. The comments are addressed to the reader; they will not be read or spoken in a staged performance.
4. What information about the play is conveyed about the play’s basic situation in the first three paragraphs of the stage directions?
The stage directions identify the time and place, describe the room, and identify the two characters currently on stage.
5. What techniques does Miller use to provide important information about the recent activities of several village girls?
Their recent behavior is revealed in dialogue.
6. When Reverend Hale enters the scene, what two historic events does Miller compare in his dramatic exposition?
He compares the Inquisition and the Red Scare to the threat of witchcraft in Salem.
7. What do Reverend Parris’s comments and actions reveal about his motivations?
His main concern is to protect himself from those in the parish who would like to see him leave his position as a minister.
8. What do Abigail’s actions in the forest and her threats to the girls reveal about her motives?
Abigail wants John. Her threats make it clear that she does not want this becoming public knowledge.
9. What is Putnam’s motivation for asking Tituba whether she saw Sarah Good or Goody Osburn in the woods? He has a grudge against them and wants them accused without having to do so publicly.
10. Which elements of society does Miller seem to be criticizing through the characters of Reverend Parris and the Putnams?
He criticizes greed and irresponsibility. Putnam is greedy for property; Parris is jealous of his salary and privileges. Both seek to blame others for their own misfortune.
Vocabulary and Footnotes for Act 2
Allusion – a brief reference within a work to something outside the work. Usually an allusion relates to one of the following: another literary work, a place, a well-known person, or an historical event.
Historical Context – key factors of life in a time period in which a literary work is set.
Pallor n. paleness.
Ameliorate v. make better.
Avidly adv. Eagerly.
Base adj. low; mean.
Deference n. courteous regard or respect.
Theology n. the study of religion.
Quail v. cringe from.
Gingerly adv. Cautiously.
Abomination n. Something that causes great horror or disgust.
Blasphemy n. sinful act or remark.
Part like the Red Sea for Israel – God commands Moses, leader of the Jews, to part the Red Sea to enable the Jews to escape from the Egyptians into Canaan.
Poppet doll.
As lief rather.
Pontius Pilate Roman leader who condemned Jesus to be crucified.
Lechery lust; adultery – a charge almost as serious as witchcraft in this Puritan community.
Summary for Act 2: Act II opens a little over a week after the first wave of arrests. The scene is the Proctor’s home; the couple is ill at ease with one another, and trying to recover emotionally from John’s inappropriate relationship with Abigail Williams. The Proctors discuss the growing hysteria in Salem. Elizabeth urges John to tell the court that Abigail is a liar. They argue over his infidelity.
Hale arrives and questions the Proctors to discover whether they are good Christians. Some of their answers are unorthodox, but Hale is impressed with their honesty.
Cheever and Herrick enter with a warrant for Elizabeth's arrest. They find a doll with a needle in its belly and explain that Abigail was stabbed in the belly with a needle. She blamed this on Elizabeth's spirit. Although Mary confesses to giving the doll to Elizabeth, the officials take Elizabeth away in handcuffs. Proctor threatens to expose Abigail unless Mary confesses that the accusations of witchcraft are lies.
Act 2 Reading Comprehension Questions, 1287
1. What does Mary Warren bring home to Elizabeth Proctor? What is the significance of this gift?
A doll she made for her (poppet). The gift serves later as evidence that allows the court to arrest Elizabeth.
2. What evidence is used to support Abigail Williams’s assertion that Elizabeth Proctor is guilty of witchcraft? Do you think the evidence is compelling? Why or why not?
Elizabeth’s possession of the doll with a needle stuck through it. The evidence is not compelling because Mary made the doll, stuck the needle into it, and gave it to Elizabeth.
3. What does Sarah Good do to save herself from hanging? Why would such an action save her?
She confesses. Only the unrepentant are put to death. The court believed that confession was the same as repentance.
4. According to John Proctor, what is “walking Salem” and writing the law in the community? What evidence would support Proctor’s assertion?
Vengeance. Abigail clearly wants to strike back at Elizabeth for firing her and because she loves John; Walcott accuses Martha Corey because of an old quarrel over a pig.
5. Who says the witchcraft trials are a “black mischief”? What is ironic about that remark?
Proctor. The avowed purpose of the trials is to expose and punish the “black mischief” of witchcraft. Instead, the trials themselves are evil.
