Abigail Williams is a hypocrite, and her true character is exposed when...
Abigail Williams is a hypocrite, and her true character is exposed when she steals from her uncle and runs away. She pretends to be righteous and innocent by invoking the name of God, but her true...
View ArticleJohn openly admits that he has had an affair with Abigail. At this...
John openly admits that he has had an affair with Abigail. At this point in the play, Abigail is in full control of the the girls and the proceedings of the court. The judges believe that Abigail is as...
View ArticleA careful reading of the text indicates that there are a number of...
A careful reading of the text indicates that there are a number of things wrong with Betty Parris. The first and most obvious, initially, is her physical condition. When the play opens, we learn that...
View ArticleIn answer to Hale, Danforth puts forth the argument that witchcraft is...
In answer to Hale, Danforth puts forth the argument that witchcraft is an "invisible crime." Basically, he's making the claim that such a crime is largely committed apart from the community's...
View ArticleReverend Parris's desire for golden candlesticks for the Puritan...
Reverend Parris's desire for golden candlesticks for the Puritan meetinghouse call into question his devotion to this particular sect. Puritan theology rejected materialism and advised the pious to lay...
View ArticleCertainly, the desperation of Mrs. Putnam compared with the surety and...
Certainly, the desperation of Mrs. Putnam compared with the surety and humility of Rebecca Nurse illustrates the theme of ignorance versus wisdom. Mrs. Putnam is terribly superstitious, and she...
View ArticleIn addition to believing that the Devil might attack Reverend Parris's...
In addition to believing that the Devil might attack Reverend Parris's house because it would be no real victory to corrupt someone who is already corrupted, Reverend Hale seems to worry that the Devil...
View ArticleWhen Reverend Hale first arrives in Salem, he has a great deal of...
When Reverend Hale first arrives in Salem, he has a great deal of confidence in his education and ability to root out evil. He comes bearing heavy texts that he feels are "weighted with authority."...
View ArticleReverend Parris is most concerned about his reputation. Audiences are...
Reverend Parris is most concerned about his reputation. Audiences are very aware of this concern of his early in the play. His daughter, Betty, is sick on the bed, and nobody knows what is wrong with...
View ArticleRebecca Nurse is somewhat of an expert on children, having had several...
Rebecca Nurse is somewhat of an expert on children, having had several children of her own and then, by her own count, twenty-six grandchildren. Rebecca seems certain, from the outset, that Betty's...
View ArticleFirst, John Proctor has his own testimony; Abigail Williams told him...
First, John Proctor has his own testimony; Abigail Williams told him that the girls' illness has nothing to do with witchcraft, that Reverend Parris simply surprised the girls in the forest and Betty...
View ArticleMrs. Putnam has been made desperate by the deaths of her seven babies,...
Mrs. Putnam has been made desperate by the deaths of her seven babies, and, now, her sole living child has been growing unwell. She is panicked by the thought that she could lose her one daughter, and...
View ArticleBetty stated that Abigail drank a charm in order to kill Elizabeth....
Betty stated that Abigail drank a charm in order to kill Elizabeth. Abigail’s actions towards Mrs. Proctor were motivated by the fact that Abigail and John Proctor engaged in an illicit affair....
View ArticleElizabeth believes that her husband, John, still has feelings for...
Elizabeth believes that her husband, John, still has feelings for Abigail Williams, and so she is afraid that the reason he hesitates in revealing Abigail as a liar is that he doesn't want to see any...
View ArticleThe previous relationship between Abigail and the Proctors was cordial...
The previous relationship between Abigail and the Proctors was cordial until John and Abigail committed adultery and Elizabeth found out. Abigail was hired as a servant in the Proctor home, but she was...
View ArticleElizabeth's denial introduces probably the most powerful and damning...
Elizabeth's denial introduces probably the most powerful and damning turning-point in the play. Her husband, John Proctor, approached the court to testify as to her innocence after she had been...
View ArticleWhen Reverend Hale returns to Salem, he does so with a great deal less...
When Reverend Hale returns to Salem, he does so with a great deal less confidence and authority than when he came for the first time. In Act Four, he tells Elizabeth Proctor, I came into this village...
View ArticleAt the beginning of Act ll, John and Elizabeth make all attempts to be...
At the beginning of Act ll, John and Elizabeth make all attempts to be cordial to each other. They indulge in small conversation but it is obvious that there exists some tension between them....
View ArticleAlthough Ruth Putnam's eyes are open and Betty Parris's are closed, Mrs....
Although Ruth Putnam's eyes are open and Betty Parris's are closed, Mrs. Putnam describes Ruth as ailing "as she must -- [Ruth] never waked this morning, but her eyes open and she walks, and hears...
View ArticleWhen Mr. Hale tells Mary Warren, the Proctors' servant, that she charges...
When Mr. Hale tells Mary Warren, the Proctors' servant, that she charges "a cold and cruel murder on Abigail," he means that, according to what Mary has just told everyone, Abigail seems to be guilty...
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