The Crucible

John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor had reached a downfall in their relationship after Proctor’s affair with Abigail Williams. Ever since, Proctor had tried to gain back Elizabeth’s respect which proved their deep rooted love for one another. This angered Abigail since she was in love with Proctor, which lead her to accuse Elizabeth of Witchcraft. Throughout the court trials, Proctor continuously defends Elizabeth and himself, yet realizes he must tell the truth on how he committed adultery. Elizabeth, renown for her honesty, lies in the court to try and save Proctor, however, she is ultimately contradicting the truth Proctor had previously told. Elizabeth’s false confession led Proctor to his death, even though Proctor had cried out, “She only thought to save my name!” (Miller 113). Proctor’s confession signifies that he was protecting Elizabeth to help her get out of jail which also would have proved that Abigail was making false accusations. On the other hand, Elizabeth’s fabricated confession could have saved Proctor’s name, and would allow him to keep is high esteem. Proctor and Elizabeth’s twisted situation suggests that the truth would not always set one free. In this case, all the truth that had been confessed was enough to prove Proctor and Elizabeth innocent, yet one lie tore it all apart. Even though Proctor confessed all his truth to prove innocence, the

When Reverend Hale arrives in Salem he was very confident holding his books about witches and spirits. He says how its better not to jump to conclusions about witchcraft. Also when he gets to Salem he is not filled in about the property issues an the problems with the community and church. At the very beginning of the court hearing Hale believes the girls and who the accused of witchcraft.

In the very beginning of the story, Jonathan Harker is traveling to Dracula’s castle in place of his boss who couldn’t go. His intentions are good so he can help his boss and make some money off of the land he is planning to sell, however his intentions get turned around when Dracula traps him inside the castle and he fears for his life. These are examples of situational irony.

Quickly after Mr. Hale’s arrival in Salem, the situation regarding witchcraft escalates. Mr. Hale gets sucked into the middle of something which didn’t impact his life personally in the first place. As rumors of the devil spread around, more names known to be “seen” with him are mentioned in the court. Mr. Hale takes it upon himself to visit the houses of those who are accused of involvement in witchcraft. “No— no, I come of my own, without the court’s authority. Hear me. I know not if you are

Furthermore, Reverend Hale was pushed to change also. Hale came into Salem a stranger, but knew how to fix the problem the town endured. He never questioned that God had a plan and always thought that something was either good or bad, with no gray area in between. This thinking is challenged when Elizabeth, a pure person, is accused and then later when John confesses. He knows that these people are honest and leaves the court for a period of time. In the end, Hale is a desperate man, and even though knowing there is no witchcraft present, he urges John to admit that he is not the one that should be punished. He has to question all the rules he has lived by his whole life and pursue something he knows is incorrect. In essence, Reverend Hale is pushed to his limits and is turned into a man that will be permanently in suspicion of any standards he ever thought were true.

A week later, alone in their farmhouse outside of town, John and Elizabeth Proctor discuss the ongoing trials and the escalating number of townsfolk who have been accused of being witches. Elizabeth urges her husband to denounce Abigail as a fraud; he refuses, and she becomes jealous, accusing him of still harboring feelings for her. Mary Warren, their servant and one in Abigail’s circle, returns from Salem with news that Elizabeth has been accused of witchcraft but the court did not pursue the accusation. Mary is sent up to bed, and John and Elizabeth continue their argument, only to be interrupted by a visit from Reverend Hale. While they discuss matters, Giles Corey and Francis Nurse come to the Proctor home with news that their wives have been arrested. Officers of the court suddenly arrive and arrest Elizabeth. After they have taken her, Proctor tells Mary that she must go to Salem and expose Abigail and the other girls as being frauds and making up all these accusations just to gain the attention of others.

One example is when Bottom’s head gets turned into a donkey (Shakespeare 1.2.21). This is an example of Dramatic irony because we know why his friends are running away from him because his head is a donkey but he does not know that or that his head is a donkey. Another example of verbal irony is when Helena does not know why Lysander is in love with her (3.2.13-18). This is also dramatic irony because we know why Lysander is in love with her because Puck put the flower juice on Lysander’s eyes to make him fall in love with her however Helena still does not know why Lysander is in love with her. These are some ways that shakespeare uses dramatic irony in A Midsummer Night’s

Hale is a minister of Beverly a nearby town of Salem. He comes to Salem after hearing about witchcraft. He has studied the act of witchcraft extensively. He wants to heal the town of Salem and its people of witchcraft and the devil. He starts to question the court. Hale questions Abigail. Why was Abigail dancing in the woods (155)? It is towards the end of the play that Hale really starts questioning everything. He questions his own ability. He questions the court. He even questions his faith in God.