6. Why is it surprising that Rebecca Nurse is charged with witchcraft?
Everyone in Salem agrees that Rebecca is a good, kind Christian woman.
7. Do you find any irony in the fact that Ezekiel Cheever is the one who arrests Elizabeth Proctor? Why?
It was Cheever that Elizabeth urged John to turn with about the truth about Abigail. Now it is too late. Literary Analysis, Act 2, 1288
1. What does the biblical allusion to Moses and the parting of the Red Sea on page 1269 suggest about how the crowd views Abigail?
God spoke directly to Moses and gave him the power to part the Red Sea; people believe that Abigail is possessed of special powers, as Moses was.
2. What does John Proctor’s allusion to Pontius Pilate on page 1285 imply about Proctor’s opinion of Reverend Hale? What does the allusion to Pontius Pilate imply about the witchcraft proceedings in Salem?
Proctor implies that Hale refuses to take responsibility for his official actions. It suggests that the innocent are being condemned.
3. In what way do details of historical context, including the status of women, explain why women were accused of witchcraft?
Students should note that in the play, most often women accuse other women o witchcraft; the question is not simple. Students may feel that the low status of women, and especially of young girls, fuels the anger of accusers such as Abigail and Mary.
4. Knowing that keeping the Sabbath and attending church services were strictly enforced by the Puritans, how do you interpret John Proctor’s exchange with Reverend Hale about the baptism of Proctor’s sons? Explain.
Proctor risks his social position by refusing to have his young son baptized. He also risks his son’s immortal soul. This suggests that Proctor’s principles are of far greater importance to him than any interest he might have in what other people think of him.
5. The Puritans lacked laws to protect people from illegal searches and arrests. How does this fact add to your appreciation of the scene in which Elizabeth Proctor is apprehended?
Since there were no laws against them, searches and arrests were not illegal. It suggests that the society had great faith in the correctness of its judges.
6. In addition to the characters’ attitudes, what other significant information do the stage directions in Act II reveal to you?
They describe how the actors are meant to move about the stage, how and whether they touch one another, and to whom their lines are addressed.
7. How are legal principles and evidence gathering procedures different in America today than they were in the time in which the play is set?
In a modern court an accusation is not proof. A court official like Hale cannot visit suspects privately. Suspects are entitled to the protection of lawyers.
Summary of Act III Proctor brings Mary to the court, and she confesses to Judge Hathorne and Governor Danforth. The officials and Parris are shocked and hesitate to believe her. Danforth brings in the girls and confronts them with Mary’s testimony. Abigail says firmly that Mary is lying.
Proctor confesses to his affair with Abigail, explaining that jealousy if Elizabeth is the ground for all her lies and accusations. Abigail denies the affair. Elizabeth is brought into the room and asked about the affair. To protect John, she denies it.
As Hale and Danforth begin arguing about whom to believe, Abigail cries out that Mary’s spirit, disguised as a yellow bird, is up in the rafters, threatening her. The other girls follow her lead and Mary breaks down and renounces her confession. Proctor and Corey are arrested as Hale denounces the court and the curtain falls.
Categorizing Characters by Role:
Into which categories can you divide the voices being heard in this opening Act III?
You can divide them into judges and witnesses.
Ask students to give their opinions of the judges.
They seem eager to convict Martha Corey. They insist on the proper court procedure hen Giles tries to interrupt the examination of the witnesses.
What accusation does Hathorne make of Martha Corey?
He accuses her of reading fortunes and harming the children.
Literary Analysis: The Three Types of Irony
Just as there are three muses in Greek mythology (the mousai: goddesses of music, song, and dance; provided inspiration to poets), there are three different forms of irony that students learn about in high school literature classes: verbal, situational, and dramatic irony. Irony is its simplest form is a subtly humorous perception of inconsistency, in which an apparently straightforward statement or event is undermined by its context so as to give it a very different significance. Below you will find a brief definition of each type (taken from Ms. Pennell’s literary term bible – The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms):
Verbal Irony involves a discrepancy between what is said and what is meant.
Dramatic Irony is achieved when the audience knows more about a character’s situation than the character.
Situational Irony is achieved when an event occurs that defies the expectation of the characters, the reader or the audience.
