The relationship between John Proctor and Abigail Williams is tense....
The relationship between John Proctor and Abigail Williams is tense. From their conversation in Act One, it is obvious that Abigail still very much desires John and wants to be with him. However, he...
View ArticleBecause Salem was part of a theocracy during this era, there was no...
Because Salem was part of a theocracy during this era, there was no distinction between church and state: the ecclesiastical and the civic were one and the same. This means that church law was the law....
View ArticleWhen Mr. Hale is questioning Abigail during Act One, it becomes...
When Mr. Hale is questioning Abigail during Act One, it becomes apparent, quickly, that she is about to be blamed for Betty's illness and that she could be blamed for something even worse: inviting the...
View ArticleAbigail has provided testimony that Elizabeth Proctor sent out her...
Abigail has provided testimony that Elizabeth Proctor sent out her specter, or spirit, and that it pushed a long needle into her belly while she sat at dinner. Spectral evidence was permitted during...
View ArticleThe state of Salem is very bad. Reverend Parris fears rebellion as...
The state of Salem is very bad. Reverend Parris fears rebellion as they've heard occurred in Andover, nearby. Cows wander the highroad, orphans too, and crops rot, unharvested in the field. Parris has...
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 is questioning Abigail during Act One, it becomes...
When Mr. Hale is questioning Abigail during Act One, it becomes apparent, quickly, that she is about to be blamed for Betty's illness and that she could be blamed for something even worse: inviting the...
View ArticleIn The Crucible, it is very common to see a husband tell his wife what...
In The Crucible, it is very common to see a husband tell his wife what to do, which demonstrates the lower position of women in this community. When the Putnams arrive at Reverend Parris's house in Act...
View ArticleThere are rumors that Elizabeth Proctor does not like Abigail Williams...
There are rumors that Elizabeth Proctor does not like Abigail Williams because of the fact that Elizabeth dismissed Abigail from her family's service seven months prior to the start of the play, and...
View ArticleRebecca Nurse is in jail because she has been accused of witchcraft. In...
Rebecca Nurse is in jail because she has been accused of witchcraft. In Act Two, when Giles Corey and Francis Nurse arrive at the Proctors' home, Francis tells John Proctor and Mr. Hale that Cheever...
View ArticleTo her uncle, the Reverend Parris, Abigail denies witchcraft; she tells...
To her uncle, the Reverend Parris, Abigail denies witchcraft; she tells him that the girls danced, and that is all. However, he saw a dress lying in the grass, someone naked running through the trees,...
View ArticleThe Puritans did believe that someone who has been bewitched would be...
The Puritans did believe that someone who has been bewitched would be unable to bear hearing the Lord's name. Therefore, when Betty, prone upon her bed, screams as the village sings a hymn below,...
View ArticleParris is highly suspicious of a section of his parishioners. He sees...
Parris is highly suspicious of a section of his parishioners. He sees them as his enemies, and he is afraid that they are out to ruin him. Parris sees the event in the forest as an opportunity for his...
View ArticleJohn Proctor seems to feel that Reverend Parris's priorities are...
John Proctor seems to feel that Reverend Parris's priorities are misplaced, and Parris resents Proctor's willingness to question and disobey him. The first time they disagree in the play is over...
View ArticleMiller has made a great many changes to the facts of history in...
Miller has made a great many changes to the facts of history in constructing this play. It is a work of literature and not a work of history, and, while he is somewhat concerned with history, providing...
View ArticleIn Act 3, Elizabeth's lie further incriminates her husband and causes...
In Act 3, Elizabeth's lie further incriminates her husband and causes the court to distrust Proctor's veracity. Accordingly, when Elizabeth is brought before Danforth, she refuses to confess that her...
View ArticleThe last we hear of Abigail in the text is that she, along with her...
The last we hear of Abigail in the text is that she, along with her friend, Mercy Lewis, robbed the Reverend Parris, her uncle, of his life's savings -- thirty one pounds -- and run off to board a ship...
View ArticleMr. Hale says that there is blood on his head because he feels...
Mr. Hale says that there is blood on his head because he feels responsible for the deaths of the innocents who have been hanged prior to Act Four as well as for those folks scheduled to hang in the...
View ArticleMary Warren found a new sense of self-importance after being appointed...
Mary Warren found a new sense of self-importance after being appointed as an official of the court. According to her, the new job was more important compared to what she did at the Proctor home. She...
View ArticleWhen John Proctor utters these words, he is incredibly angry (and...
When John Proctor utters these words, he is incredibly angry (and somewhat incredulous) as a result of his wife, Elizabeth, being accused of and arrested for witchcraft. He is also responding to...
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