Literary Terms
Name the character that said this:
"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!"
Who is John Proctor?
“Life, woman, life is God’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it. I beg you, woman, prevail upon your husband to confess. Let him give his lie. Quail not before God’s judgment in this, for it may well be God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride. Will you plead with him? I cannot think he will listen to another.”
Describe how John Proctor feels towards Rev. Parris and why.
(Answers may vary.)
John hates Parris because he is materialistic and not a good reverend; he focuses on sin and hell rather than on Scripture and being a good Christian. Parris does not appreciate the community he's come to preach to.
This is a literary device in which future events are hinted at.
This word is defined as an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true; a mask or facade to cover up the truth.
What is "pretense"?
Name the character who says this:
“I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men!”
Who is Abigail?
Name the character that says this:
"Mr. Corey, you will look far for a man of my kind at sixty pound a year! I am not used to this poverty; I left a thrifty business in the Barbados to serve the Lord."
Who is Parris?
Was John in love with Abigail the entire play? Be specific.
No, but he does admit in his confession that he DID have a fondness for her during the affair, and that it wasn't entirely meaningless.
This is a kind of figurative language where an author compares two unlikely things to make a point or for aesthetics.
What is a metaphor?
This is the type of evidence known as "spectral evidence" used during the Salem Witch Trials and was accepted as proof of witchcraft.
Evidence where accusers claimed to see the spirit of the accused person in dreams or visions that caused them harm, even when the accused was physically elsewhere.
Name the character that says this:
"He have his goodness now - God forbid I take it from him."
Who is Elizabeth Proctor?
Name the character that says this:
"If Jacobs hangs for a witch he forfeit up his property - that’s law! And there is a none but Putnam with the cousin to buy so great a piece. This man is killing his neighbors for their land!"
Who is Giles Corey?
Why is it significant that Rebecca Nurse is ultimately charged and hanged for witchcraft?
Rebecca Nurse is considered a pillar of the community and a model Christian. Her fate reveals the vengeful nature of the accusations made, ultimately, by the Putnams, and that the accusations made by the girls are not based in any "Christian" truth.
This is a literary device in which the full or true significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.
What is irony?
This word means "great" or powerful; it suggests a marvelousness exceeding belief, usually in something felt as going far beyond the typical or natural experience.
What is "prodigious"?
Name the character who says this:
"But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between."
Who is Danforth?
Name the character that says this:
“A child’s spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back.”
Who is Rebecca Nurse?
Mary Warren means to tell the court about Abigail lying. The girls accuse her of bewitching them and sending a "great yellow bird" on her. She is so overwhelmed by John's pressuring to "do the right thing" that she turns the blame on him and accuses him of witchcraft.
This is a literary device where an author uses objects, people, places, or actions to represent abstract ideas, adding a deeper meaning beyond their literal sense to convey themes.
What is symbolism?
This word is defined as the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power.
What is "providence"?
"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 my head?!”
Name the character that says this:
"We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!”
Who is John Proctor?
How does Hale develop between Act 1 and Act 4?
Hale is focused on logic and evidence when it comes to finding witches in Act 1. In Act 2, he is concerned that Proctor will be targeted because of the "lack of Christian character" in his household. In Act 3, he is frustrated with the courts' lack of legal validity and denounces the proceedings. By Act 4, Hale is convincing those accused and ready to hang to lie and confess to save their lives because he feels guilty for sending off others to die.