| Why does Abigail Williams live with Reverend Parris? She is having an affair with him. She is his servant. She is his niece. She is his illegitimate daughter. | she is his niece |
| . Which of these characters is not condemned for witchery? Rebecca Nurse Giles Corey Bridget Bishop John Proctor | giles corey |
| Why does Reverend Parris wish to spare Proctor? He fears for his life if a respected man is hanged. He is convinced that Proctor is innocent. He wishes to tear down the court. He wants to have revenge against Abigail. | he fears for his life if a respected man is hanged |
| “The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone.” What is the significance of this line? It is a veiled threat that Reverend Parris uses against Proctor for opposing him. It is ironic, for Reverend Hale is using ambiguous marks to define the devil’s presence. It shows that Mary Warren is a prideful girl who thinks herself the superior of the Proctors. It foreshadows Giles Corey’s death by stoning. | It is ironic, for Reverend Hale is using ambiguous marks to define the devil’s presence. |
| Which of the following did not occur during the dancing? Tituba attempted to conjure Ruth Putnam’s sisters. Mercy Lewis danced naked. Abigail Williams drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor. Susanna Walcott murdered a frog and a rabbit for Tituba’s spell. | Susanna Walcott murdered a frog and a rabbit for Tituba’s spell. |
| “More weight.” What of the following is not significant about this line? Elizabeth mentions this to John as he decides whether or not to admit to witchcraft, serving as an example of a friend who sacrificed himself for a greater good. Giles chooses his death, sacrificing himself to spare others. Danforth erroneously believes that Giles will admit to witchery if placed under greater torture. Because Giles dies by refusing to answer questions, he is not excommunicated and dies a Christian. | Danforth erroneously believes that Giles will admit to witchery if placed under greater torture. |
| . Which of the following characters does not support John Proctor’s decision to falsely admit to witchcraft? Reverend Hale Elizabeth Proctor Deputy Governor Danforth Reverend Parris | elizabeth proctor |
| Why do many of the accused admit to witchcraft? By admitting to witchcraft they guarantee that they will not be executed. By admitting to witchcraft they can accuse others of the same crime. They are forced to admitting to witchcraft under duress and torture. They are actually witches. | By admitting to witchcraft they guarantee that they will not be executed. |
| Which of the following is not a complaint that Proctor has against Reverend Parris? Parris wastes the church money on extravagant items. Parris demands too much compensation, such as the right to his house. Parris reaches out for land at the expense of his neighbors Parris focuses on hell and damnation in his services | Parris reaches out for land at the expense of his neighbors |
| “Your justice would freeze beer.” To whom does this line refer? Thomas Putnam Elizabeth Proctor Deputy Governor Danforth Reverend Parris | elizabeth proctor |
| What grudge do the Putnams not have against the Nurses? The Nurses opposed the Putnams’ choice for minister. The Nurses and their allies broke away from Salem to form a new community. The Nurses own land that the Putnams covet. Rebecca Nurse has never lost a child nor grandchild, while Mrs. Putnam has lost all but one of her children. | the nurses own land that the outnams convet |
| What does the commandment that Proctor forgets concern? Murder Blasphemy Lying Adultery | adultery |
| What victory would the Devil have to win a soul already bad?” What is the significance of this line? It shows that Reverend Parris suspects everybody of witchcraft. It foreshadows the eventual charges against respectable citizens such as Rebecca Nurse. It foreshadows Mr. Putnam’s charges against George Jacobs. It is ironic, for the speaker is a lost soul charging others with villainy. | It foreshadows the eventual charges against respectable citizens such as Rebecca Nurse. It foreshadows Mr. Putnam’s charges against George Jacobs. |
| What is the likely reason that Old Giles cannot say his prayers? He is easily frightened. He is forgetful and barely knows his prayers. Rebecca Nurse sent her spirit out against him. His wife’s reading blocks him from saying his prayers. | he is forgetful and barely knows his prayers |
| Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small.” What is the significance of this line? It shows the arrogance of the court in believing itself infallible. It shows that Reverend Hale is invariably fixed on minor details. It shows that any person may be suspected of witchcraft for any small fault. It shows the hypocrisy of Reverend Parris, who himself has major flaws. | it shows that any person may be suspected of witch craft for any small fault |
| “The Crucible” is an allegorical tale that relates most strongly to which contemporary event for Arthur Miller? The Holocaust The Nuremberg trials The McCarthy hearings The Starr report | the McCarthy hearings |
| Which of the following is not evidence used by Hale against the Proctors? Mary Warren’s poppet The failure of their children to be baptised. John’s affair with Abigail Williams The Proctor’s absence from church. | John’s affair with abigail williams |
| Which of the following is not matched to the person whom he/she accuses of witchcraft? Tituba : Sarah Good Ann Putnam: Rebecca Nurse Abigail Williams : Elizabeth Proctor Betty Parris: George Jacobs | betty parris: george jacobs |
| Which character in the play is compared to Pontius Pilate? Thomas Putnam Reverend John Hale Giles Corey Reverend Samuel Parris | reverend john hale |
| Which of the following is not matched to their motive for promoting the witchcraft trials? Samuel Parris : paranoia John Hathorne : superstition Abigail Williams : lust Thomas Putnam : greed | John Hawthorne:Superstition |
| What is the significant about Danforth’s support for Proctor’s confession? It shows that he will bend the rules whenever it suits him. It shows that he knows that there are no witches in Salem. It shows that he has turned against Putnam and Parris. It shows that his interest is in preserving the court and not in actual justice. | It shows that his interest is in preserving the court and not in actual justice. |
| Which character proclaims that Abigail Williams should be “ripped out of the world”? Samuel Parris Elizabeth Proctor John Hale John Proctor | elizabeth proctor |
| Which line best represents Elizabeth Proctor’s view in the trials? “I cannot think the Devil may own a woman’s soul when she keeps an upright way.” “The shining sun is up, and them that fear not light will surely praise it.” “If Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothing’s left to stop the whole green world from burning.” “Remember, until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven.” | “I cannot think the Devil may own a woman’s soul when she keeps an upright way.” |
| What is significant about Giles Corey’s charge against Thomas Putnam? It illustrates the theme of the obscure division between public and private. It illustrates the theme of the novel of passing blame from one character to another. It is ironic, for Giles Corey is condemned for giving evidence that is hearsay, while equally invalid evidence is used to condemn persons for witchcraft. | It is ironic, for Giles Corey is condemned for giving evidence that is hearsay, while equally invalid evidence is used to condemn persons for witchcraft. |
| What is the significance of the line “before the laws of God we are as swine! We cannot read his will.” This demonstrates Proctor’s contempt for the intellectual abilities of men. This is ironic, for Danforth believes that we can read God’s will, or else he would not condemn people for witchcraft. This demonstrates the change in Reverend Hale, for at the beginning of the play he believed that he could ascertain any supernatural phenomenon. When Elizabeth argues this, it shows that she does not want John to confess. | This demonstrates the change in Reverend Hale, for at the beginning of the play he believed that he could ascertain any supernatural phenomenon. |
| Match each character with the proper description. 1. old man who is pressed with stones2. girl who leads the accusations3. slave who teaches the children about “spirits”4. worthy woman put to death as a witch5. comes to Salem to help with witch problem6. uses the witch tales to carry out personal vengeance7. tries to stop the trials, then charges Proctor8. man whom Abigail hopes to marry after his wife is hanged9. tolerates no challenge to his authority10. minister who fears there is a conspiracy against hima. Reverend John Haleb. Titubac. Giles Coreyd. Judge Danforthe. Mary Warrenf. Thomas Putnamg. Reverend Samuel Parrish. Abigail Williamsj. John Proctork. Rebecca Nurse | 1. c2. h3. b4. k5. a6. f7. e8. j9. d10. g |
| TRUE-FALSE Mark each statement A for True and B for False.11. Because of his interest in children, Reverend Parris devotes his ministry to them.12. The witch hunt becomes an opportunity for the people of Salem to band together as a community.13. Ann Putnam believes Tituba can speak to the dead.14. Reverend Parris sees the girls dancing in the woods.15. Abigail admits placing a needle in the poppet that Marry Warren gives to Elizabeth.16. Elizabeth Proctor believes that her husband’s affair with Abigail is only a product of Elizabeth’s imagination.17. Abigail Williams accuses Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch.18. The tradition of strict social control breaks down in Salem.19. Hale is a devoted supporter of the trials throughout The Crucible.20. Proctor destroys his confession without signing it. | 11. b12. b13. a14. a15. b16. b17. a18. a19. b20. b |
| MULTIPLE-CHOICE Choose the letter of the phrase that best completes each sentence.21. Because she wants to know why her seven children have died, Ann Putnama. seeks advice from Dr. Griggs.b. sends her daughter, Ruth, to Tituba.c. asks Reverend Parris to pray with her.d. goes into the woods with Elizabeth Proctor.22. According to Betty Parris, Abigail drank a charm to kill a. John Proctor. b. Elizabeth Proctor. c. Reverend Parris. d. Ann Putnam.23. An accused witch can escape execution bya. confessing to the charge. b. accusing another “witch.”c. denying the charge.d. accepting life imprisonment.24. When asked to recite the Commandments, Proctor forgets the Commandment about a. stealing. b. honoring his father and mother. c. adultery. d. coveting his neighbor’s goods.25. When Mary Warren gives her deposition, disclaiming any familiarization with the Devil, the other girlsa. confess with her and ask for forgiveness.b. accuse Abigail of directing them in the evil deeds.c. mimic Mary and claim she has taken the form of a bird.d. refuse to come in the same room with her. 26. Elizabeth Proctor condemns herself bya. collecting poppets.b. denying her husband’s affair.c. beating Mary Warren.d. confessing to witchcraft.27. Reverend Parris becomes uneasy about the executions whena. the village is uneasy.b. his daughter is condemned.c. he knows the trials are a farce.d. all of these.28. John Proctor frequently absents himself from the church because hea. dislikes the minister.b. is an atheist.c. lives too far from the town.d. prefers working over praying.29. Hathorne believes the children’s accusations are motivated bya. hatred.b. knowledge of goodness.c. the voice of God.d. all of these. 30. An accused witch is put to death bya. burning at the stake.b. being crushed with stones.c. drowning.d. hanging.31. Elizabeth Proctor’s execution is postponed becausea. she obtains a petition for her release.b. she is pregnant.c. the court lacks sufficient evidence.d. Mary Warren testifies for her.32. Giles Corey escapes being condemned a wizard because he a. confesses.b. shoots himself.c. refuses to answer the charge.d. condemns another.33. Parris desperately wants Proctor to confess because Parrisa. wants to appease the village.b. knows Proctor is innocent.c. hates Proctor.d. none of these.34. In the final scenes of the play, Danforth is unable to pardon Proctor becausea. the village would overthrow his authority.b. Danforth doesn’t have the power.c. it would cast doubt on the guild to those already executed.d. all of these.35. Which of the following statements best describes Parris’ theology?a. love and justiceb. “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth”c. brotherhoodd. hellfire and brimstone36. John Proctor’s vocation isa. merchant.b. farmer.c. teacher.d. lawyer.37. When her first comes to Salem, Reverend John Hale’s mood isa. optimistic and confident.b. vengeful.c. cautious and sober.d. skeptical.38. Mary Warren withdraws her testimony against the investigations becausea. she knows she is admitting to perjury.b. the other girls accuse her of witchcraft.c. she is in love with Proctor.d. all of these.39. Proctor confesses to an affair with Abigail Williams toa. satisfy his wife.b. cleanse his soul of guilt.c. discredit her testimony.d. free himself from jail.40. Which one of the following characters instigates the investigations and later condemns them?a. Judge Hathorneb. John Proctorc. Reverend John Haled. Sarah Good | 21. b22. b23. a24. c25. c26. b27. a28. a29. c30. d31. b32. c33. a34. c35. d36. b37. a38. b39. c40. c |
| MATCHING Match the following characters with the quotations listed below. Characters may be used more than once.a. Reverend Parrisb. Danforthc. Reverend Haled. Elizabeth Proctore. Rebecca Nursef. Abigail Williamsg. John Proctorh. Mary Warren41. “They [his books] must be; they are weighted with authority.”42. “Gah! I’d almost forgot how strong you are, John Proctor!”43. “John, if it were not Abigail that you must go to hurt, would you falter now? I think not.” 44. “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby.”45. “Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small.”46. “There is a prodigious danger in the seeking of loose spirits.” 47. “If you think that I am one [a witch], then I say there are none..” 48. “Oh, Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer!”49. “Man, remember, until an hour before the devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven.”50. “We must all love each other now, Goody Proctor.”51. “A person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between.”52. “Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God’s fingers? I’ll tell you what’s walking in Salem—vengeance is walking in Salem.”53. “Mr. Parris, you are a brainless man!”54. “I say—I say—God is dead!”55. “Tonight, when I open my door to leave my house—a dagger clattered to the ground…There is danger for me.”56. “A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boots of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this is fraud—********s our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!”57. “Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guild of them that died till now. While I speak God’s law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering. If retaliation is your fear, know this—I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law.”58. “Spite only keeps me silent. It is hard to give a lie to dogs.”59. “For if he [Proctor] is taken I count myself his murderer.”60. “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hanged! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name.”61. “He [Proctor] have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him.” | 41. c42. f43. d44. g45. c46. e47. d48. g49. c50. h51. b52. g53. b54. g55. a56. g57. b58. g59. c60. g61. d |
