The play The Crucible by Arthur Miller tell the story of Reverend Hale and the witch trials in the town of Salem,Massachusetts. In the play, Reverend Hale was called to Salem because Betty,the daughter of local Reverend Parris, will not wake up after she was found dance around a cauldron in the woods. Hale examines her, and concludes that the devil has bewitched people in Salem. Later in the play, Hale realizes that maybe hr is wrong about the devil. He tries to save John Proctor, a man accused of being a witch or a warlock, but Proctor refuse to confess to a crime he didn't commit to escape being hung. Hale tries to convince Proctor's wife to influence John to agree to a confession. He tells her “ Cleave to no faith when faith brings blood”
This quote functions as an apology to Elizabeth, and the town, it also functions as an confession for the character Reverend Hale, because Hale believes that he mislead the town into thinking that witchcraft is in Salem. Hale wanted to find the devil so badly, that once Abigail told him about being attacked by witches, He believed them immediately. As the trials commenced he began to realize that innocent people were getting killed. Hale believes that the greatest gift that god can give you is life, and when religion threatens that gift, you shouldn't have faith in that religion.
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This quote shows that justice should be separate from religion. “Cleave to no faith when faith brings blood”, means don't cling to religion if the religion is causing harm, or in this case the Witch Trials. When the trials ended,the people of Salem realized that religion should be separate from government, which lead to the eventual abolishment of the theocracy in Massachusetts. When the United States was later founded the separation of the church and state was written into the Bill of Right of the
Truth is oftentimes glazed over or obscured by the sweet words of the manipulator, and the journey to discover it is painful in the mental aspect by challenging one’s mindset or morals. To those who have faith in truth, however, it can be a savior shining a light onto the path of righteousness. In the play The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, the eloquent lies of a single girl by the name of Abigail expands into full-blown witch trials where minister Reverend Hale is brought in to examine the markings of those tainted by the Devil. Within his time spent in the ominous village of Salem, the lies exposed to him begin to query his life-long standings of the Bible and God. As he further uncovers the truths, Hale’s role in the Salem Witch Trials undergoes a dramatic transformation from a certain accuser, to a precarious bystander, to the defender of the tried.
A theme in The Crucible is that a society ruled by theocracy and status based on religion is bound to fall apart. Salem 's strict adherence to the Christian shurch is evident in everything the citizens do. They use measures of a person 's knowledge and adherence to the religion as a means of judging their character and also their status in society. They believe "God [was] provoked so grandly by such a petty cause" (121), which is why the "jails are packed" (121). If the citizen did anything to make God angry, they were punished. This is why the judges were so relentless and naïve in putting the accused women to trial and convicting them. They believed "the law, based upon the Bible, and the Bible, writ by the Almighty God,
The towns’ people accused now are too well known and well respected to be witches. He begins lose faith in the court as the court proceeds to accuse more people. Most of the accusations made absurd. Reverend Hale himself cannot believe that such well respected towns’ people could be
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Reverend Hale’s attitude and beliefs are changed completely as the play progresses. After Reverend Parris is a witness to girls dancing in the woods and also when his daughter becomes very ill, he calls Rev. Hale to Salem. Hale’s job is to find any form of witchcraft and to get rid of it. Over the course of the play, Rev. Hale experiences a transformation in his beliefs from the beginning of the play to the end. Reverend Hale has three different emotions throughout the play. When Hale is introduced in the the beginning of the play, he is passionate and very confident about finding witchcraft and getting rid of it. In the middle of the play, Hale is frustrated and he does not know who to trust nor
The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a play that takes place in the sixteen nineties during the famous but tragic witch trials. Reverend Hale who is a minister and an expert of the demonic arts and witchcraft is sent from East Hanover to Salem where there is a spreading fear of witchcraft. When Hale arrives in Salem he finds the entire town in total chaos. At the beginning Hale is adamant in believing that they’re where witches and that nothing but good could come of his being there. Near the end when the truth has been exposed, Hale with so much blood on his head pleads : ‘‘ I come to do the Devil’s work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves. There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on
Change is inevitable. Many humans fight it while others greet it with open arms and smiling faces. Most people change because of things that happen around, or to them. Negative or positive, the actions can dictate whether the individual changes for the worse or for the better. Reverend Hale in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is the perfect example of this. He changes drastically, yet gradually, throughout the entire play. Hale progresses from conceited due to his abilities, to hesitant because of the great negative impact the witch trials are beginning to hold, and finally, he becomes regretful because of his ignorance and the actions it caused.