There are many, many additional forms of irony which include (but are not limited to) structural irony, cosmic irony, and tragic irony, but we shall save these for later .
In Act III of The Crucible, we will primarily focus on dramatic and verbal irony. See if you can identify both of these types of irony at play in this act. Another rhetorical tool that Miller uses in this act to reinforce the parallels between the Salem Trials and the communist witch-hunts or alleged hearings of the HUAC (Senator McCarthy) is called a logical fallacy. A fallacy is a mistake or error in logic. A logical fallacy is an idea or argument that that appears logical, but in reality the argument is based on a completely faulty premise. Danforth explains his rationale for believing the accusations of witchcraft:
“I have seen marvels in this court. I have seen people choked before my eyes by spirits; I have seen them stuck by pins and slashed by daggers. I have until this moment not the slightest reason to suspect that the children may be deceiving me. Do you understand me?”
And again when Danforth states, “The pure in heart need no lawyers.”
And yet again when Danforth states to Mr. Nurse, “No old man, you have not hurt these people (those town folk that signed the petition to clear Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth Proctor’s names) if they are of good conscience. But you must understand that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time now, a precise time – we no longer live in the dusky afternoon where evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God’s grace, the shinning sun is up, and them that fear no light will surely praise it. I hope you will be one of those.”
Danforth justifies his act of incarcerating and murdering innocent people by claiming that the evil he commits is actually God’s will. He shamelessly compares the atrocities committed to the “shinning sun” of God’s justice. Christian theology’s major premise is that God is the purest form of love in existence. The teachings of Christ also clearly state that a person is not allowed to unjustly take another life; Christ instructed his followers literally to “turn the other cheek.” Danforth has allowed himself to be manipulated for the base purposes of Abigail Williams, a clever and love-sick teenager. Danforth is too proud (he suffers from hubris) to admit that he is wrong; moreover, he prefers to continue the lie he is caught in and to commit murder. He is too cowardly to endure his foolishness publicly. He is constantly misguided by Reverend Parris who suffers from the same infirmity of character.
Miller uses these characters and the circumstances to set up a brilliant allegory between the play The Crucible and the Salem Trials. An allegory involves a continuous parallel between two or more levels of meaning in a written work. The persons or events correspond to their equivalents in a system of ideas or in this case a chain of events external to the tale. The climax of the play happens in Act III when Elizabeth is summoned from jail to testify before the court. As the play unfolds, we cringe to see the lives of innocent people forever altered and destroyed to cover up the foolishness of a few corrupt people in power. The similarities to what happened with the HUAC are obvious.
Vocabulary
Contentious (adj) argumentative
Deposition (n) The testimony of a witness made under oath but not in open court
Imperceptible (adj) barely noticeable
Deferentially(adv) In a manner that bows to another’s wishes; very respectfully
Anonymity (n) The condition of being unknown
Prodigious (adj) of great size or power Effrontery (n) shameless boldness
Confounded (v) confused; dismayed
Incredulously (adv) skeptically
Blanched (adj) paled; whitened
Act III Footnotes
Affidavit (n) written statement under oath.
Cain … Abel In the Bible, Cain, the oldest son of Adam and Eve, killed his brother, Abel, out of jealousy.
Raphael … Tobias In the Bible, Tobias is guided by Archangel Raphael to save two people who have prayed for their deaths. One of the two is Tobias’s father Tobit, who has prayed for his death because he has lost his sight. The other person who prays for her death is Sara, a woman who is afflicted by a demon and has killed her seven husbands on her wedding day. With Raphael’s assistance, Tobias exercises the devil from Sara and cures his father’s blindness.
Ipso Facto “by that very fact”; therefore
Probity Complete honesty; integrity
Augur Bit Sharp point of an argur, a tool used for boring holes.
Gulling Fooling
Anti-Christ In the Bible, the great antagonist of Christ expected to spread universal evil.
Review & Assess Act III
1. Which incident in Act III provoked the strongest emotional response in you? Why?
Elizabeth’s attempt to protect John, Mary Warren’s accusation of John, Hale’s denunciation of the proceedings, etc.