| 1. What explanation does Cheever give for Parris’s “mad look”?a. Parris is at his wits’ end wondering what to do with Abigail.b. The devil has run rampant in Salem Parris’ parish.c. Parris is under a spell.d. He thinks it is caused by the cows.2. What did Abigail do?a. She stole money from Parris and disappeared.b. She killed herself.c. She begged for everyone’s forgiveness.d. She confessed that she and the other girls had been lying.3. Identify the speaker: “You cannot hang this sort. There is danger for me.”a. Proctorb. Danforthc. Haled. Parris4. Explain Danforth’s reason that a pardon would not be a good idea?a. If he would pardon the remaining accused, the people who had been hanged would have died in vain.b. Rather than admit that the court could have been wrong and therefore admit the others may have been hanged unjustly, he thought it better to continue hanging people so all accused would get the same treatment from the court.c. The citizens would lose respect for the court and anarchy would prevail.d. A & B.5. Why has Hale come back to Salem?a. To free the unjustly jailed.b. To encourage the accused to confess and save their lives.c. To discredit the girls.d. All of the above.6. What does Hale want Elizabeth to do?a. Confess to save her babyb. Repentc. Convince Proctor to confessd. Forgive Abigail7. What happens to Giles?a. Giles was pressed to death during questioning.b. He was released.c. He was hanged.d. He escaped and went to live in another village.8. What “confession” did Elizabeth make to John?a. She has been involved with witchcraft.b. She also had an affair.c. She secretly hoped Abigail would be killed by an angry mob.d. She feels she is also responsible for his affair with Abigail.9. What did Proctor do after he signed the confession?a. He collapsed, a broken man.b. He tore it up.c. He begged Elizabeth to forgive him.d. Both A & C. | 1. d2. a3. d4. d5. b6. c7. a8. d9. b |
| 1. Why do Giles and Frances want to see Danforth?a. They intend to beat him to his senses.b. They want to explain their roles in the witchcraft scheme.c. They want to persuade the judge that their wives are good women.d. They want to explain how Parris is at fault.2. What is Parris’ argument against Proctor?a. Parris says that Proctor is trying to overthrow the court.b. Parris says that Proctor is biased because of his position between Abigail and Elizabeth.c. Parris says that Proctor is just getting even with him.d. Both B & C3. What does Mary tell Danforth?a. Abigail is not evil; she is just in love with Proctor.b. The girls have been lying.c. Tituba was responsible for their actions in the woods.d. Abigail gave Elizabeth the doll.4. Why did Danforth grant Elizabeth extra time?a. He didn’t blame her for being jealous of Abigail.b. She was trying to convince John to confess.c. She said she was pregnant.d. He almost believe Mary’s story.5. What did the paper that ninety-one people signed say?a. The community wanted Parris removed from service as their minister.b. Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Martha were all good, upstanding, God-loving citizens.c. John and Elizabeth should be released.d. All of the above.6. What quote did Proctor use to help Mary remain brave?a. “Truth is always best.”b. “God helps those who help themselves.”c. “Do that which is good, and no harm will come to thee.”d. The twenty-third Psalm7. Of what does Giles accuse Putnam?a. He accuses him of killing his neighbors for their land?b. He accuses him of being in service to the devil.c. He accuses him of taking advantage of the girls.d. He accuses him of being a hypocrite.8. What is Hale’s problem as Proctor and his friends present evidence to Danforth?a. He worries about his own safety from the girls’ accusations.b. He sees that he has been a failure at removing witchcraft from Salem.c. He thinks his reputation will be hurt.d. He begins to realize that the people who have been accused and sentenced so far could very well have been innocent.9. Hathorne thinks of a test for Mary. What is it?a. He asks her to recite the Ten Commandments.b. He asks her to faint.c. He asks her to fly around the room.d. He asks her to stick a pin in her poppet.10. When asked why Abigail was released from her service, what did Elizabeth respond?a. She was dissatisfied with Abigail.b. She, in her sickness, thought Abigail and John fancied each other.c. John was not a lecher.d. All of the above.11. What do the girls do to Mary?a. They glare at her.b. They threaten her, saying she will regret her wrongful accusations about them for the rest of her life.c. They pretend that her spirit is coming to get them.d. They pretend the devil is in the room.12. What happens to Proctor?a. He is jailed for being a lecher.b. He is jailed for lying to the court.c. He is jailed for adultery.d. He is jailed for his contempt of the court and his suspicious activities. | 1. c2. a3. b4. c5. b6. c7. a8. d9. b10. d11. c12. d |
| Where does Elizabeth want John to go, and what does she want him to do there? a. She wants him to go apologize to Abigail. b. She wants him to go help Parris with Betty. c. She wants him to go into Salem to tell the authorities that the girls are lying. d. She wants him to go convince Tituba to make the girls tell the truth.2. What is John’s response to her prodding? a. He is reluctant to go. b. He goes right away. c. He ignores her. d. He tells her to mind her own business.3. What gift did Mary give Elizabeth? a. A Bible b. A doll c. A basket of flowers d. Both a & b4. What was the “evidence” against Sarah Good? a. She confessed to witchcraft. b. She mumbled after begging for cider and bread. c. She could not recite the commandments in court. d. All of the above.5. Why doesn’t Proctor want Mary to go back to court? a. If she goes back, that makes him further involved. b. He believes that the accusations are false and the girls are frauds. c. It isn’t a just court in Proctor’s eyes. d. All of the above.6. Why does Elizabeth think Abigail wants to kill her? a. She is sick and a little paranoid. b. She believes that Abby wants to take her place as John’s wife. c. She believes Abby is bewitched and will try to destroy anything good. d. Both a & b7. Why did Hale come to Proctor’s house? a. He wanted to find out why Parris was so bitter. b. He wanted to question them prior to seeing them in court. c. He wanted to find out if the rumor about John and Abby was true. d. All of the above.8. What things are “suspicious” about Proctor and his family? a. Proctor does not go to church regularly. b. The youngest son has not been baptized. c. He could not remember all of the commandments. d. All of the above.9. Hale asks Elizabeth if she believes in witches. What is her reply? a. If she is accused of being a witch, she cannot believe in witches. b. If the Bible says that witches exist, she cannot dispute the Bible. c. She does not believe the girls are telling the truth. d. Both a & b10. On what charge(s) was Rebecca Nurse arrested? a. The murder of Goody Putnam’s babies. b. Impious conduct. c. Conduct unbefitting a Puritan woman. d. Inability to say the Ten Commandments from memory.11. Why does Cheever come to the Proctor house? a. He comes to question John. b. He comes to arrest Elizabeth. c. He comes to talk with John about what to do about Parris. d. He comes to ask John’s opinion about whether the girls are lying.12. What is the deciding factor in Elizabeth’s arrest? a. Her inability to recite the Ten Commandments. b. Her possession of the doll with a needle in it. c. The fact that she has not had her son baptized. d. Abby’s testimony13. What will happen to Proctor if he tries to discredit Abby? a. She will tell that they had an affair. b. She will claim she has seen him with the devil. c. She will bewitch Elizabeth. d. She will end their affair.14. Why doesn’t Mary want to testify about the doll? a. She doesn’t want to get involved. b. She is afraid of Abigail. c. She is afraid of the devil. d. She thinks she will look like a fool. | 1. c2. a3. b4. d5. b6. b7. b8. d9. d10. a11. b12. b13. a14. b |
| afflict | torment,frighten,harm through supernatural means |
| break charity | christians should be united by bonds of love or charity so to treat someone in an unloving way was to break charity |
| circle girls | betty parris, abigail williams,ann putnam, and other who were members of the “secret circle” said to be dancing in the woods and who were the first to acuse peopleof witchcraft |
| compact with the devil | to make a formal agreement with satan the usual terms are a persons soul in return for wealth power or other earthly gain |
| covenanted christians | puritan who was formally accepted as a memeber of a congregation the puritans considered convenanted christians more holy than those who were merely baptized |
| crucible | severe test; a vessel used for refining pure material for example gold under intense heat |
| crying out against | accusing a person of witch craft |
| the devil, the fiend, lucifer,satan | christian names for the supreme spirit of evil |
| the devils book | said to be a large book containign the signatures of those who have made a pact with satan |
| the devils mark | scar or blemish said to be found on the body of a person who has made a pact with the devil |
| familiar spirit | evil spirit or demon that serves a witch familiars were believed to take the shape of small animals such as cats dogs birds toads or mice |
| gallows hill | place were those convicted at salem were hanged also called wiches hill |
| goody | term used t o identify the mistress of a house hold similiar to the term mrs, short for goodywife |
| hysteria/mass hysteria | phenomenoen that overtook the town of salem in 1692 through the power of suggestion many people came to believe thetown was ovverun by witches also called the madness |
| licentious | lustful hiding impure thoughts words or deeds |
| mccarthyism | making an assumption based on little or no evidenc elike the charges senator joseph mccarthy made against communist in 1950 |
| Quakers | membersof the society of friedns founded by george fox 1647 beleived an inward light can lead all to a personal experience with god |
| spectral evidence | testimony about what was said or done by an apparition or spector of an acuused person |
| theocracy | gov. in which authorities rule the state os gods representatives |
| traffick with spirits | to conjure up through spells or have communication with demons ghosts or other supernatural creatures |
| warden | court official in puritan times |
| witch | from the anglo-saxon word wicce meaning sorceceress a person said practice black magic |
| witch hunt | an intensive effort to expose disloyalty usually based on little or no evidence |
| witch craft | art ot practice of sorcery or magic |
| ipso facto | by that very fact |
| blasphemy | the act of speaking of something sacred irreverently |
| puritans 1611-1642 | 1611-1642-kjv bible published 1611-pilgrims on mayflower land on plymouth 1620-roger conant finds salem 1626-mbc created by royal charter 1629first puritans arrive in northeastern us 1630-puritan revolution 1642 |
| puritans 1642-1692 | -charles 2 in power puritan leader thrown from power-mbc withdrawn 1684-rev. cotton mather asked to cure 2 children believed posessed by witches 1688-samuel parris ordained as minister 1689-salem trials begin in feb. with first acusations and arrest trials and executions continue from june to spetember 1692 |
| 1692-1706 | possed children begin to appear in nearby village of andover 54 accused of witch craft most never tried 1692-gov. philips pardon all convited of witchery and release them 1693-samuel parris leaves salem jurors and judges apologize 1697-ann putnam apologizes for accusing residents of witch craft 1706 |
| 1706-1957 | survivors of condemned witches granted compensation 1711-excommunication with rebecca nurse is withdrawn 1712-salem village becomes town of danvers 1752-allacused of witches formally cleared 1957 |
| More about puritans | the first puritans were called by that name because they had attempted to purify or reform the churchof england by stripping away ritual ceremonypomp and paraphenalia of the traditonal service reducing it to its simplest biblical terms |
| puritans | developed a lean spare somber form of religous worship |
| puritans | placed emphasis on the fate of sinners in the hands of an angry god and they spread the gloomy belief that men were fated at birth to be among the elect and saved or among the damned and doomed |
| puritans | believed god is the head of state and the bible is the law of the land |
| witch trials | salem massachusstes in early 1600’s resulted in 20 men and two dogs dying mainly being hung |
| the crucible 1953 | written by arthur miller a (communist) is historically inaccurate and based of of mccathism with mccarthy witch hunts of the 1950’s it was written during the salem witch trials to make it okay to make fun |
| communism | a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state. |
| … | parris believe children should be seen and not heard,his sermons surrond fire and brimstone and damnation |
| … | dancing is illegal and abigail tell everyone that all they did was dance and try to conjure up dead spirits |
| … | in the forest it was mercy(ran around naked,susana,mary(by stander),betty, abigail(drunk blood to kill john proctors wife) they all danced |
| … | abigail is used to getting things her way and threatens the girls if they tell on her and what she really was doing in the forest, her parents were killed by indians and she was an orphan |
| … | john proctor and abigail had an affiar, elizabeth kicked her out,jp is not fully over her but wants to jp doesnt like parris are his sermons so we can infer he preches about adultery and infidelity things jp has done |
| … | parris is greedy believes his house should belong to him and not the church very materialisticalways concerned about worldly possesions |
| “We cannot looks to suspicion in this , the devil is precise the works ofhis presence are definite as stone” | miller says that quote twice because he wants to show how rev. parris only preches about firing stone |
| … | rev. hale=exorcist villages always call him to cast out witches |
