The Crucible

"I saw Indians smash my dear parents' heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!"

Abigail

"Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits?"

Abigail

What development causes Mary Warren to recant her confession and rejoin Abigail and the other girls?

Abigail's pretending to be attacked by Mary's spirit

"I have laid seven babies unbaptized in the earth."

Ann Putnam

"Children, a very augur bit will now be turned into your souls until your honesty is proved. Will either of you change your positions now, or do you force me to hard questioning?"

Danforth

"He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!"

Elizabeth

"I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you."

Elizabeth

"My husband is a good and righteous man...I were a long time sick after my last baby, and I thought I saw my husband somewhat turning from me."

Elizabeth

"Excellency, it is a natural lie to tell; I beg you, stop now before another is condemned! I may shut my conscience to it no more - private vengeance is working through this testimony!"

Hale

Why does Reverend Parris send for Reverend Hale?

Hale is considered an expert in matter of witchcraft and the Devil.

What motivates Hale's attempt to intervene on behalf of Proctor?

Hale's commitment to the truth

What is Proctor's attitude toward Parris?

He believes that Parris is too interested in wealth.

In 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 idea about the law is conveyed by Danforth's determination to proceed with the executions immediately?

Injustice may be committed in the name of the law

Why is the phrase "out of her infinite charity" in the following passage an example of verbal irony? "No, I love God; I go your way no more. I love God, I bless God. Abby, Abby, I'll never hurt you more!" (They all watch, as ABIGAIL, out of her infinite charity, reaches out and draws and sobbing MARY to her, and then looks up to DANFORTH.)

It contradicts the audience's knowledge about Abigail's true nature.

"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life!"

John

"It's not a trick! I - I used to faint because I - I thought I saw spirits."

Mary Warren

"No I love God, I go your way no more."

Mary Warren

How does Mrs. Putnam justify sending Ruth to Tituba?

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

"A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud - ********s our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!"

Proctor

Which of the following is a consequence of Mary's going back to the side of the girls?

Proctor is arrested.

This passage is from the background information at the opening of the Act I. For what detail that comes out later in Act I does this information prepare you? "Long-held hatreds of neighbors could now be openly expressed, and vengeance taken, despite the Bible's charitable injunctions. Land-lust which had been expressed before by constant bickering over boundaries and deeds, could now be elevated to the arena or morality..."

Putnam arguing with Proctor about a piece of land to which both men lay claim

"I denounce these proceedings. I quit the court!"

Reverend Hale

"Tonight, when I open my door to leave my house - a dagger clattered to the ground. You cannot hang this sort. There is danger for me."

Reverend Parris

Considering Tituba's state of mind when she began naming names, what can you infer about her motivation?

She was afraid of Reverend Hale and thought naming names would save her from punishment.

What can the audience infer from Judge Hathorne's questioning of Martha Corey at the beginning of Act III?

The court presumes that anyone accused of witchcraft is guilty.

Which of the following sentences best describes the relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor at the opening of Act II?

They seem ill at ease together.

"You beg me conjure! She beg me make charm."

Tituba

What does Proctor mean when he tells Danforth, "********s our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together"?

We who commit wrongs knowingly are the most guilty of all

From the comments of Parris in Act I, his concern seems primarily based on his _______.

anxiety about his reputation

When Elizabeth says to Proctor, "The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you," she means that Proctor ______.

carries the knowledge of his own guilt

Which idea about the play is applicable today?

fear and suspicion can lead to perversions of justice

From the scene in which the girls are alone, what can be inferred as the basis of Abigail's influence over the other girls?

her charm and magnatic persuasiveness

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

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

Which phrase best describes Abigail Williams character?

proud and manipulative

Proctor's determination to preserve his good name speaks to the McCarthy era of the 1950s in that ________.

reputations were ruined by irresponsible accusations

What is the setting of Act II of "The Crucible"?

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

The setting of Act IV is

the Salem jail, the autumn after the trial

What is ironic about calling the confessions of witchcraft "coming to God"?

the confessions are lies and therefore sins against God

Parris hopes that Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor will confess because he believes that_______

their confessions will confirm the justice of all the trials and executions and protect him

A theme represented by Danforth's behavior is that ______.

those in power tend to act in the interest of preserving power

Why does Hale want Proctor to confess to witchcraft?

to save Proctor from execution

What is Proctor's main purpose in bringing Mary Warren to court?

to save his wife from condemnation

Hale's interview with Proctor reveals Hale to be _____.

tolerant and open

After Proctor is taken off to execution, Parris urges Elizabeth to go to her husband in order to ______.

try once more to persuade him to confess