~The four tests that hale administer to Proctor are on why he rarely attends church on Sabbath day; John responds by saying that his wife was ill in winter. Hale then proceed to ask why he could not come alone and John answers him by saying that he would attend church when he and the chance but when he couldn’t then he would pray in his house. Another test Hale administers is about why john only had two of his three children baptized; John answers by saying that he dislikes Rev. Parris and that he does not want his child to be baptized by Parris. Hale then administers John to quote the Ten Commandments, John answers by quoting the commandments but he forgets one which is adultery. John is also asked by hale about testifying in court but john states that he has no witness as well as not being able to prove

One of the many types of irony used to demonstrate the characters’ actions is verbal irony. The court scene in Act III shows an example of verbal irony. Mary Warren and John Proctor are being questioned in affiliation to Elizabeth’s possession of any poppets. Parris was trying to validate the fact that maybe they were uninformed of her custody of these, that maybe she could have hidden her poppets.(The Crucible Verbal Irony 1) In reply to Proctor, Parris says, “We are here, Your Honor, precisely to discover what no one has ever seen.”(Miller 104) He is simply meaning the court is trying to come upon the poppets that allegedly Elizabeth had hidden in her house, that no one has ever

Sometimes the truth is hard to see, but if you look hard enough you can always find it. Reverend Hale’s intention was to help the town of Salem find the truth. He thought he found it quickly, but then realized that he was wrong. Coming to this realization caused him to look at the problem in a different way. Once he found this, he did everything that he could to help anyone that was accused. Reverend Hale changed from being accusatory to helping the accused.

Towards the beginning of the book Reverend is focused on figuring out who is a witch and convict them of witchery, which is shown through logos. He says that powers of the dark “are gathered in monstrous attack upon this village. There is too much evidence to deny it.” (64). Miller uses this quote to show how Hale is willing to convict any person that appears to be apart of the devil, which adds details about Hale’s character. Hale is enthusiastic and determined as well as exceptionally respected in the town of Salem. As the book progresses, Reverend Hale’s viewpoints shift towards wanting and needing more time to convict witchcraft. Hale believes “you must hear the girl, sir,” (88). Hale manipulates pathos to convince Danforth to give Mary Warren a chance to explain her experience with spirits. In addition, Hale explains he must have more time to convict hangings (129). This is quite a big shift from the beginning of the book, but Miller employs pathos to explain the passion and desire Hale has to figure out who should be convicted of

A scholar from Beverly, Reverend Hale comes to Salem on Reverend Parris ' request to investigate supernatural causes for Betty Parris ' suspicious illness and thus instigates the rumors of witchcraft. Hale approaches the situation precisely and intellectually, believing that he can define the supernatural in definitive terms. Despite his early enthusiasm for discerning the presence of witchcraft in Salem, Hale soon grows disillusioned with the witchcraft accusations that abound and defends Proctor when he challenges Abigail. Hale does this out of guilt, for he fears that he may have caused the execution of innocent persons.

When Reverend Hale enters the county of Salem, he brings with him the demeanor of a respected authority figure. When Reverend Parris remarks about the weight of Hale’s bags, he responds that “they are weighted with authority” (Miller 34). The bag is weighed by the authority of God, who through Hale as a conduit spreads his justice upon the wicked and mercy upon the poor. Hale sets himself up with false authority, believing that his collection of books and artifacts will fend off the demons making their home in Salem. By placing himself in a position of power, he causes the citizens to believe that his word is truth, which eventually leads to the spreading of the witchcraft accusations. Next, when Thomas Putnam tells him that Betty Parris can not stand to hear the Lord’s name, he demands that the citizens listen to him as the sole judge of the affliction: “The devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stones, and I must tell you all that I shall not proceed unless you are prepared to believe me if I should find no bruise of Hell upon her” (Miller 36). The dramatic irony is that the “marks” are not as “definite as stones” as Hale truly thinks. Yet, he uses his position as an “expert” to compel the

In Act 1, Hale’s devotion to carrying out God’s law reveals his sense of obligation in eradicating the diabolic disturbances in Salem, despite the negative impact it may have on its citizens. Prior to entering the town, the Reverend’s motives lie in defeating the Devil, believing that this valiance will bring preservation to the Puritans. Although “his goal is light,” he believes the people of Salem have been “called upon to face what may be a bloody fight with the Fiend himself” (36). Despite wanting to face off with the devil, Hale stands strong in his belief that this will restore peace and prove to be beneficial. Consequences aside, his heavy