| … | in the begining of act 2 proctor places salt in elix=zabeths soup, this shows that if proctor is not pleased he fixes it himself in order to avoid conflict shows he has a passive aggresive characteristic |
| … | elizabeth questioning proctor has merit shows that there is still animosity towards and him stepping out on their reationship |
| … | hard proof that was usedto determine if someone was a witch are not is if the could state their commandments of the bible |
| describe the theme of authority vs.dissent | There are many levels of authority within the world of the Crucible. Early on, the Reverend Parris is the sole authoritative voice in Salem, as the minister and a graduate of Harvard College. He is supplanted by the arrival of Reverend Hale, who derives his authority from books and learning, which are then further supplanted in turn by the courts and its officials. Meanwhile, individualists like Proctor and Giles Corey rankle under these layers of authority – Proctor had long rejected Parris’s preachings, and Corey made the authority of the law work for him as a constant plaintiff. But being an outlier is seen as dangerous in this society. Indeed, dissent against official authority is akin to being an anarchist at best and an agent of Satan at worst. Proctor and Corey are the two most modern figures in the play for their willingness to push back against the extreme authority of the courts. For this, however, they also suffer greatly. |
| describe the theme of martyrdom | Miller addresses the question of whether a martyr must be a saint by having Proctor grapple with this very issue throughout the play. The early victims of the witch hunt are not seen as martyrs because even after death, they are considered undesired members of society. In contrast, the execution of Rebecca Nurse is widely recognized as one of martyrdom, because she has lived a conspicuously upright life and thus walks to the gallows without protest. Proctor sees himself as the borderline case – a respected member of society but far from sinless. It is only by recognizing that he need not be as perfect as Goody Nurse that Proctor finally finds “his goodness” as a moral man. |
| describe the theme of community vs. individual | Salem is a tight-knit community where there is no such thing as private business. Individual activities like church attendance or book reading or keeping poppets become admissible evidence in court. Miller speculates that the community of Salem sought to keep itself together by casting out undesirable individuals, and in so doing created the atmosphere necessary for the witch hunts. The court itself was an extension of this principle, desperately in search of external validity – Danforth cannot possibly exonerate some when others have already perished for the same crime. But for the accused, it is only the individual that matters. In the end, Proctor is left with nothing but his name and reputation. |
| describe the theme of naming names | By requiring the accused to name others in their confessions, a witch hunt like that in Salem or HUAC can take on the form of a pyramid scheme or chain letter. In other words, to avoid the effects of this curse, you must pass it on to five other people, and so forth. This “naming names” allowed the accusations to spread and spread, while also permitting the public airing of grievances and sins. As a member of the blacklist himself, Miller felt particularly strongly about the evil of fingering others to save oneself, and he expresses this idea by having several characters grapple with the requirement that they name names. Giles Corey is held in contempt – the charge that ultimately leads to his execution – for refusing to name the person who told him of Putnam’s scheming, and Proctor balks at the court’s intention to question the 91 people who signed his declaration of the good character of the accused. But it is at the climax that this theme truly comes to the fore, as Proctor would rather die than accuse more innocent people. |
| describe the theme of sin and guilt | Miller identifies the witch hunt as an opportunity for the repressed members of Salem society to publicly proclaim both their own sins and the sins of others. Guilt has been bottled up at home in this community, and the airing of sins and grievances is a relief to those previously without an outlet for confession. Guilt motivates not only the witch hunts themselves, but also the behavior of several principal characters. Proctor is haunted by remorse over his infidelity, while Reverend Hale works to undermine the court that he helped create as penance for his sins. The ultimate irony of the Salem witch hunts is not only that the sins of the trials quickly outpaced the original crime, but that there was no original crime to begin with. Indeed, the abstract concept of sin was made concrete through compounding avoidances of guilt. |
| describe them of self interest | Miller identifies the witch hunt as an opportunity for the repressed members of Salem society to publicly proclaim both their own sins and the sins of others. Guilt has been bottled up at home in this community, and the airing of sins and grievances is a relief to those previously without an outlet for confession. Guilt motivates not only the witch hunts themselves, but also the behavior of several principal characters. Proctor is haunted by remorse over his infidelity, while Reverend Hale works to undermine the court that he helped create as penance for his sins. The ultimate irony of the Salem witch hunts is not only that the sins of the trials quickly outpaced the original crime, but that there was no original crime to begin with. Indeed, the abstract concept of sin was made concrete through compounding avoidances of guilt. |
| 1.The Crucible is famous as a political allegory, but what exactly is Miller trying to say? Who do you think is being most criticized in the contemporary analogy? | Miller was particularly offended by those who “named names” before HUAC, and he himself refused to do so. While the Crucible indeed villainized the prosecutors and Court – those in the parallel positions of Joe McCarthy and HUAC – the play martyrs Corey and Proctor for refusing to do so. At the expense of their own lives, Corey and Proctor refused to condemn others, and in Miller’s eyes this is the only truly moral decision. |
| 2.The Crucible features a significant reversal of social roles in the Salem community. Choose a character whose position of power is upended and analyze the development of their role in the town and in the narrative. Can you make any observations about gender in this process? | The witch trials greatly increased the power and agency of otherwise lowly women like Tituba and Abigail, while bringing down more respected community members like Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth. The position of men remained more stable – they were always in charge, and even if some of them were executed for witchcraft they would always control the positions of highest authority. |
| 3.What is the role of gossip in the trials? How does Miller use gossip to implicate the whole town in the events of the witch trials? | Clearly the trials are begun by the wagging of tongues after the girls are found in the woods, but gossip certainly has a more enduring role. Reputations in Salem are made or broken based on slander and rumor, and reputation was a man’s only defense against accusation – and even that often failed to correct aspersions. But gossip also proves to be a destructive force even in the hands of the good and unwitting, taking on a life of its own – Giles Corey, for instance, condemns his own wife simply by a slip of the tongue. |
| 4.Miller makes some significant changes to the historical events for the play – most noticeably, he raises Abigail’s age from 11 to 19, and invents an affair between her and Proctor. What purpose does this serve? | The affair is a dramatic device. It provides motive for Abigail’s accusation of Elizabeth, and complicates the relationship between the Proctors. By raising Abigail’s age and giving her motives of revenge, Miller can complicate the characterization of what would otherwise be a tale-telling little girl, without compromising her villainy. |
| 5.Clearly, Proctor is the protagonist of the play, dominating three of the four acts. What begins as an ensemble rendering of the town’s drama ends in an examination of a decision by one man, the focus gradually narrowed over the course of the play. How does Miller make this 17th century farmer into a character capable of holding our interest and sympathies for two hours? | Proctor is developed as a “modern” figure in the play. He is resistant to authority, rebelling against both the church and the state. He sees through humbug and shouts it down. Moreover, he has a complicated relationship with his wife, and is flawed but in an understandable way. He is independent minded, and struggles against the conformity of Salem that is so like 1950s America. In short, he’s like every other hero rebel – the same man in so many movies in stories, just realized this time in 17th century Salem. |
| 6.What started the Salem witch trials? In their contemporary parallel of the red scare, we know that there really were Communists. But in 17th century Salem, there was no true witchcraft. So how did this thing start, and what does Miller have to say about its origins? | A major point of the play is that the witch trials were not truly started by any event or scandal – the discovery of the girls dancing in the woods was merely a tipping point, not the true origin. Miller is steadfast in his belief that the social structure of Salem is what caused the witch hunt and allowed it to accelerate. If it hadn’t been Betty Paris falling sick after dancing in the woods, it would have been something else. |
| 7.Act One is punctuated by prose passages in which Miller details the background of Salem and the characters. However, this background mixes facts from the historical record with the changes Miller made for dramatic reasons. What do you think of this? | Because the prose passages are contained within a fictionalized dramatic work, a reader should be aware that the passages are subject to the limitations of the form. However, Miller speaks with the voice of a historian in these passages, not with the voice of a playwright, and gives no indication that what he says is less than historical fact. Indeed, it is a slightly worrisome idea – a play about a man who died for the truth is so free with its own truths. |
| 8.What is the function of Reverend Hale in the narrative? | Reverend Hale is an interesting and well-developed minor character. He serves the dramatic function of an outsider, aiding in exposition in the first act even as his presence catalyzes the witch trials. But in the third act, he begins to question the trials, and by the fourth act has renounced them completely and is actively working against them. Hale shows that the ministry and the courts need not all be evil, but that it is possible to realize the error of one’s own ways and work to fix their effects. |
| 9.Mary Warren is a bit of a cipher – we see her only as a pawn of Abigail, and then of Proctor, and then again of Abigail. Do we learn anything about the “real” Mary Warren? | Mary Warren is a particularly undeveloped character in the narrative, who functions largely as a plot device. We know that she is a weak-willed and terrified girl, who is easily manipulated by people stronger than herself. Abigail and Proctor are the ones who manipulate her, both threatening her with violence and vengeance, which draws a lucid connection between those two. Mary wants to be good, but she lacks the ability to see clearly where this good choice lies. |
| 10.Are the judges evil? Be sure to define what you mean by “evil” in your answer. | This is a deceptively simple question. Miller believed that the judges in the witch trials were purely evil, and has stated that if he were to rewrite the play, he would make them less human and more obviously and thoroughly evil. But is evil a function of the will, or a failure of reason? These men did not set out to do evil – they legitimately saw themselves as doing God’s work. Is it evil to be wrong? Arguably, the Putnams are the most evil characters in Miller’s interpretation of the events, as they both support the trials and clearly are aware of the falsity of the charges |
| In “The Crucible” what is the significance of the behind the scenes discussion between Hathorne, Danforth, and the Coreys? | This background sequence, which can be found at the beginning of act three, relays important information about the Corey family. We learn more information about Martha’s arrest, and that Giles is very upset about it. He comes in, figurative guns blazing, ready to take down the courts to save his wife. And indeed, when Giles walks in, they are in the middle of accusing her of reading fortunes, a charge unrelated to the pig one upon which she was arrested, so who knows what else they are going to bring up.This conversation is also significant because it reveals the hard-hearted nature of the courts, and their willingness to arrest anyone who causes a disturbance of any kind. As soon as Giles breaks in, Hathorne demands, “Arrest him your excellency,” and all chaos erupts. The courts don’t even pause before deciding that he must be arrested. He shouts out some pretty significant charges, that “Thomas Putnam is killing his neighbors for their land,” and they immediately turn on Giles, not Thomas. This shows that the courts are predisposed to favor anyone who supports their already-made arrests, and to automatically discredit anyone who is trying to prove truth. It reveals the snap judgments and prejudiced nature of the judges themselves. |
| How do Proctor, Francis and Giles plan to use Mary Warren’s testimony to prove that “heaven is not speaking through the children”? | All the events in The Crucible hinge on the testimony of this group of girls–girls we know are play-acting before the court in order to spare themselves punishment as well as take revenge on members of the town (and especially Elizabeth Proctor). They know the truth, as do John Proctor, Francis Nurse, Giles Corey, and even, probably, Rev. Parris. The court proceedings and the calling-out have gone too far when Elizabeth, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey have been arrested. It’s the final straw for John, and he presses his serving girl Mary Warren to admit they’ve all been play-acting before the court. Their ringleader, of course, is Abigail Williams. The three husbands intend to use Mary Warren’s admission to convince the court that the girls have been putting on a show more than calling out any real acts of witchcraft. If she admits to her own wrongdoing, the hope is that the court will believe her and know the rest of the girls have been doing the same.To her credit, and despite some faltering, Mary tries to make things right. It doesn’t work, of course, as the drama continues and is now directed at her. Rev. Hale see through the charade and leaves the court and town in disgust. This is the final moment of opposition to the court until Hale appears again at the end in one last attempt to make Judge Hathorn see reason–an attempt which also ends in failure. |