2. (a) Which three depositions are presented are presented to the judges and on whose behalf? (b) How do the judges discourage defenses of the accused? Mary’s deposition that the accusations are false A deposition testifying to the good character of Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Martha Giles deposition accusing Putnam The judges insist that a protest shows contempt of the court. 3. (a) What does John Proctor confess to Danforth? (b) Why does Proctor make this confession? (c) What does his confession reveal about his character?
He confesses to his affair with Abigail.
He believes that Abigail is a murderess and must be revealed as untrustworthy. Also, he wants to uncover Abigail’s motivation for lying. He is willing to sacrifice his good name to save others.
4. (a) What is the lie Elizabeth Proctor tells Danforth? (b) What are the consequences of her lie?
She claims ignorance of John’s affairs with Abigail.
John is arrested, and the court’s confidence in Abigail is restored.
5. (a) What truth does Mary Warren reveal about her involvement with “spirits”? (b) Why does she change her testimony and turn on John Proctor?
She says she made it all up.
The other girls all turn on her, and she is too cowardly to stand up to them.
6. (a) What does Hale denounce at the end of Act III? (b) Do you find Hale sympathetic? Why or why not?
He denounces the court proceedings.
Students will probably say yes; Hale has always tried to do what was right.
7. Imagine that Elizabeth Proctor had told Danforth the truth. In what way might the outcome of the trials have been different?
Abigail might have been hanged, and the accused witches might have been pardoned.
8. Who bears the most guilt for the fate of those hanged in the Salem witch trials – the girls who accused innocent people or the judges who sentenced them to death?
Ms. Pennell thinks that Abigail, John, and the cowardly judges are most to blame. It is amazing what people will say and sacrifice when it is not them that have to pay the price.
Literary Analysis 1. List three examples of dramatic irony from Act III. Explain. Dramatic: 1. The audience knows that John has confessed to lechery with Abigail, but the character Elizabeth does not. 2. The audience knows that Mary Warren is desperately trying to tell the truth, but Danforth and Hathorne do not believe her, the audience knows that the real guilty parties (the girls) have gone unpunished and that the innocent people accused will hang. 3. When Cheever and Herrick go to arrest Elizabeth, the audience knows that the pin stuck in the doll or poppet was placed there by Mary Warren for safe keeping, but the characters believe that Elizabeth witched Abigail. Mary thought the doll would ease Elizabeth’s worries, but Mary unknowingly helped Abigail “pin” witchcraft on Elizabeth. 2. What does the audience know that Elizabeth does not know when she goes to testify about her husband’s behavior? The audience knows that John confessed to his affair with Abigail. 3. Why is the effect of Elizabeth’s testimony ironic? She achieves the opposite of what she wanted to achieve: Her husband is arrested, and the court’s confidence in Abigail is restored. 4. What is ironic about Mary Warren’s statement “I – have no power,” when she is being interrogated in front of Abigail Williams? Mary has the power to stop the proceedings by telling the truth. 5. In Judge Danforth’s dramatic exchange with Reverend Hale, what erroneous idea underlies all his reasoning about the legal proceedings? Explain. Danforth does not allow for the idea that an accused person might be innocent. 6. In what sense does Danforth’s logical fallacies have ramifications beyond the conviction of John Proctor? If an accusation is enough to condemn a person, then there can be no justice. 7. Compare and contrast Reverend Hale with Reverend Parris. Parris cares only for strong social position that the ministry gives him. Everything he does in the play is done only to protect himself. Hale is genuinely interested in theology and tries to do right. Hale is a dynamic character who gives the audience hope that those on the side of the accusers may be brought to see reason. 8. Which character traits would you ascribe to Betty Parris, Sarah Good, and Mercy Lewis? All three are easily led and frightened. None seems to have a conscious. 9. Classify characters as static and dynamic. Elizabeth and Hale are dynamic characters. The others are static. Parris has been frightened throughout the play; Abigail has lied throughout; John Proctor has acted according to his conscious throughout. 10. Which qualities of a good judge are lacking in Danforth and Hathorne? Judges are supposed to be impartial. Both Danforth and Hale assume that those accused must be guilty before they hear any evidence.
Act IV Summary Parris pleads with the judges for a postponement of the hangings; he fears that the town will revolt if residents such as Rebecca Nurse are hanged without having confessed. Danforth agrees to a last attempt to persuade John Proctor to confess and thus escape death. Elizabeth has the best chance to persuade him.