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the witch trials in Salem were a devastating time. The entire community was in disorder and chaos because of personal vengeance. This included accusations of innocent town’s people being called witches, so they hanged and were jailed. Throughout the play certain characters help the rise of witchcraft as well as the disapproval of all the innocent people who were being convicted for no reason. Reverend Hale is a dynamic character whom comes to rid of the evil spirits in Salem, yet he later tries to end the trials. Hale realizes the accusations are false, attempts to postpone the hangings, and persuade the victims to lie conveys that he is a dynamic character and changes throughout the play.
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.
“Hale: Quail not before God’s judgment in this, for it may well be God damns a liar less than he that throws away for pride” (206). Reverend Hale’s eye-opening words make Elizabeth realize that John Proctor should do the right thing for God, even if that includes lying. This quote relates to the Salem witch trials because during this time, the court was getting involved with the town, so everybody had to constantly tell the truth. Overall, the play gives a feeling of the Salem witch trials by using facts and events relevant to the time period. On a similar topic, Arthur Miller feels that everybody is vindictive, manipulating, and betraying each other; therefore, Miller uses his troublesome experience to commemorate the demeaning investigations of witches. Miller’s high disapproval of the American government, especially how the court handles situations, is greatly represented in his play. The characters change throughout the story, and they start to realize that it is not all about what the government wants for their life. They soon enough start thinking and speaking for themselves which leads to big decisions and disapproval from the American government. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, he artistically manipulates the authentic facts of the Salem witch trials’ victim John Proctor to fiction in order to similarly represent his interrogation during the Red Scare while also putting a spin on the trials through his style, characterization and tone.
The Crucible is a play that takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during the year 1692 and in short contains Abigail the Reverend’s niece accusing several women of practicing witchcraft. This leads to a witch-hunt. John Proctor and his wife Elisabeth realize that Abigail, with whom John once had an affair with, started all this in order to get Elizabeth hung in order for her to be able to get back together with John. Trying to save his wife’s life John testifies in court about the affair. Elizabeth trying to save her husband, and not knowing he admitted to it, denies it causing John to be accused of witchcraft. John was offered the chance to sign a confession and save his life but refuses to do so as he is concerned over the innocent citizens
In the play The Crucible, author Arthur Miller uses the dynamic character Reverend John Hale to serve as a passionate voice of reason in the otherwise hysterical village of Salem, Massachusetts.
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
The Salem witch trials of 1692 caused much confusion and chaos. A total of 19 were executed for supposed witchcraft. For such a travesty to occur and to end, there must be certain people that catalyze the event and others that speak out against it. In "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller, specific characters contribute to the rising hysteria of witchcraft and the disapproval of the convictions. Reverend Hale is a unique character that provides attributions to both sides. Although Reverend Hale is a catalyst to the beginning of the witch trials because he protects the authority of the court with a strict interpretation of its laws, he later realizes the falsehood of the court's accusations, and he makes a dramatic shift in his dependency on
Widespread paranoia inflicts the puritan people of Salem in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. The hysteria that surrounded Salem was due to the idea of people surrendering themselves to the devil, going against God and unlawfully practicing witchcraft. After Parris had found his daughter, niece and several other girls dancing in the forest, his Betty and the Putnam’s Ruth fell sick, or rather inflicted by the devil. Reverend Hale was soon called to Salem to scrutinize the children and determine whether or not witchcraft had taken ahold of them. Reverend Hale is one of the most dynamic characters throughout the play; he experiences inner changes, such as discovering and accepting that witchcraft is not present in Salem, and in the end, his decision to attempt to save Proctor ultimately lead to his personal destruction, making him a tragic figure as well.
The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, based upon the 1692 Salem Witch Trials; this play delves into the possible thoughts of the people and process of the Trials. Throughout the entirety of this play, some of the main characters go through evident thought provoking changes. For instance, John Hale, a vivacious Reverend summoned to Salem to rid the village of the “witches” that threaten the people. Hale comes to Salem with his adamant faith in God and all things holy to help the townspeople. Though, as the plot thickens some of those who are accused or mentioned in the court come as a shock to Hale; he begins to doubt and question the girls who accuse the people of witchcraft. Questioning and doubt provide Hale with truth and reason.