| Who is the Protagonist of Act I | John Proctor |
| Who is the Antagonist of Act I | Abigail Williams |
| A quote from Act I that is an example of symbolism | It’s death, y’know, it’s death drivin’ into them, forked and hoofed. |
| A quote from Act I that shows a characters point of view | She’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman! |
| Who are the main characters in Act II? | John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor |
| What is the climax in Act II? | Is when they got the poppet because that symbolized Abigail |
| Give a quote from Act II showing figurative language | ” I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you, and still an everlasting funeral marches around your heart.” |
| What is a quote example of allusion in Act II? | “Abigail brings the other girls into the court and where she walks the crowd will part like the sea for Israel |
| What item is symbolic of Abigail in Act II? | poppet |
| What is ironic when John Proctor is reciting his Ten commandments to Rev. Hale in Act II? | When John Proctor cannot remember one of the ten Commandments , Elizabeth quietly says “adultery, John” |
| Which main characters are having a dialogue in Act III? | Abigail,Mary Warren, Danforth, John Proctor, Martha Corey |
| Give an example of Personification in Act III in quote form | In the vesty room of the salem meeting house,the room was described as being “solemn,even forbidding”. |
| Give Mary Warren’s example of a simile in Act III | When Mary Waren cries,”He wake me every night,his eyes were like coals and his fingers claw my neck..”. |
| What is the theme of Act III? | Vengeance,Killing neighbors for their land, and witchcraft. |
| List a quote showing alliteration in Act III | Proctor confesses to the court that had an illicit relationship with Abigail and Danforth asks,”In what time? In what place?” Proctor reply,”In the proper place- Where My beasts are bedded”. |
| Who is the dynamic character in Act IV? | Rev. Hale. |
| Why is this play an allegory? | The fact that the Crucible is a story with two levels of meaning—–one literal and another Symbolic. |
| Give a quote example of integrity | John Proctor screams “Because it is my name ! because i cannot have another in my life”! |
| What is the title of the play the Crucible symbolic of? | Symbol of this vessel that sits in the fire and holds molten metals or ore. |
| Who dies at the end of Act IV? | John Proctor because he did not lie. |
| Who gets away but should have hanged for a crime? What crimes were these? | Abigail-Adultery and Witchcraft. |
| Discuss the role that grudges and personal rivalries play in the witch trial hysteria. | The trials in The Crucible take place against the backdrop of a deeply religious and superstitious society, and most of the characters in the play seem to believe that rooting out witches from their community is God’s work. However, there are plenty of simmering feuds and rivalries in the small town that have nothing to do with religion, and many Salem residents take advantage of the trials to express long-held grudges and exact revenge on their enemies. Abigail, the original source of the hysteria, has a grudge against Elizabeth Proctor because Elizabeth fired her after she discovered that Abigail was having an affair with her husband, John Proctor. As the ringleader of the girls whose “visions” prompt the witch craze, Abigail happily uses the situation to accuse Elizabeth and have her sent to jail. Meanwhile, Reverend Parris, a paranoid and insecure figure, begins the play with a precarious hold on his office, and the trials enable him to strengthen his position within the village by making scapegoats of people like Proctor who question his authority.Among the minor characters, the wealthy, ambitious Thomas Putnam has a bitter grudge against Francis Nurse for a number of reasons: Nurse prevented Putnam’s brother-in-law from being elected to the Salem ministry, and Nurse is also engaged in a bitter land dispute with one of Putnam’s relatives. In the end, Rebecca, Francis’s virtuous wife, is convicted of the supernatural murders of Ann Putnam’s dead babies. Thus, the Putnams not only strike a blow against the Nurse family but also gain some measure of twisted satisfaction for the tragedy of seven stillbirths. This bizarre pursuit of “justice” typifies the way that many of the inhabitants approach the witch trials as an opportunity to gain ultimate satisfaction for simmering resentments by convincing themselves that their rivals are beyond wrong, that they are in league with the devil. |
| How do the witch trials empower individuals who were previously powerless? | Salem is a strict, hierarchical, and patriarchal society. The men of the town have all of the political power and their rule is buttressed not only by law but also by the supposed sanction of God. In this society, the lower rungs of the social ladder are occupied by young, unmarried girls like Abigail, Mary Warren, and Mercy. Powerless in daily life, these girls find a sudden source of power in their alleged possession by the devil and hysterical denunciations of their fellow townsfolk. Previously, the minister and the girls’ parents were God’s earthly representatives, but in the fervor of the witch trials, the girls are suddenly treated as though they have a direct connection to the divine. A mere accusation from one of Abigail’s troop is enough to incarcerate and convict even important, influential citizens, and the girls soon become conscious of their newfound power. In Act II, for instance, Mary Warren defies Proctor’s authority, which derives from his role as her employer, after she becomes an official of the court, and she even questions his right to give her orders at all.Even the most despised and downtrodden inhabitant of Salem, the black slave Tituba suddenly finds herself similarly empowered. She can voice all of her hostility toward her master, Parris, and it is simply excused as “suggestions from the devil.” At the same time, she can declare that she has seen “white people” with the devil, thus (for the first time in her life, probably) giving her power over the white community. As the fear of falling on the wrong side of God causes chaos during the brief period of the hysteria and trials, the social order of Salem is turned on its head. |
| 3. How does John Proctor’s great dilemma change during the course of the play? | Proctor, the play’s tragic hero, has the conscience of an honest man, but he also has a secret flaw—his past affair with Abigail. Her sexual jealousy, accentuated by Proctor’s termination of their affair, provides the spark for the witch trials; Proctor thus bears some responsibility for what occurs. He feels that the only way to stop Abigail and the girls from their lies is to confess his adultery. He refrains for a long time from confessing his sin, however, for the sake of his own good name and his wife’s honor. Eventually, though, Proctor’s attempts to reveal Abigail as a fraud without revealing the crucial information about their affair fail, and he makes a public confession of his sin. But by the time he comes clean, it is too late to stop the craze from running its course, and Proctor himself is arrested and accused of being a witch.At this point, Proctor faces a new dilemma and wrestles with his conscience over whether to save himself from the gallows with a confession to a sin that he did not commit. The judges and Hale almost convince him to do so, but in the end, he cannot bring himself to sign his confession. Such an action would dishonor his fellow prisoners, who are steadfastly refusing to make false confessions; more important, he realizes that his own soul, his honor, and his honesty are worth more than a cowardly escape from the gallows. He dies and, in doing so, feels that he has finally purged his guilt for his failure to stop the trials when he had the chance. As his wife says, “he have his goodness now.” |
| explain the motifs in the crucible | Accusations, Confessions, and Legal ProceedingsThe witch trials are central to the action of The Crucible, and dramatic accusations and confessions fill the play even beyond the confines of the courtroom. In the first act, even before the hysteria begins, we see Parris accuse Abigail of dishonoring him, and he then makes a series of accusations against his parishioners. Giles Corey and Proctor respond in kind, and Putnam soon joins in, creating a chorus of indictments even before Hale arrives. The entire witch trial system thrives on accusations, the only way that witches can be identified, and confessions, which provide the proof of the justice of the court proceedings. Proctor attempts to break this cycle with a confession of his own, when he admits to the affair with Abigail, but this confession is trumped by the accusation of witchcraft against him, which in turn demands a confession. Proctor’s courageous decision, at the close of the play, to die rather than confess to a sin that he did not commit, finally breaks the cycle. The court collapses shortly afterward, undone by the refusal of its victims to propagate lies. |
| explain the symbols in the crucible | The Witch Trials and McCarthyismThere is little symbolism within The Crucible, but, in its entirety, the play can be seen as symbolic of the paranoia about communism that pervaded America in the 1950s. Several parallels exist between the House Un-American Activities Committee’s rooting out of suspected communists during this time and the seventeenth-century witch-hunt that Miller depicts in The Crucible, including the narrow-mindedness, excessive zeal, and disregard for the individuals that characterize the government’s effort to stamp out a perceived social ill. Further, as with the alleged witches of Salem, suspected Communists were encouraged to confess their crimes and to “name names,” identifying others sympathetic to their radical cause. Some have criticized Miller for oversimplifying matters, in that while there were (as far as we know) no actual witches in Salem, there were certainly Communists in 1950s America. However, one can argue that Miller’s concern in The Crucible is not with whether the accused actually are witches, but rather with the unwillingness of the court officials to believe that they are not. In light of McCarthyist excesses, which wronged many innocents, this parallel was felt strongly in Miller’s own time. |
| As the play begins why has reveredn parris sent for a doctor | hig baughter betty is sick in the bed, as if in a comma |
| what advice does the doctor send back | thet he can find no medical reason for her illness and he should look for an “unnatural cause” |
| what does reveredn parris question abigail about? | if her name in the village is “white”-meaning is her reputation good |
| what is parris main concern | his reputation as a minister and material possesion |
| what/who did parris see in the woods the night before | he saw abigail betty and other girls danncing in the woods running around naked with tituba sing barbados songs over fire. |
| what has elizabeth proctor said about abigial | … |
| Who are Reverend Parris, Betty, and Abigail? What is their relationship? | rev. parris is the minister of salem betty is his daughter an abigail is his neice |
| who is tituba, what is her relationship to the family | tituba is parris’s slave from barbados |
| what is wrong with betty | metty is unconscious after bring caught by her father dancing in the woods with ohter girls from salem |
| why does parris suggest calling reverend hale | rev. parris thinks the devil has entered salem and turned the girls into witches |
| who are ann and thomas putnam what do the y suggest is betty’s problems what is their motivation for suggeting this | the couple who lost all but one child ,annthe putnams believe that betty is being controlled by the devil and is suffering the same symptoms as their daughter ruth related to wichcraft |
| Who is Ruth? What is her relationship to the Putnams? What is wrong with her? How do thePutnam’s tie her problem to Betty’s? | Ruth is the Putnams’ daughter; she is the other girl who is unable to wake after doing black arts in the woods with Tituba. |
| Who is Mercy Lewis? What is her relationship to the Putnams | she is their servant |
| What does the conversation between Abigail, Mercy Lewis, Mary Warren, and Betty reveal about their recent activities? | the girls are making the idea of withccraft up to avoid getting punished for dancing in the woods |
| Who is John Proctor? What is his relationship to Mary Warren? What is his relationship to Abigail? How does he feel about his relationship with Abigail | John Proctor is a landowner and a farmer, who separates himself from the town. Mary Warren is the Proctors’ servant; she replaced Abigail Williams, with whom he had an affair. |
| Who is Elizabeth Proctor? What does Abigail think of her? How might this affect the outcome of the play? | Elizabeth Proctor is John’s wife. Abigail despises Elizabeth because she dismissed her and brought suspicion on her. Abigail targets Elizabeth because she wants to take her place in John’s life. |
| Who is Giles Corey? Why is he introduced into the play? | Giles Corey is an illiterate farmer who is a friend of John Proctor. His wife, Martha, reads books at night, and he says he “can’t pray.” |
| Who is Rebecca Nurse? What is her role likely to be in the play? | Rebecca Nurse is an elder in the town, married to Francis Nurse, who says that the “witchcraft” is just the girls’ foolishness. All of her children and grandchildren are all still alive. |
| Why is the issue of Parris’s salary raised? | Rev. Parris required that he be given the deed to the minister’s house; he is concerned with temporal, earthly things seemingly more than heavenly things. |
| What is the Putnams’ grievance over land? What significance might this have in the play? | Thomas Putnam feels as if he was cheated out of land by his father and is always |
| What do the Puritans think of books other than the Bible? How do you learn about this in Act One? | Books other than the Bible are folly and possibly evil. |
| How does Hale confuse Tituba? What is the significance of their conversation? | Hale’s questioning is loaded with biased questions – assuming Tituba’s guilt as a witch – which confuses Tituba; Hale also is beating Tituba as he questions her. |
| What is the significance of the scene between Elizabeth and John Proctor? What does it reveal about their relationship and about each of their characters? | Elizabeth and John Proctor have a strained relationship and a “cold” home due to John’s affair with Abigail. John has not forgiven himself. |