Left alone together, the Proctors ask each other’s forgiveness. John asks whether e should falsely confess to witchcraft. Elizabeth tells him to do what he thinks best; she believes in his goodness either way.
Proctor confesses to having seen the devil but refuses to name anyone else. He reluctantly signs his confession, but then tears it up, proclaiming that he prefers hanging to living a lie. The sentence is carried out as the curtain falls.
Vocabulary Theme is the central idea or insight into life that a writer strives to convey in a work of literature. The Crucible has several themes: fear and suspicion are infectious and can turn into mass hysteria. Miller also touches upon the destructive power of guilt, revenge, and the failure of the judicial system fueled by ideology instead of justice. Extended Metaphor is a metaphor that is developed throughout the course of a literary work. Miller compares the witch hunt in seventeenth century Salem to the events of the late 40’s and early 50’s in America. This was a time intensified by the following emotions: Intense fear of communism and an intense fear that the Communists had infiltrated the State Department. Panic based on witch hunt tactics – those who opposed McCarthy’s hearings were charged with Communism themselves. Agape adj. wide open. Conciliatory adj. tending to soothe. Beguile v. trick. Floundering n. awkward struggling. Retaliation n. act of returning an injury or wrong. Adamant adj. firm; unyielding. Cleave v. adhere; cling. Sibilance n. hissing sound. Tantalized adj. tormented; frustrated. Purged v. Cleansed. ************************************************************************************* Footnotes Andover During the height of the terror in Salem Village, a similar hysteria broke out in the nearby town of Andover. There many respected people were accused of practicing witchcraft and confessed to escape death. However, in Andover people soon began questioning the reality of the situation and the hysteria quickly subsided. Gibbet n. gallows. Joshua … rising In the Bible, Joshua, leader of the Jews after the death of Moses, asks God to make the sun and the moon stand still during a battle, and his request is granted.
Literary Analysis 1. Use evidence from the play to show how Arthur Miller conveys the theme that fear and suspicion are infectious and can produce a mass hysteria that destroys public order and rationality. The children feign illness in Act I because they fear punishment. Parris calls in Hale because he fears his enemies in the parish. John fails to denounce Abigail because he fears admitting to adultery. The fearful actions of the characters fuel the suspicions of witchcraft that drive events. 2. Cite evidence from the play that supports the theme that it is more noble to die with integrity than to live with compromised principles that harm others. Those who die with integrity, such as Rebecca, Giles, and Proctor, are the good characters. They are honest, direct, and likable people. 3. In what ways do Hale’s reactions to events compare to those of the other ministers and court officers. What do these differences suggest about the ideas of integrity, pride, and vanity? Hale’s reactions from Act I when he believes witchcraft to be present in Salem to Act IV when he knows that he has been wrong, are honest. They suggest that although pride and vanity may prompt people to persecute others, even an honest man who makes a mistake can do great harm. 4. Show how Miller demonstrates the extended metaphor of the witch hunt in Salem with the witch hunt for Communism in the 1950’s through examples of dialogue: Danforth’s questioning of Proctor (“When the Devil came to you did you see Rebecca Nurse in his company? … Did you ever see her sister Mary Easty? … Did you ever see Martha Corey?”) How it relates to Communism: During the 1950s, many Americans feared Communism. They saw it as a secret force infiltrating American society. All of the details about witchcraft and the devil in The Crucible suggest a similar idea of a secret evil engineered by individuals to penetrate the very fabric of society. 5. What does the ending of the play suggest about the value of integrity and of holding fast to principles? The ending suggests that integrity is more important than any other virtue. How might this idea relate to the McCarthy era? It suggests that those who withstood the pressures of the McCarthy era were heroes. 6. What criticisms might Miller be making about the way McCarthy’s Senate committee dealt with those it questioned and those who criticized it? Like the committee members, the Salem judges presume guilt and accept accusation as proof. 7. What does the play suggest about the motives behind Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s political witch hunts. McCarthy probably acted out of base motives, just as the HUAC did. 8. Given the nation’s experience with McCarthyism, do you think a tragedy like the Salem witch trials could occur today? Some may say no because there are so many journalists and television and radio commentators that it is unlikely that something of the kind could continue. Others may say that other “witch hunts” have taken place since the 1950s.