Why do court leaders want John to confess?
He wants him to sign his name to the confession, so that it can be hung up for everyone in town to see. Danforth wants to use John Proctor’s name to prove that the witch craft is real and that Danforth/the court did not hang innocent people.
What is the effect of confession in the crucible?
The irony is that this confession, and Proctor’s refusal to accept her love, is the catalyst that provokes the entire nightmarish trial. Abigail quickly turns from desperate lover to vengeful accuser, which raises a second irony: Her love, supposedly selfless, was mere possessiveness, the ultimate selfish motive.
What does he do with the confession and what happens to him as a result?
He doesn’t want his name shamed. What does he do with the confession, and what happens to him as a result? He tears it up, and gets hung.
What does John confess to the court?
John openly admits that he has had an affair with Abigail. At this point in the play, Abigail is in full control of the the girls and the proceedings of the court. By admitting that he had sex with Abigail, John can show the court that Abigail is not to be trusted.
Does Proctor still love Abigail?
John’s feelings for Abigail are not entirely clear to us at the beginning of the play. He spends time with her in the first act, and is kind to her, although he also makes it clear that he is not going to resume their affair.
Who holds the most blame for the events in Salem?
Abigail Williams
Who hangs at the end of Act 4 in the crucible?
Parris fears a riot will erupt in Salem if John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey are hanged because they are still well respected for their high principles. He wants to postpone the hangings, and Hale wants the three villagers pardoned.
Why is Reverend Parris worried in Act 4?
Overall, Reverend Parris is upset that Abigail stole his money and fled Salem and is also concerned about his safety during this chaotic, turbulent time.
Who is Reverend Parris most worried about?
Reverend Parris is most concerned about his reputation. Audiences are very aware of this concern of his early in the play. His daughter, Betty, is sick on the bed, and nobody knows what is wrong with her. His number one concern should be Betty, but instead it is his image and reputation among the people of Salem.
Why is Reverend Parris so concerned about his reputation?
Why is Parris so worried about the evidence of witchcraft being discovered in his own house? Parris wants to remain minister and fears any evidence that may harm his reputation. He sees that Parris is more concerned with keeping his position as minister than with practicing his true religion and devotion to God.
What does Abigail give as the reason she was discharged fired from the Proctor household?
Hover for more information. Abigail claims that Elizabeth Proctor fired her because she would not be her slave. Abigail was fired for having an affair with John Proctor. Proctor admits to the affair in court.
Why is Reverend Parris worried about his daughter?
Reverend Parris’s daughter, Betty, is ill, and he believes her illness to be of “natural”—not “unnatural”—cause. He is more worried about other people and how they will view him if his daughter is suspected of witchcraft.
What is Proctor most likely trying to tell Abigail?
He is easily offended and insecure because he thinks the people do not respect his position. What is Proctor most likely trying to tell Abigail in the following dialogue from Act I of The Crucible? relationship is over.
Who was the first to confess to witchcraft?
Tituba
Why does Betty confess?
Betty starts accusing people to deflect suspicion away from herself and the other girls from their dabblings in the occult in the woods. She is terrified into submission by Abigail, who tells Betty and the other girls, “…
What does Abigail confess?
Parris’s slave, has confessed to witchcraft. Abigail sees Tituba’s false confession as a way out of her own dilemma: if she also admits she’s a witch, she will be forgiven for casting charms in the woods with Tituba and her friends. Thus, she falsely confesses to witchcraft.
Who was the youngest person to be accused of witchcraft?
Dorothy/Dorcas Good
Why Salem witch trials happened?
The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft.
What were the main ways the court would determine if a person were a witch?
Courts relied on three kinds of evidence: 1) confession, 2) testimony of two eyewitnesses to acts of witchcraft, or 3) spectral evidence (when the afflicted girls were having their fits, they would interact with an unseen assailant – the apparition of the witch tormenting them).