| What is the gift Mary Warren gives to Elizabeth? | Mary Warren gives Elizabeth a poppet, a rag doll. |
| What information does Mary provide about the trials? Why does John forbid her from attending? | Elizabeth’s name has been mentioned in connection witchcraft. Mary Warren is an “official of the court.” John forbids Mary from attending the trial because he knows that it’s a sham because Abigail told him that she made the “witchcraft” up. |
| Why does Reverend Hale come to the Proctors’ home? What does this scene reveal about Hale’s role in the trial? | Hale visits the Proctors to test the Christian character of the home. Hale is the investigator trying to find the truth. |
| What relationship does Hale suggest exists between the church and the court? | Hale believes that the relationship between the church and the court is too close together – that justice is impossible. |
| What does Proctor tell Hale about why the children were ill? How does he claim to know? | Proctor tell Hale that the children/girls are making the “witchcraft” up; Abigail told him. |
| What is the point of the discussion between Hale and the Proctors about whether or not they believe in witches? | The Proctors do not believe in witchcraft, this going against what the church says. |
| What does Giles report to the Proctors? What is the significance of his revelations | Giles reports that his wife, Martha, has been arrested. |
| What event begins to change Hale’s opinion about the arrests? How does he feel about the court | Elizabeth Proctor is arrested based on possession of a poppet that has a needle in its body (Abigail simultaneously stabs herself with a needle). Mary Warren says she made the doll while sitting in court. |
| What role does Cheever play? What is revealed about his character? | Cheever is the arresting officer. He says he has been ordered to do so (he does not question his orders). |
| What does the reader learn about the Proctors’ marriage through the discrepancybetween what John Proctor does before he sees his wife and when he talks to her? | John comes into the house, tastes the stew and adds seasoning. At dinner he compliments her seasoning of the meal. This lie shows how he does find fault with Elizabeth, but also that he will not be open and honest with her. There is an obvious barrier between the two that is demonstrated in the first few pages of this act.Some students might argue that this early action of John establishes that he loves his wife and tries to please her, but Elizabeth remains separated from him. She appears somewhat aloof or withdrawn. This distance is obviously due to John’s infidelity. |
| In what ways is Miller’s use of dialogue effective in the first two pages of this scene toshow the rift between the couple? | There is no flow to the conversation at first. Each makes statements, and the other responds, but there is no conversation. The coldness they feel toward each other comes across in this forced dinner dialogue |
| When Proctor kisses his wife, what does her reaction show about her feelings? | Miller writes: “She receives it.” Elizabeth does not return the affection; she allows herself to be kissed. This action demonstrates their aloofness and lack of intimacy. |
| What does Proctor’s hesitation to travel to Salem indicate about his inner conflict? | While he would like to clear up the hysteria about witchcraft, he does not want to attackAbigail. The reason may be that he still has feelings for Abigail and/or the reason may bethat he does not want his adultery to come out in court. |
| 5. Explain the ironic ultimatum the head of the court has given to those who have beenarrested. | The accused must confess or die. If they claim to be innocent, they die. If they claim to beguilty, they live. Thus, ironically, they are punished for telling the truth yet rewarded forlying |
| Explain Proctor’s quote: “If the girl’s a saint now, I think it is not easy to prove she is afraud, and the town gone so silly.” | The town’s opinion of Abigail is so high that anyone who agrees with her is consideredmorally correct, but anyone who speaks against her is considered evil. Proctor is sayingit will be difficult to prove to everyone that Abigail is wrong, and the entire town has been fooled, while he alone knows the truth. |
| 7. What lie does Elizabeth notice Proctor told? How does this feed her current suspicions | Proctor mentions that he was alone with Abigail at Parris’s house. Previously he toldElizabeth that he and Abigail were in a group of people. In her mind, this confirms hersuspicions that Proctor still has feelings for Abigail. |
| What present does Mary Warren give to Elizabeth? What does her making it and giving it to Elizabeth foreshadow? | Mary Warren gives Elizabeth a poppet that she made while sitting on a bench in court. As poppets, or dolls, were tools used in Voodoo to bewitch others, the presence of a poppet in the Proctors’ house could be used as evidence that one of them is a witch. |
| How does Mary Warren save herself from a whipping? Who does Elizabeth believeaccused her of witchcraft and why? | Mary reveals that someone accused Elizabeth of witchcraft in court, and Mary was the one who came to Mrs. Proctor’s defense. “We must all love each other now, Goody Proctor,” is actually a threat. She is letting Elizabeth know that if the Proctors do not give Mary some freedom, she may not be able to defend her further. Elizabeth believes it was Abigail who accused her in order to marry the widowed John once Elizabeth is gone |
| . What does Hale’s motivation for visiting the Proctors tell the audience about hispersonality? | He explains that he is not there on court business; he is looking to get a clearer picture ofthose who are accused. This shows he is a free-thinking individual. Though the court andhe share a common goal, he is not the court’s servant or messenger. It also suggests to the audience that he will be more careful in what he accepts as “true” and more willing than the court to examine all the sides of the issue. |
| In what ways does Hale question John Proctor’s religious strength? | Hale questions John’s infrequent church attendance, his disrespect for Parris, and his refusal to get his third son baptized. |
| . Explain how Hale tests Proctor’s belief in God, as well as the irony in how Proctor fails Hale’s test. | Hale asks Proctor to recite the Ten Commandments. John momentarily forgets thecommandment that he has broken: “Thou Shalt not Commit Adultery.” |
| Explain Hale’s quote: “Man, remember until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven.” | Anyone is capable of evil, despite his or her past good behavior. Even Rebecca, who Halebelieves is above suspicion, is conceivably in league with Satan. |
| Explain Francis’ metaphor: “My wife is the very brick and mortar of the church.” | Explain Francis’ metaphor: “My wife is the very brick and mortar of the church.” |
| 15. What evidence does Cheever have against Elizabeth | He finds a poppet that Abigail claims Elizabeth is using for voodoo. |
| If Mary contradicts Abigail, how is she “charging cold murder on Abigail”? | If Abigail is lying, the only reason would be that she wants Elizabeth to be found guilty and be sentenced to death. Therefore, Abigail would be trying to murder others with these lies. |
| How is Hale a “broken minister”? | Proctor interprets the lack of support from Hale to mean that he believes the court and iswilling to let innocent people be sentenced. |
| . Explain the demand Proctor makes of Mary Warren at the end of scene one and hersignificant response to his threat | Proctor tells Mary she will testify against Abigail, or he will bring her “guts up through her mouth.” Mary replies that Abigail will charge lechery on Proctor if he goes to court, showing that Mary has known about the affair for some time and knows Abigail is prepared to use it against Proctor. |
| . Who are the two dynamic characters in this scene and show their changes. | Mary Warren is “a mouse no more.” She is subservient in Act I and bold in this scene.Reverend Hale is confident in his resolution to ferret out the witches in Act I, but by the end of this scene, and most notably the arrest of Rebecca Nurse, he questions the motives of the accusers and suspects that vengeance, not Satan, is controlling the town’s madness. |
| . How are the golden candlesticks symbolic of Parris’s personality | Parris is not satisfied with lead candlesticks, which would symbolize the Puritan proscription against vanity. He wants golden candlesticks just as he wants more money and a finer church. As a former businessman, Parris is more concerned with monetary issues than with religious ones. |
| How is the poppet a symbol of Abigail’s control of the society? | Abigail has been able to bend and control the town as she could a doll. The idea that the doll is a sort of voodoo doll further adds to the comparison, since voodoo dolls curse the intended victim, as she has done in court |
| What does the “spareness” of the Puritan setting reveal about the lives of the townspeople of Salem? | The setting mirrors the Puritans’ beliefs. The lack of ornamentation demonstrates the Puritan aversion to vanity and frivolous pursuits. |
| Explain the significance of the forest to the Puritans. | It was the epitome of evil. As far as the Puritans were concerned, the Native Americans were murderous heathens. The animals periodically attacked. There was no wilderness in England, so the unknown quality of the forest made it even more frightening. |
| Explain the irony in the Puritans’ pilgrimage to Salem to escape persecution | Though the Puritans left England to gain religious freedom, among other things, they granted no one in this new world any such freedom. They persecuted, often violently, those who were different. |
| . When Abigail enters, she is described as “a strikingly beautiful girl…with an endless capacity for dissembling.” What does the phrase an “endless capacity for dissembling” suggest? | She lies frequently and rather convincingly |
| When Susanna exits, Abigail makes a confession to Parris, which she recants near theend of the Act. What is the confession, and why does she change her mind? | She confesses that there is no witchcraft. Abigail tells Parris she danced and she is willing to be whipped for punishment for this deed. Later she blames Tituba and others for bewitching the girls. She is motivated both by self preservation and a sense of power. |
| . Why does Rev. Parris become upset at the thought that Betty’s illness is a result of unnatural causes? What negative aspect of his character does this reveal | As a minister, he feels it would be scandalous if his daughter is ill as a result of witchcraft. He is self-centered and, at this point, more concerned about his image than the health of his daughter. |
| What innuendo does Rev. Parris make about Abigail’s character? | He questions whether her reputation is entirely unblemished. He asks if there is any gossip about her and why she was put out of the Proctor household where she had worked as a mother’s helper. |
| Explain the relationship between Abigail and Goody (Elizabeth) Proctor. | Goody Proctor f red her live-in servant, Abigail. The two obviously dislike each other since it is rumored that Goody Proctor called Abigail “soiled.” Abigail commented about Goody Proctor, “It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman!” |
| Why does Mrs. Putnam believe there are witches in Salem | She has lost many babies in their first few days of life, and the child of her onlysuccessful childbirth (Ruth) is acting peculiar. Witchcraft is her answer to these strangeevents. |
| What are Putnam’s motivations for his actions in Salem? | Thomas Putnam acts primarily out of family honor and greed. He is angry that his relative was not hired as minister of Salem, and he is determined to rectify that injustice. He also argues with Proctor over land ownership, claiming that a section of Proctor’s land rightfully belongs to him. |
| the dramatic irony when Parris says, “I know that you—you least of all,Thomas, would ever wish so disastrous a charge laid upon me.” | Miller explains to the audience that Putnam secretly wants to ruin Parris, but Parris believes Thomas is his only true supporter. |
| 12. What do we learn from the conversation that Mercy, Abigail, and Mary Warren have while alone? | We find out that in the forest they did dance and conjure up spirits. Mercy ran around naked and Abigail drank a charm of blood to kill John Proctor’s wife. |
| How do we see that Abigail is the acknowledged leader of this group? | She is the oldest, strongest, and most determined. The others defer to her and seem to bekept in line by her. She threatens physical harm (“a pointy reckoning”) if they tell morethan she says they should. |
| What role did Ann Putnam play in the dancing in the forest? | Ann asked her daughter, Ruth, to conjure the spirits of Mrs. Putnam’s seven dead children. |
| Explain briefly how Putnam coerces Parris to declare witchcraft. | He explains that the congregation will love him if he seeks out and destroys the Devil inSalem. This feeds Parris’s paranoia about keeping his position as minister. |
| . What does Betty’s information about dancing in the forest reveal about Abigail’s truemotivation? | Abigail drank blood to put a death curse on Goody Proctor. The implication is that Abigail wants to marry John Proctor and wants Elizabeth, his wife, out of the way. |
| What does the threat of a “pointy reckoning” reveal about Abigail’s true nature? | When Abigail physically threatens the other girls in a visually descriptive way, the readerlearns that she is a driving force in the plot and in the hysteria. Furthermore, the audience learns that the other girls are afraid of Abigail, and they will not dare to cross her |
| Describe Mary Warren’s personality | She is submissive. She wants to tell the truth and take her punishment, but when Abigailthreatens her, she withdraws. When Proctor threatens her, she withdraws. Miller later refers to her as a mouse. |
| In his stage directions, Miller tells us that despite, or perhaps due to, his uprightappearance, John Proctor feels he is a fraud because he knows he is a sinner. What does his conversation with Abigail tell us about the nature of his sin? | He appears to have had an affair with Abigail. He wishes to put it behind him, but she still claims to love him and maintains that he still loves her |
| Explain Proctor and Abigail’s relationship. | They had an affair while Abigail worked in Proctor’s house. |
| Describe Rebecca Nurse physically and by reputation. | Rebecca is seventy-two, white-haired, and requires a walking stick. She is highly regarded in the community |
