Crucible Act I and II

Critics believed the Crucible was...

"a self contained play about a terrible period in American history"

Hale's interview with John Proctor John Proctor's attitude toward Hale

-troubled but rigid -He believes that Parris is too interested with wealth

In real life...

Abigail was about eleven years old, Proctor about eighty; the relationship would have been highly unlikely and probably didn't happen

How does Abigail feel about John? Textual evidence

Abigail wishes to continue her relationship with John. "..I cannot dream but I wake and walk about the house as though I'd find you comin' through some door."

What entertainments are denied to the Salem Puritans?

Anything that goes against God (dancing in the forest, singing, anything impure)

What causes the crying out of names at the end of the act?

Betty and Abigail are crying out who they claim to have seen with the Devil; Tituba is trying to get herself out of trouble; (mass hysteria?)

How serious was John Proctor's action in having an affair with Abby?

Considering he was a married man over the age of forty and she was about seventeen, this is very serious; it shows the Puritan society is unstable

In Act I of The Crucible, who does Mrs. Putnam blame for the "murder" of her babies?

Goody Osborn

Why does Reverend Parris send for Reverend Hale?

Hale is considered an expert in matters of witchcraft and the Devil

Why is Reverend Parris uneasy at the beginning of the act?

He fears witch craft is occurring under his own supposed perfect town

Is it clear that John desired Abigail in the past? How does he feel about her now? Textual evidence

John no longer desires a relationship with Abby. However it is clear he did in the past. He now refers to her as "child" and acts as if it never happened, this upsets Abigail. "...but I will cut off my hand before I ever reach for you again."

What is John Proctor suggesting about Mary Warren when he says "It's strange work for a Christian girl to hang old women" in The Crucible, Act II?

Mary is dangerous and should rethink her actions and behavior

Descrive the relationship between the Putnam and Nurse families

Mr. Putnam accused Rebecca Nurse of witchcraft; the Nurse family had good moral values, while the Putnam family did not

How does Mrs. Putnam justify sending Ruth to Tituba?

Mrs. Putnam feels she deserves to know why she had to endure the deaths of seven children

Why has Parris sent for Revered Hale

Parris wants Reverend Hale to see if Betty is really a witch

What causes the conflict between John Procter and Reverend Parris

Proctor accuses Reverend Parris of being a bad minister for not attending church. Also, acts of witch craft may be occurring in his town

Tituba's state of mind when she starts naming names

She is so sure that trouble will befall her that she plays along with Hale as he pushes her for information

Why have the Puritans failed to convert the Indians?

They thought the Native Americans worshipped the Devil (because they were different)

Exactly what occurred in the forrest the previous night

Tituba was found waving her arms over the fire and speaking as if to dead people by Reverend Parris

Why does Proctor call Hale "Pontius Pilate"?

accuse Hale of doing injustice by doing nothing

How are John and Abby alike/different

both driven by lust; John is a proud man &cares about his reputation, while Abby does not. She lies and manipulates her friends; she wants to get rid of Goody Proctor and continue her relationship with Proctor, while he does not care to further continue it

In Act II of The Crucible, when Elizabeth tells John "The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you," she means that Proctor?

carries the knowledge of his own guilt

Thomas Putnam's attitude toward Reverend Parris is one of

contempt or disdain

Puritans associate the forest with

disorder and evil

In his opening dialogue with Abigail in Th Crucible, Act I, what does Reverend Parris reveal to be the main reason for his concern about his daughter?

fear for his reputation

In Act II of The Crucible, what does Elizabeth encourage John to go and do?

go tell the court the girls are frauds and break his "promise" to Abby

What causes conflict between Reverend Parris and his niece?

he caught her dancing in the forrest

When Hale appears at the Proctors' door in Act II of The Crucible, he is described as "different now - drawn a little, and there is a quality of deference, even of guilt, about his manner now." What internal conflict accounts for this change?

