Plot
Why did Elizabeth fire Abigail?
Cheats on his wife with a younger woman
“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!”
John Proctor
Why is Reverend Parris so adamant to solve the "witchcraft" problem?
He cares only for his reputation and does not want to look bad in front of his congregation
What kind of government does Salem have during this time period?
Theocracy
What does Reverend Parris see in the woods?
The girls dancing naked in the forest
Abigail Williams
“Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know I can do it; 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 Williams
What is Abigail's motive for drinking blood in the forest?
She wants Elizabeth dead so that she can have John Proctor for herself.
This play was not written during the time of the Salem Witch Trials; what allegory is this play used for?
McCarthyism; The Red Scare
After Elizabeth is arrested, what does John Proctor demand that Mary Warren do? (Be specific!)
He demands her to tell the court that she and the other girls had been faking their afflictions from supposed witches.
Pretends to be inert in Act I; Reverend Parris's daughter
Betty Parris
“He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!”
Elizabeth Proctor
Why do the Putnams blame multiple people for witchcraft throughout the play? (Two acceptable answers)
Land; They believed them to be the cause of their babies' deaths
A crucible is a difficult test or challenge that forces people to make difficult decisions. What is the ultimate test in this play?
To lie and save your own life OR to die with integrity and honesty
What does Abigail do after accusing Reverend Hale's wife of witchcraft?
Believes that sending for Revered Hale is an unwise decision; Believes the girls are being "silly"
Rebecca Nurse; Goody Nurse
“Life, woman, life is God's most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it.”
Reverend Hale
Why does Reverend Hale quit the court?
He had enough of the false accusations, lack of hard evidence, and blind hysteria (Answers may vary slightly.)
John Proctor says, “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!”
What does he mean by this?
Children are in control of other people's lives and have more influence than they should; vengeance and other impure motives are controlling the courts (Answers may vary.)
Who is the first person to "confess" to witchcraft?
Tituba
A zany older man whose last words are: "More weight."
Giles Corey
“The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone...”
Reverend Hale
Why won't Judge Danforth postpone the hangings of John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey?
It will make him look weak, foolish, and like he accused people falsely (Answers may vary.)
Do you believe that John Proctor died with his "goodness?"
Answers may vary.