| What three grudges could the Putnams have against the Nurses? | The Nurses owned three hundred acres. Putnam contested some of these acres as Putnamland. He also disapproved of the Nurses improving their status by gradually acquiring the land. The Nurses were some of those who worked to keep Putnam’s relative out of the Salem minister position. |
| . What is Rebecca’s solution to Betty’s and Ruth’s ailments, and why does this solutionanger Ann Putnam? | Rebecca’s experience (eleven children and twenty-six grandchildren) has told her the girls will stop ailing when they are tired of playing. Ann Putnam has lost seven children and, therefore, she takes Rebecca’s experience as a personal insult. |
| . How does Proctor’s subsequent comment on Parris’ fiery sermons cause an outburst from Rev. Parris? | Proctor had said that he is sick of all the sermons on hellfire and damnation and that is why he and others are staying away from the church. Rev. Parris takes exception to the comment and angrily explains his grievances about salary and future security. |
| 5. In this argument the theme of authority explicitly arises. What are the two points of view? | Parris says that, as the minister, he is the final authority on what is good for the soul and what isn’t. Proctor argues that the individual heart and conscience are his authority. |
| 26. What is Reverend Hale’s motivation? | He has dedicated his life to studying and searching for a true witch. He knows they exist, and he is determined to find one. |
| 27. Hale says, “They [the books] must be [heavy]; they are weighted with authority.” What is thesignificance of this remark? | Symbolically, the books usually stand for education, learning, the educated. In this case,these books are filled with information about the devil and witchcraft (and how to get ridof it). It has not-very scientific and not-well-proven information, information which, webelieve, is by its very nature, not substantial. Yet, the people of Salem and John Hale puttheir faith in it. In much the same way, they later place their faith in the girls and the girlsbecome weighted with authority although they (the girls) have information that is notsubstantiated. |
| Why has Abigail turned on Tituba and accused her of these things? | She wants to remove the suspicion from herself. |
| 9. What does Putnam say that terrifies Tituba and causes her to say that she told the devil she did not want to work for him? | He says that Tituba should be hanged. She is so frightened that she will say anything to shift the blame and save her own life. |
| Why does Tituba come up with the names Goody Good and Goody Osburn as the two women she saw consorting with the devil? | Putnam supplied Tituba with both those names |
| What question does Giles ask Hale that shows his comical, innocent personality | He asks Hale why his wife reads “strange books” (i.e., books other than the Bible). These books disturb his prayers. Giles is merely asking questions. He does not realize that he is opening his own wife to prosecution. |
| What effect does Miller create by lowering the curtain for this act during the girls’ cries of witchcraft? | Ending the act as the girls are blurting out names gives the audience the idea that the name continue for some time, that the whole community is in danger. Dropping the curtain after the girls finish would give the audience a finite sense of accusation. A point in this play is that everyone is suspect. The well-timed curtain, subtly introduces this point. |
| What motivates Abby and Betty to begin denouncing everyone? | We have been told that Abby is a great dissembler, so presumably, she is “naming names” for sport and the power it gives her over other people. She is also “redeeming” herself through confession, so she will not be punished for other things she has done. Betty may be following Abigail’s lead, but it seems more likely that Betty is simply caught up in the hysteria of the situation. |
| Why does Giles say that he “broke charity” with his wife? | His statement that she reads books secretly has brought the court’s suspicious on his wife, so he is feeling guilty because he has hurt her and her reputation. |
| In what sense does the Corey’s’ situation reflect on John and Elizabeth Proctor | Just as Giles feels guilty about his wife, John is feeling guilty for having been unfaithful to Elizabeth. |
| How has Rev. Hale changed since we last saw him? | He seems to be on the side of the doubters of witchcraft now. |
| Why is Mary Warren’s testimony critical for Hale, Proctor, Nurse, and Corey? | The state’s case rests solely on the testimony of the girls. If, as Mary Warren contends, the girls are not genuinely seeing spirits, then the state’s case against the accused falls apart, and the seventy-two people who have been condemned to hang are innocent |
| What does Mary Warren tell Governor Danforth? | She says that all the accusations she and the other girls made “were pretense, sir.” |
| Why does Proctor not drop the charges against the court when he hears that his wife ispregnant and will be spared for at least a year? | The wives of his friends are still charged, and Proctor feels he cannot desert them. Proctor’s refusal to drop the charges, however, seems to lend weight to Parris’ comment that Proctor has come to overthrow the court. |
| Why does Proctor say that his wife must be pregnant if she has said so? | Proctor believes that his wife could not tell a lie. He also said this in the second act. |
| What happens to the ninety-one people who signed the petition in support of the accused? | They now are to be arrested and questioned. Speaking up in defense of any of the accusedimmediately makes someone a suspect. The McCarthy Hearings also did the same.Danforth says that those who are not on the side of the court in trying times are against the authority of the court and the church. |
| What is the charge that Giles Corey makes against Putnam? | Corey charges that Putnam has encouraged his daughter to cry out against neighbors who have large landholdings. The neighbors, once convicted of witchery, will forfeit their land to the state and then Putnam will be able to buy it cheaply. |
| What is Giles Corey’s proof for his charge, and why will he not supply the proof to the court? | His proof is that another person heard Putnam speak of his intention to get George Jacobs’ land. Corey will not divulge the name, however, because he doesn’t want to endanger that person by revealing his name. In the McCarthy Hearings defendants were frequently forced to “name names.” Miller himself was brought up on contempt charges because he refused to give the names of people who had attended meetings that he had attended. |
| Why does Danforth find it hard to believe that Abigail could be pretending and, in effect, be a murderer? | She looks young and innocent. |
| . How does the questioning of Mary Warren differ from the questioning of Abigail? Why? | The court questions Mary Warren much more sharply. It would appear that they do notwant to, or can’t, believe that Mary Warren is now telling the truth when she claims that her earlier accusations of witches were “all a pretense.” |
| Why can’t Mary faint when asked by the court? | To do the pretense, she has to be caught up in the excitement. |
| When Abigail is questioned by Danforth, how does she respond? | As she has done in the past, Abigail goes on the attack when questioned. Then she begins the pretense again and accuses Mary Warren of “witching her.” |
| 15. In calling Abigail a *****, what charge and punishment does Proctor open himself to? Why has he made this confession? | He will now be charged with lechery; it is punishable by death. He accuses Abby to prove to the court that she brought the charges against his wife in order to get Elizabeth out of the way. |
| What test is Elizabeth given, and how does she fail it? Why? | She is asked if her husband is guilty of lechery with Abigail. To protect her husband, she lies and says, “No.” The lie she now tells is especially damaging. |
| What finally causes Mary Warren to agree with Abigail? | Abigail and the girls put on such a show that Mary Warren becomes frightened, particularly of the judge, who now seems convinced by the girls’ pretending. When he threatens to have Mary hanged, she accuses Proctor of bewitching her. |
| On what dramatic note does Act III end? | Proctor shouts that God is dead and the trial is a fraud. The Rev. Hale at this point alsodenounces the court and walks out. |
| 1. What is the relationship between the rebellion in Andover and the flight of Abigail andMercy Lewis? | In Andover townspeople were rebelling against the trials. Rev. Parris is suggesting thatAbigail was feeling uneasy about the rebellion in Andover. He was afraid that thisquestioning of authority might spread to Salem. If it did, it would mean trouble for her. |
| 2. Why is Parris upset? | When Abigail left, she stole all his savings and this has made him penniless. More than that, though, he seems to fear a rebellion if all the accused are hanged; most of those arrested are all highly respected people in the town. He worries for his life and is afraid to go outside at night because someone had left a dagger in his door. |
| 3. Why is it important for the court to get one of the accused “respectable citizens,” such as John Proctor or Rebecca Nurse to confess? | If just one such suspect confesses, it will discredit the others in the eyes of the townspeople |
| Why is Rev. Hale telling the accused to lie? | He doesn’t believe they are guilty, but he wants them to lie and confess, so that they maysave their lives. |
| What is it that the court desires of Elizabeth Proctor? | The court wants Elizabeth to get her husband to confess. |
| 6. How did Giles Corey die? Why?He was pressed to death. By not even answering the indictment, as to his guilt or innocence, he died a Christian and his sons were able to inherit his property. | 6. How did Giles Corey die? Why?He was pressed to death. By not even answering the indictment, as to his guilt or innocence, he died a Christian and his sons were able to inherit his property. |
| Why does Proctor call himself a fraud? | If he had not committed adultery, he would feel that his dying was noble. As it is, though, he feels his secret sin makes a mockery of his silence. This may, in part, be a rationalization because he obviously does not wish to die. |
| 8. What responsibility does Elizabeth accept for Proctor’s lechery? What does she advise him to do?8. What responsibility does Elizabeth accept for Proctor’s lechery? What does she advise him to do? | She says that because of her own insecurities, she had not been a passionate woman andthis is what caused him to sleep with Abigail. She advises him to do what he thinks he must; whatever his decision, she will accept it. |
| after proctor confesses to witch craft what else does danforth want him to do? | First he asks Proctor to name other people who have been with the devil; then he wantsProctor to sign the confession so that it can be shown to the town. Proctor signs it, but then grabs it and tears it up. He feels he will have harmed his friends if he allows his confession to be put on the church door, since he realizes the courts simply wants to justify its verdicts. |
| … | Sarah good is pregnant which is why she has not been killed yet |
| … | john proctor has a little anger |
| … | only Mary warren Elizabeth john and Abigail knew of the affair everyone else in town suspected it |
| … | aits puritan man is one who works hard is educated and has piety |
| Giles exposition thesis | although the Salem community sees Giles as a scapegoat he is a innocent man despite his recent church attendance. |
| … | when proving someone is a witch there must be a witch and the victim most accused were poor not religious women |
| … | court out based on lies treachery hypocrisy which it should be based on truth and justice |
| why are they listening to parris? | danforth wants to uphold the cout by initiating power to show he has power, which parris usednpowernto manipulated the judge |
| how does Abigail manipulate Parrish | abigail manipules parris by his need for respect and if the town found out he wouldn’t be respected |
| what is miller trying to say on a larger scale in proctors speech at the end of act 3 | the greatest sin of all is doing something is wrong but you do it to maintain power is the worst sins of all |
| Identify 4 themes in the crucible | -reputation-hysteria-intolerance-empowerment |
| Identify 2 antogonist in the crucible | -abby-putnam-parris |
| Define a metaphor | Comparison between two things |
| define theme | the universal idea being explored |
| Define symbol | something that exists in itself but also represents something else |
| Define hyperbole | exagerates the truth |
| Define simile | useing a comparision useing like or as |
| define irony | contrast between apperance and reality a condradiction |
| Define allusion | an indirect reference to a person, place,literary work or event |
| define logical fallacy | an aurgument that is based on faulty reason |
| explain the great awakening | a religious movement to bring people back to the church |
| identify 3 contributions of puritans gave to american society | politcs- our demtractic governmetneconomics- worth ethic, hard work, needing to get things donesocial thinking- the perfect society, utopiatheology- sense of faith |
| what is sinners of an angry god? | a sermon written during the great awakening to bring people back to the church |
| Who was sinner of an angry god written by | JOhnathan edwards |
| dogmatically means | strongly opinionated in an unwanted manner |
| bradford wrote | plymouth plantation |
| orthodox means | conforming to established standards, conventional |
| heretics means | contrary to church doctorine or accepted beliefs |
| inert means | unable to move |
| sect means | a faction with extreme beliefs |
| innate means | existing from birth |
| the way to rainy mountain was by | N scott momaday |
| mrs putnams main motives were | her babies |
| danforth main motives were | protect his reputation |
| pallor means | extreme paleness |
| base means | the quality of lackin higher values |
| blasphemy means | irreverent, profane |
| augur means | an amoen or prohecy |
| contentious means | quarrelsom, stirring, controversy |
| placidly means | plane, calm, peaceful |
| beguile means | to decieve or mislead or persuade by charm |
| lecery means | being a lecher |
| exaltation means | to glorify and praise |
| discourse means | discussion, or conversation |