he feels guilty for allowing events to spiral out of control in Salem

Hale arriving at the Proctors' house

he has seen events go beyond his expectations in Salem

What is Reverend Hale's background?

he is a well educated minister from Salem; he feels called upon to diagnose the children and believes deeply in the Devil's role in the situation

In The Crucible, Act II, what do you learn about John Proctor's character from the stage directions that say he "is striving against his disgust with Hale and with himself for even answering"?

he is in conflict not just with Hale but also with himself

In The Crucible, Act I, how does Reverend Parris's belief in the supernatural affect his response to his daughter's illness?

he seeks help from Reverend Hale

What is Reverend Parris upset about at the opening of Act 1?

his daughter's condition and the possible connection to her inappropriate activities in the woods

What is one conflict that the Putnams DO NOT have with others in the town Salem?

how many cattle they own

John Proctor's character

independent

When John Proctor says that the witch trials are "a black mischief" and yet the avowed purpose of the trials is to stamp out "black magic" what is this an example of?

irony

What is the "poppet" that appears in The Crucible, Act II?

it is a doll made for children

Mary Warren

naive, weak

What is implied about human nature by the number of accusations that are brought forth?

people want to find a scapegoat when things go wrong for them

Abigail's personality

proud and manipulative

What have the Puritans failed to learn from the persecution of their ancestors?

religious tolerance

In The Crucible, Act II, what does Elizabeth's statement, "John, if it were not Abigail that you must go to hurt, would you falter now? I think not," indicate?

she believes that John still has feelings for Abigail

How does Abby describe Proctor's wife? How does he react?

she describes his wife as a cold, sniveling woman. He gets angry and threatens to beat her

Consider Tituba's state of mind when she begins naming names in Act I of The Crucible. What can you infer about her motivation?

she is afraid of Reverend Hale and thinks naming names will save her form punishment

In The Crucible, Act II, what does John Proctor mean when he says that no matter what he does, "an everlasting funeral marches" around Elizabeth's heart?

she is always unhappy with him whatever he does

From the following stage directions near the start f Act I of The Crucible, what can reader conclude about Tituba's behavior at the end of the act? "She enters as one does who can no longer bear to be barred from the sight of her beloved, but she is also very frightened because her slave sense has warned her that, as always, trouble in this house eventually lands on her bank."

she is so sure that trouble will befall her that she plays along with Hale as he pushes her for information

Setting of Act 2

the Proctor's home, eight days after the girls have begun to accuse people

The Crucible is a dramatic re-enactment of...

the Salem Witch Trials; however in 1953 it was used to show the allegory in the anti communist Red Scare

In The Crucible, Act I, what sad and frightening reason drives Mrs. Putnam to hunt for witches in Salem?

the deaths of seven of her babies

What three factors does Arthur Miller blame for the occurrence of the witch hunt?

the power of the church, mob mentality, and the belief that everyone was born a sinner and had to prove they were not

Explain the relationship between John Proctor and Abigail Williams

they are having a relationship nobody knows about except for them; he is a married man over forty years old, while she is a ruthless teenage girl

What sad events have tormented the Putnam family?

they have lost seven children

which statement best describes the relationship of John and Elizabeth Proctor in the opening scene of Act II of The Crucible?

they seem to care about each other but to be ill at ease and not fully reconciled

the Proctors' relationship

they seem wordy and uncomfortable with each other

In The Crucible, Act II, what information does Mary Warren tell the Proctors about the the trial in Salem?

those accused and who confess will not be hanged and will only stay in jail

Why does Rev. Hale visit the Proctor home in Act II of The Crucible?

to ask about the "Christian character" of their house

What can you deduce from the fact that ann Putnam sent Ruth to conjure with Tituba?

to figure out if it was true that they were the ones that murdered her babies

Why does Proctor think Abigail accuses his wife of witchcraft in The Crucible, Act II?

to punish Proctor for rejecting her and to then have him for himself