Do Now: Look at the photo on page 197. Where are Proctor and the women

being taken? What about the photo conveys a sense of hopelessness?

• execution

• “it’s a proper morning to fly into Hell”

• day’s events will be very grim

• jail-like appearance of the cart

• chains that bind the characters – no escape, Proctor looks vacant, like a caged animal

• the woman next to him has her eyes closed, trying to block out the scene or showing resignation

• Sarah Good’s state of mind is fragile and almost delirious –responds to the Devil as an unseen master and babbles about being transformed into a bluebird and flying off to Barbados with Tituba

• In lines 52-80

• “bitter cold” outside (58)

• no fire for warmth (76-77);

• the only physical comfort is “old rags and straw” (55)

• the smell is terrible (80)

• People have been executed - the cows are wandering aimlessly around the village since their owners have died

• orphans in town

• crops are rotting

• Parris is acting as though he were insane – guilt?

• Parris asks Danforth to postpone the executions

• Parris is actually trying to save his own skin-villagers are doubting the veracity of the trials and to blame Parris for instigating them

• Abigail and Mercy Lewis they have disappeared, along with all Parris’ money – worried about their own safety

• Parris fears there will be a riot

• the people of Andover have overthrown the court, fed up with the witchcraft trials –rebellion

• People like Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor still carry a lot of weight in the town; their deaths might result in vengeance, especially toward Parris

• The confession of a Rebecca Nurse or a John Proctor would convince the town that anyone can be linked with the Devil and that the witch trials were accurate

• If they maintain innocence the town might have doubts about the court; honest people will weep for them and the purpose of the court will lose its goodness since it will be seen as killing good people

• Parris - there was a dagger stuck in his door –a warning or assassination attempt

• Danforth cannot pardon those who refuse to confess because 12 people have already been hanged for the same crime

• to pardon others would be unjust and cast doubt

• Mob action that rises from hysteria feeds on excessive emotion from the crowd

• Parris is afraid that hysteria will turn against him

• Hale is trying to convince Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor to lie and to admit to witchcraft

• feels guilty for participating in the deaths of others and wants to save lives at all cost; he screams “there is blood on my head”

• Lines 344-360. He admits that his initial views regarding the witch hunt were misdirected.

• whatever he touched with his law and religion died;

• any faith that leads to the loss of life or asks for a blood sacrifice should be abandoned

• Life is God’s greatest gift

• “God damns a liar less than he that throws away his life away for pride. Pride is Lucifer’s sin.” –pride is worse

• Elizabeth Proctor is brought to see John to convince him to confess

• this will prove to the community that the witchcraft charges are true not only about him but about all the other upstanding citizens who are awaiting execution

• Lines 368-386. Elizabeth is proud and refuses to be controlled by Danforth. “I promise nothing” = defiance.

• She has been used before and condemned John when she didn’t speak the truth about his affair with Abby = has learned that she cannot trust the court

• Giles Corey would not answer or acknowledge the charges against him.

• “More weight” - courage

• his big mouth had gotten his wife in trouble –he refuses to open his mouth to accuse anyone

• The hysterical search for the Devil was supposed to protect people, instead, it is destroying them.

• Proctors = a husband and wife are torn apart, a father will die unnecessarily, children lose their parents

• Elizabeth hasn’t seen the sons in months, the new baby will never know its father

• Proctor asks which people have confessed to witchcraft

• he is thinking that he might confess to stay with his family, but none of the good people have confessed – he would feel like a weak fraud, since Rebecca and Martha are not afraid to die

• John convinced himself that he is not a saint, like Rebecca, so he shouldn’t die a martyr’s death like her.

• lying to save his life won’t make him any worse of person since he’s a sinner already

• doesn’t want to be an inspiration

• fears to leave his children without a father

• Elizabeth’s advises that he must decide for himself

• she tells him it was her fault that he had the affair with Abigail, because she was insecure, jealous and cold

• She never realized what a good man he is and she sees his goodness now (525-6)

• Proctor learns that his confession must be written and posted – used as an example and proof

• Will not condemn Rebecca when asked

• when he is told to sign the confession – pride and ownership of his name

• John’s ‘confession’ must be permanent so it can be used to prove the court’s victory to those that are starting to doubt

• Proctor argues that he confesses before witnesses and before God – there is no need for paper proof

• the public isn’t his judge, God is, and God saw him write his name and confess

• Lines 725-730

• Proctor’s name is his reputation and he can’t have another one; he knows that what others say and what he says do not have the same value

• “I will not deal in lies” line 733

• Ironic

• Danforth’s court and judgments are all based on lies

• Proctor refuses to save himself with lies, dies for truth

• Elizabeth decides to let him go - “he has his goodness now, God forbid I take it from him”

• He is redeemed

• At the end, John and Elizabeth reconcile

• They realize that neither one is perfect – she was a “poor” wife, and he turned to sin

• At the end both of them do the right thing –he refuses to lie, she refuses to make him

• They forgive one another

• line 746

• Proctor has strength and goodness, which he thought he had lost because of his affair; the court’s injustice gave him back a peace that he had lost

• Rebecca tell John not to fear because they will get a just judgment when they die –allusion to Heaven

John’s conflicts

• Internal: feelings for Abigail – comes to despise her when he sees what she has done to the town

• Internal: feelings for Elizabeth – rediscovers his love for her when he sees her strength

• Internal: decision to confess – saves his reputation and takes back his confession

• External: Parris – wins the battle by refusing a confession

• External: Elizabeth – they fall back in love• External: court – he refuses to condemn his friends and

dies for the truth

Tragic Hero

• Character must be of noble/high reputation

• Pride blinds them

• Tragic flaw – pride, greed, lust, ambition, jealousy, etc.

• Flaw leads to downfall – ruins his career or reputation

• Enlightenment (near the end of the play) – realizes his sin, he is humble, and accepts consequences

• Death

• Everyone everywhere can relate to the kinds of problems or sufferings or emotions

Themes

• society can be shaken by irrational fear

• importance of integrity – even under persecution

• Universal conflicts or themes

• good versus evil

• dissent vs. authority

• individual vs. society

• fear vs. courage