| describe the 4 themes presented in the crucible? | IntolleranceThe Crucible is set in a theocratic society, in which the church and the state are one, and the religion is a strict, austere form of Protestantism known as Puritanism. Because of the theocratic nature of the society, moral laws and state laws are one and the same: sin and the status of an individual’s soul are matters of public concern. There is no room for deviation from social norms, since any individual whose private life doesn’t conform to the established moral laws represents a threat not only to the public good but also to the rule of God and true religion. In Salem, everything and everyone belongs to either God or the devil; dissent is not merely unlawful, it is associated with satanic activity. This dichotomy functions as the underlying logic behind the witch trials. As Danforth says in Act III, “a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it.” The witch trials are the ultimate expression of intolerance (and hanging witches is the ultimate means of restoring the community’s purity); the trials brand all social deviants with the taint of devil-worship and thus necessitate their elimination from the community.HysteriaAnother critical theme in The Crucible is the role that hysteria can play in tearing apart a community. Hysteria supplants logic and enables people to believe that their neighbors, whom they have always considered upstanding people, are committing absurd and unbelievable crimes—communing with the devil, killing babies, and so on. In The Crucible, the townsfolk accept and become active in the hysterical climate not only out of genuine religious piety but also because it gives them a chance to express repressed sentiments and to act on long-held grudges. The most obvious case is Abigail, who uses the situation to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft and have her sent to jail. But others thrive on the hysteria as well: Reverend Parris strengthens his position within the village, albeit temporarily, by making scapegoats of people like Proctor who question his authority. The wealthy, ambitious Thomas Putnam gains revenge on Francis Nurse by getting Rebecca, Francis’s virtuous wife, convicted of the supernatural murders of Ann Putnam’s babies. In the end, hysteria can thrive only because people benefit from it. It suspends the rules of daily life and allows the acting out of every dark desire and hateful urge under the cover of righteousness.ReputationReputation is tremendously important in theocratic Salem, where public and private moralities are one and the same. In an environment where reputation plays such an important role, the fear of guilt by association becomes particularly pernicious. Focused on maintaining public reputation, the townsfolk of Salem must fear that the sins of their friends and associates will taint their names. Various characters base their actions on the desire to protect their respective reputations. As the play begins, Parris fears that Abigail’s increasingly questionable actions, and the hints of witchcraft surrounding his daughter’s coma, will threaten his reputation and force him from the pulpit. Meanwhile, the protagonist, John Proctor, also seeks to keep his good name from being tarnished. Early in the play, he has a chance to put a stop to the girls’ accusations, but his desire to preserve his reputation keeps him from testifying against Abigail. At the end of the play, however, Proctor’s desire to keep his good name leads him to make the heroic choice not to make a false confession and to go to his death without signing his name to an untrue statement. “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” he cries to Danforth in Act IV. By refusing to relinquish his name, he redeems himself for his earlier failure and dies with integrity.EmpowmentThe Crucible is set in a theocratic society, in which the church and the state are one, and the religion is a strict, austere form of Protestantism known as Puritanism. Because of the theocratic nature of the society, moral laws and state laws are one and the same: sin and the status of an individual’s soul are matters of public concern. There is no room for deviation from social norms, since any individual whose private life doesn’t conform to the established moral laws represents a threat not only to the public good but also to the rule of God and true religion. In Salem, everything and everyone belongs to either God or the devil; dissent is not merely unlawful, it is associated with satanic activity. This dichotomy functions as the underlying logic behind the witch trials. As Danforth says in Act III, “a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it.” The witch trials are the ultimate expression of intolerance (and hanging witches is the ultimate means of restoring the community’s purity); the trials brand all social deviants with the taint of devil-worship and thus necessitate their elimination from the community. |
| Reverend Parris | Minister in Salem. He believes a faction plans to force him to leave Salem, so he attempts to strengthen his authority through the witch trial proceedings. |
| Betty Parris | Parris’ daughter. Her father discovers her dancing in the woods, and she later accuses individuals of practicing witchcraft. |
| Abigail Williams | Parris’ niece. She instigates the witch trials by falsely accusing others of witchcraft. She pretends to see spirits and instructs the other girls to pretend as well. |
| Tituba | Parris’ black slave. Parris discovers her casting spells and making potions with the girls in the woods. |
| Mrs. Ann Putnam | Wife of Thomas Putnam. She believes that a witch is responsible for the deaths of her seven infant children. Her jealousy of Rebecca Nurse leads her to accuse Goody Nurse of being a witch. |
| Thomas Putnam | A greedy landowner in Salem. He systematically accuses his neighbors of witchcraft so that he might purchase their lands after they hang. |
| Ruth Putnam | The Putnams’ daughter. She accuses individuals of practicing witchcraft. A witness claims to have heard Putnam say Ruth’s accusations helped him obtain land. |
| Mary Warren | Servant to the Proctors. She goes along with Abigail and the girls by falsely accusing others of witchcraft; however, she later admits that she was lying. |
| Mercy Lewis | Servant to the Putnams and friend to Abigail. She participates in the witch trials by pretending to see spirits and falsely accusing individuals of witchcraft. |
| John Proctor | Salem farmer and former lover of Abigail’s. He openly denounces Parris and does not attend church. |
| Elizabeth Proctor | Wife of John Proctor. She is a decent and honest woman, who dismissed Abigail because of her affair with John Proctor. |
| Reverend Hale | Minister in Beverly. The people of Salem summon him to investigate Betty’s condition and determine if witchcraft is responsible. He supports the witch trials, but later denounces them when he learns that Abigail is lying. |
| Rebecca Nurse | Wife of Francis Nurse. She is one of the most respected individuals in Salem because of her kindness and charity. She argues against the witch trial investigations. Mrs. Putnam accuses her of witchcraft. |
| Francis Nurse | Farmer and landowner in Salem. He is a respected member of the community often called upon to settle disagreements between individuals. |
| Susanna Walcott | Friend to Abigail. She also takes part in the trials by falsely accusing others of witchcraft. |
| Giles Corey | Elderly inhabitant of Salem. He challenges the court in an attempt to defend his wife who has been convicted of witchcraft. He is pressed to death as a result. |
| Sarah Good | Beggar in Salem. She is the first individual accused of witchcraft. |
| Judge Hathorne | A judge in the Salem court. |
| Deputy Governor Danforth | A special judge serving in the Salem court during the witch trials. He signs the death sentences for those individuals who refuse to confess their crimes. He refuses to delay any execution for fear that he will appear weak and irresolute. |
| Ezekial Cheever | Appointed by the court to assist in arresting accused individuals. |
| Marshal Herrick | Appointed by the court to arrest the accused individuals. |
| Hopkins | Jailer. |
| Theocracy | A government ruled by religious authority. (Puritans) |
| False | Puritans Celebrated Christmas |
| Death of a Salesman | Millers most famous play |
| Devil’s | Salem folk believed that virgin forest was the _________ last preserve. |
| Salem | forbade “vain” enjoyment; had to work hard to survive; meeting house in the center of town; people minded each other’s business |
| Heathen | someone who does not accept god |
| True | Puritans were not allowed to read novels |
| Lucifer, Old Boy | other names for the Devil |
| diabolism | dealing with the Devil or evil spirits |
| The best definition of word “crucible” as it applies in the play? | A severe test or trial |
| Before the action of the play begins, Betty Parris and her friends… | have been caught dancing in the woods |
| Tituba is from ___ and devoted to _____? | Barbados/Betty |
| Reverand Parris’s Neice | Abigail Williams |
| What does Abigail believe about her dismissal from the Proctor’s service? | Elizabeth Proctor fired her, not John |
| What is Ann Putnam’s greatest grief? | Seven of her children died in infancy |
| Why is Reverang John Hale summoned? | He is an expert on witchcraft and can help salem |
| Setting of the play | Salem Massachusetts, 1692 |
| What did Tituba do in the forest? | Sang songs of Barbados |
| What does John Proctor predict will happen to Abigail before she’s twenty? | She will be put in the stocks |
| In the Overture, Miller says that Salem was run as a…. | theocracy |
| Which of the following best describes John Proctor? | Intelligent and independent |
| According to Miller, the reason the Massachusetts Colony survived was that the Puritans were… | a tightly controlloed, communal society |
| When Betty first falls ill, reverend Parris is most concerned with… | his own reputation |
| Arthur Miller gives us valuable information about Abigail’s character when he says in a stage direction that she…. | has a great capacity for lying |
| Betty is likely to be in a trancelike state because… | she fears punishment for being caught dancing in the woods |
| When Abigail threatens Betty, Abigail is motivated by her…. | fear of the villagers knowing everything they did in the woods |
| Abigail accusses Goody Good and Goody Osburn of whichcraft because… | she can persuade Mrs. Putnam and not be punished |
| Giles Corey says that his wife has been reading strange books because… | he wants to ask about something he thinks is important |
| When he comes in from planting, what suggestion does John Proctor make to his wife concerning the house? | he suggests that she bring in some flowers |
| Elizabeth is afriad that her husband is…. | still interested in Abigail |
| The people who have been accused of being witches by the court may save themselves from hanging by…. | confessing to being witches |
| What reason does John Proctor give Reverend Hale for his absence from church? | He does not think that Reverand Parris is godly |
| Hale comes to the Proctor’s House to…. | ask the proctors some questions |
| Which commandment does John forget when Hale asks him to recite the 10 commandments? | Thou shalt not adulter |
| What is Hale’s advice to the Proctors as he prepares to leave? | Go to church and baptize the young child |
| What is unusual about the doll that Mary Warren makes for Elizabeth? | It has a needle stuck in its stomach |
| Ezekial Cheever is | the clerk of the court |
| As Elizabeth is led away to jail, what does John demand of Marry Warren? | that she inform the court that Abigail is lying |
| One of the chief conflicts established in Act 2 is between | John Proctor and Ezekial Cheever |
| Marshal Herrick is shamefaced when he appears at the proctor’s house because he | comes to take away Elizabeth |
| Marry Warren’s motivation for joining the girls in their accusations of witchcraft is | that she is a lonely girl who craves friends and attention |
| Elizabeth says that Abigail accuses her of being a witch because Abigail…. | wants to get rid of Elizabeth so she can have John |
| Deputy Governor Danforth | seems proud and does not like his authority challenged |
| When John Proctor appears at the general court with evidence that the accusations are frauds… | Ezekiel Cheever says that John Plows on Sundays |
| What deal does Danforth try to make with Proctor? | if he will drop charges, Danforth will not try Elizabeth for a year |
| In Act 3, the person who begins to have doubts about the rightness of the witch trials is…. | Reverand John Hale |
| Who is the richest man in the village who can afford to buy the land forfeited by George Jacobs if Jacobs hangs as a witch? | Thomas Putnam |
| What does Hathorne ask Marry Warren to do in court that she cannot do? | faint |
| What does Abigail do as soon as Danforth begins to question her? | She threatens him |
| What secret does Proctor reveal to prove that the girls are lying? | He says that Abigail seeks vengance |
| What does John tell the court about his wife? | She will NOT lie |
| How do the girls in the courtroom terrorize Mary Warren? | They repeat everything that she says |
| Who is taken to jail at the end of act three? | Giles Corey and John Proctor |
| Danforth does not want to find out that the girls’ accusations are false because he… | will be blamed for the deaths of innocent people |
| Elizabeth’s motivation for lying about John’s affair is that…. | she is embarrassed and does not want anyone to know |
| At opening of act 4, Ezekiel Cheever reveals that | there is much confusion and disagreement in the town |
| What news does Reverend Parris give the court in act 4 | Mercy lewis and Abigail have stolen Parris’s money and disappeared |
| Which two men urge Danforth to postpone witch trials because a rebellion seems possible? | Hale and Parris |
| What does John Hale urge Elizabeth to do? | Persuade her husband to confess to witchcraft |
| How does Giles Corey die? | Crushed with stones |
| John tells Elizabeth that he has not confessed to being a witch because… | he does not want to confess to a lie to contemptible ppl |
| Elizabeth blames herself for…. | John’s affair with Abigail |
| Elizabeth tells John that she kept a cold house, meaning…. | that she was not a loving or proper wife |
| What does John want from Elizabeth? | Her approval for his confession to witchcraft |
| What is one thing that John cannot do? | allow his lie to be made public |
| In his confession, John admits to… | seeing the devil |
| Danforth does not want to postpone the hangings because… | people will think Danforth doubts the validity of the trials |
| When John goes to the gallows and Elizabeth says that her husband has his “goodness now” she means that… | by tearing up the confession, he feels he has regained his honor |
| Why does Elizabeth refuse to influence John’s decisions whether to confess? | She feels he must face his own conscience and make his own decision |
| John wants to be corageuous like _____ and ____ and not confess | Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey |
| john proctor | A local farmer who lives just outside town; Elizabeth Proctor’s husband. A stern, harsh-tongued man, John hates hypocrisy. Nevertheless, he has a hidden sin—his affair with Abigail Williams—that proves his downfall. When the hysteria begins, he hesitates to expose Abigail as a fraud because he worries that his secret will be revealed and his good name ruined. |
| elizabeth proctor | Wife of John Proctor. She is a decent and honest woman, who dismissed Abigail because of her affair with John Proctor. |
| Reverend Parris | Minister in Salem. He believes a faction plans to force him to leave Salem, so he attempts to strengthen his authority through the witch trial proceedings. |
| Betty Parris | Parris’ daughter. Her father discovers her dancing in the woods, and she later accuses individuals of practicing witchcraft. |
| Abigail Williams | Parris’ niece. She instigates the witch trials by falsely accusing others of witchcraft. She pretends to see spirits and instructs the other girls to pretend as well. |
| Tituba | Parris’ black slave. Parris discovers her casting spells and making potions with the girls in the woods. |
| Mrs. Ann Putnam | Wife of Thomas Putnam. She believes that a witch is responsible for the deaths of her seven infant children. Her jealousy of Rebecca Nurse leads her to accuse Goody Nurse of being a witch. |
| Thomas Putnam | A greedy landowner in Salem. He systematically accuses his neighbors of witchcraft so that he might purchase their lands after they hang. |
| Ruth Putnam | The Putnams’ daughter. She accuses individuals of practicing witchcraft. A witness claims to have heard Putnam say Ruth’s accusations helped him obtain land. |
| Mary Warren | Servant to the Proctors. She goes along with Abigail and the girls by falsely accusing others of witchcraft; however, she later admits that she was lying. |
| Mercy Lewis | Servant to the Putnams and friend to Abigail. She participates in the witch trials by pretending to see spirits and falsely accusing individuals of witchcraft. |
| John Proctor | Salem farmer and former lover of Abigail’s. He openly denounces Parris and does not attend church. |
| Elizabeth Proctor | Wife of John Proctor. She is a decent and honest woman, who dismissed Abigail because of her affair with John Proctor. |
| Reverend Hale | Minister in Beverly. The people of Salem summon him to investigate Betty’s condition and determine if witchcraft is responsible. He supports the witch trials, but later denounces them when he learns that Abigail is lying. |
| Rebecca Nurse | Wife of Francis Nurse. She is one of the most respected individuals in Salem because of her kindness and charity. She argues against the witch trial investigations. Mrs. Putnam accuses her of witchcraft. |
| Francis Nurse | Farmer and landowner in Salem. He is a respected member of the community often called upon to settle disagreements between individuals. |
| Susanna Walcott | Friend to Abigail. She also takes part in the trials by falsely accusing others of witchcraft. |
| Giles Corey | Elderly inhabitant of Salem. He challenges the court in an attempt to defend his wife who has been convicted of witchcraft. He is pressed to death as a result. |
| Sarah Good | Beggar in Salem. She is the first individual accused of witchcraft. |
| Judge Hathorne | A judge in the Salem court. |
| Deputy Governor Danforth | A special judge serving in the Salem court during the witch trials. He signs the death sentences for those individuals who refuse to confess their crimes. He refuses to delay any execution for fear that he will appear weak and irresolute. |
| Ezekial Cheever | Appointed by the court to assist in arresting accused individuals. |
| Marshal Herrick | Appointed by the court to arrest the accused individuals. |
| Hopkins | Jailer. |
| Theocracy | A government ruled by religious authority. (Puritans) |
| False | Puritans Celebrated Christmas |
| Death of a Salesman | Millers most famous play |
| Devil’s | Salem folk believed that virgin forest was the _________ last preserve. |
| Salem | forbade “vain” enjoyment; had to work hard to survive; meeting house in the center of town; people minded each other’s business |
| Heathen | someone who does not accept god |
| True | Puritans were not allowed to read novels |
| Lucifer, Old Boy | other names for the Devil |
| diabolism | dealing with the Devil or evil spirits |
| Who said, “You drank blood Abby!…” | Betty |
| Who said, ” I am only wondering how I may prove what she [Abigail] told me, Elizabeth. If the girl’s a saint now, I think it is not easy to prove she’s fraud…” | Proctor |
| Who said, “I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you. I never thought you but a good man…” | Elizabeth |
| Who said, “I take it on my soul, but who else may surely tell us what person murdered my babies?” | Ann Putnam |
| Who said, “Tituba. You must have no fear to tell us who they are, do you understand? We will protect you. The Devil can never overcome a minister. You know that, do you not?” | Rev. Hale |
| Who said, ” Abby, we’ve got to tell. Witchery’s a hangin’ error, a hangin’ like they done in Boston two year ago! We must tell the truth, Abby! You’ll only be whipped for dancin’, and the other things!” | Mary Warren |
| Who said, “And when she put this girl out of your house, she put her out for a harlot?” | Danforth |
| Who said, “They they go like saints. I like not to spoil their names.” | Proctor |
| “Would you ever give them this? You would not.” is BEST DESCRIBED as/a | hypophora |
| “While I speak God’s law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering.” is BEST DESCRIBED as/a | personification |
| Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet thy neigbors goods, nor make unto thee any graven image. Thou shalt not take the name of the lord in vain… This is BEST an example of… | anaphora |
| Pontius Pilate! God will not let you wash your hands of this! Is best an example of… | allusion |
| This farm’s a continent when you go foot by foot droppin’ seeds in it. This is BEST an example of… | hyperbole, metaphor, and vivid imagery |
| “I would never hurt Betty. I love her dearly.” | Abigail |
| “Speak nothin’ of it in the village, Susanna.” | Abigail |
| “There is a faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit.” | Parris |
| “There be no blush about my name.” | Abigail |
| “…I have laid seven babies unbaptized in the earth.” | Mrs.Putnam |
| “Oh, we’ll be whipped.” | Abigail |
| “I only come to see the great doings in the world.” | Mary Warren |
| “Give me a word, John. A soft word.” | Abigail |
| “We vote by name in this society, not by acreage.” | Proctor |
| “They are weighted with authority.” | Hale |
| “She made me do it! She made Betty do it!” | Abigail |
| “You are God’s instrument put in our hands to discover the devil’s agents among us.” | Hale |
| “Is your husband a lecher?” | Danforth |
| “It were a cold house I kept.” | Elizabeth |
| “Uncle, we did dance: let you tell them I confessed it…they’re speakin’ of witchcraft. Betty’s not witched.” | Abigail |
| “I am not used to this poverty. I left a thrifty business in the Barbados to serve the Lord.” | Parris |
| “She thinks to take my place, John.” | Elizabeth |
| “There are them that will swear to anything before they’ll hang, have you never thought of that?” | Proctor |
| “…if Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothing’s left to stop the whole green world from burning.” | Hale |
| “…how heavy be the law, all its tonnage I do carry on my back tonight.” | Cheever |
| “Abby’ll charge lechery on you, Mr.Proctor!” | Mary Warren |
| “it were pretense, sir.” | Mary Warren |
| “Do that which is good, and no harm shall come to thee.” | John Proctor |
| “It’s God’s work we do…I am an official of the court.” | Mary Warren |
| “He preach nothin’ by golden candlesticks until he had them.” | Proctor |
| “Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small.” | Hale |
| “Man, remember, until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven.” | Hale |
| “Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God’s fingers?” | Proctor |
| “I denounce these proceedings, and I quit this court.” | Hale |
| “You cannot hang this sort. There is danger for me.” | Parris |
| “I have given you my soul; leave me my name.” | Proctor |
| “Oh, how many times he bid me kill you, Mr. Parris!” | Tituba |
| “He have his goodness now. God forbid that I take it from him!” | Elizabeth |
| “I’ll fly to Mama. Let me fly!” | Betty |
| “But God made my face: you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin, Mary.” | Abigail |
| Let you tell them I confessed it – and I’ll be whipped if I must be. But they’re speaking of witchcraft. Betty’s not witched. | Abigail |
| Your name in the town – it is entirely white, is it not | Parris |
| Why that’s strange. Ours is open | Mrs. Putnam |
| I have laid seven unbaptized babies in the earth | Mrs. Putnam |
| You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor! | Betty |
| I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know I can do it; I saw Indians smash my dear parents’ heads on the pillow next to mine. | Abigail |
| Ah, you’re wicked yet, aren’t y’! You’ll be clapped in the stocks before you’re twenty. | John Proctor |
| A child’s spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back | Rebecca Nurse |
| He nearly willed away my north pasture but he knew I’d break his fingers before he’s set his name to it. | Giles Corey |
| Here is all the invisible world, caught, defined, and calculated. In these books the Devil stands stripped of all his brute disguises | Hale |
| Last night – mark this – I tried and tried and could not say my prayers. And then she close her book and walks out of the house, and suddenly – mark this – I could pray again! | Giles Corey |
| You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death | Parris |
| It’s winter in here yet | John Proctor |
| We must all love each other now, Goody Proctor | Mary Warren |
| Come now. You say your only purpose is to save your wife. Look now, she is saved at least this year, and a year is long What say you, sir? | Danforth |
| Mr. Danforth, I gave them all my word no harm would come to them for signing this. | Francis Nurse |
| If Jacobs hangs for a witch he forfeit up his property – that’s law! And there is none but Putnam with the coin to buy so great a piece. This man is killing his neighbors for their land. | Giles Corey |
| There, who may possibly be witness to it? The witch and the victim. None other. Now, we cannot hope the witch will accuse herself; granted? Therefore, we must rely upon her victims – and they do testify, the children certainly do testify. | Danforth |
| Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? | Abigail |
| You are pulling down heaven and raising up a ***** | John Proctor |
| Thirty-one pound is gone. I am penniless | Parris |
| More weight. | Giles Corey |
| I have sins of my own to count. It needs a cold wife to prompt lechery | Elizabeth Proctor |
| I have confessed myself! I there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church | John Proctor |
| I have given you my soul, leave me my name | John Proctor |
| Give them no tear. Tears pleasure them. Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it | John Proctor |
| Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for these, weeps for corruption! | Danforth |
| He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him! | Elizabeth Proctor |
| crucible | container in which metals are heated until they meltOR a test or a trial |
| Who is Reverend Parris, Betty, and Abigail? What is their relationship? | Parris is the fater of Betty and Abigail is the niece. |
| Who is Tituba? What is her relationship to the family? | She is a black survent to Reverend Parris. |
| What is Wrong with Betty? | She is paralized. |
| Why does Parris suggest calling Reverend Hale? | To ask him to find out if there are witches amoung them. |
| Who are Ann and Thomas Putnam? What do they suggest is Betty’s problem? | Ann lost 7 children at birth, Thomas is her husband and he is greety for land. They think she is possesed. |
| Who is Ruth? What is her relationship to the Putnams? | Thje daughter of the Putnams, and she is possesed aswell. |
| Who is John Proctor? What is his relationship to Mary Warren? What is his relationship to Abigail? How does he feel about his relationship with Abigail? | A farmer, and Mary is his survent. He had an affair with Abigail and she was a former survent to him. |
| Who is Elizabeth Proctor? What does Abigail think of her? How might this affect the outcome of the play? | Wife of John Proctor. She calls her a liar. |
| Who is Rebecca Nurse? What is her role likely to be in the play? | Old and had 26 grandchildren. Knows alot about kids. |
| Why is the issue of Parris’s salary raised? | He wants more money, hes not honest and he is currupted. |
| What is Putnam’s grievance over land? What significance might this have in the play? | He wants more land and hes going to accuse others of witch craft so he can claim their land. |
| How and by whom are the villagers accused of witchcraft? What is the motivation for the girls’ accusations? | Example of accused: Geroge Jacobs. The girls dont want to get introuble and they are gainning respect for helping their town. |
| What is the significance of the scene between Elizabeth and John Proctor? What does it revel about their relationship and about each of their characters? | It shows they dont communicate well with each other. |
| What is the gift Mary Warren gives to Elizabeth? | She gave her a poppet. |
| What information does Mary provide about the trial?? What role is she playing at the trial? Why does John forbid her from attending? | She tells that Elizabeth is accused. She is one of the judges. He doesnt want the shurade to continue. |
| Why does Reverend Hale come to the Proctors’ house? What does this scene reveal about Hale’s role on the trail? | To find out information of the Proctors to form an opinion of them and to see if Elizabeth was witched. It shows that he was finding out if the accused is true or not. |
| What does Proctor tell Hale about wehy the children were ill? Hopw does he claim to know? | He claims to her from Abigail that they were dancing in the woods. They pretended to be ill when Putnam walked in on them. |
| Reverend parris | Reverend Parris symbolizes the flaws in hypocrasy in the sepratist even though hypocrasy lies in his treatmentof children. |
| Rebbeca Nurse | Despite millers potral of Rebecca nurse as an pious woman she quickly loses her holyness through the communities claims ofwitch craft |
| John Proctor | The salem communtiy seejohn proctor as a man of dignity and respect however he struggles withhis own sin and hypocrisy |
| Reverend Hale | The salem community created an environment for hale’s exorcist practices even though hale’s job is based on superstition |
| Thomas Putnam | Thomas putnam wants the salem community to view him as an intellectual and religous authoritative figure however the village undermined his superiority causing him to seek revenge. |
The Crucible Multiple Choice
February 26, 2020