"The Crucible" - Act 2 Questions and Notes

ACT 2

The setting is evening, eight days after the events of Act 1.
The enclosed atmosphere is continued as Act 2 is set in the main room of Proctor’s house. The action at first centres on John Proctor and Elizabeth. Affairs that touch the Proctor household are symptomatic of the wider events which affect the whole of Salem.

John seasons his food, then complements Elizabeth on how well she has seasoned the food.
· What does this illustrate about their feelings towards one another?

John’s relationship with his wife is uneasy and constantly changing. Their first appearance together is full of subtle hints of an unhappy marriage (which is later redeemed by their sufferings).
· Find examples of this unease.

· Explain clearly why you think Miller directs Elizabeth to “receive” John’s kiss?

They cannot talk about the affair and their lack of honesty with each other illustrates, in microcosm, the ill that affects the whole community.

Mary Warren is discussed.
· She was originally described as a “mouse”. Does this description still apply?
· What does the change in Mary represent?

· Examine the way Elizabeth describes events in the town and how this contrasts with the (superficially) peaceful mood in the house.
· Find two remarks made by Elizabeth that point to the rise in Abigail’s power in the past few days.

John’s first ‘test’ comes when Elizabeth asks him to go to Ezekiel Cheever. He refuses to take action and perhaps this is because of his feelings for Abigail and his desire not to accuse her.

John admits to having been alone with Abigail.
· What do you think this revelation does to Elizabeth’s faith in John?
· What do you think is John’s main concern: his own good name, Abigail, or the relationship with his wife?

“You forget nothin’ and forgive nothin’…”
· Is this resentment justified, or is it the result of John’s guilty conscience?

Although John’s independence and refusal to accept authority can later be regarded as noble, here it leads to an expression of guilt through resentment.

“The magistrate sits in you heart” shows John has to look to the demands of his own conscience for decisions, just as he will have to do later on.


Balance seems to be suggested in the death sentence pronounced against Goody Osburn and the fact that Sarah Good had confessed and will not hang.
This is mirrored when Danforth strives for Proctor’s confession- he sees it as partial justification for the trials and hangings already taken place.

· Find the ‘evidence’ by which the women are accused.
What is terrifying and ominous is the credulity that the court shows in hearing evidence.
· Look for more unlikely or unconvincing things being believed.


Proctor’s final test is prepared for: “Then go and tell her she’s a whore”
Elizabeth has now realised that Abigail means to ‘replace her’ as John’s wife and is aware of her ‘name’. John is uncertain what to do, but his decision not to confess grows out of several changes of mind.

· Find the description of Hale. What has changed about him?
· Why does he act without 'authority’?

Hysteria is increased because we do not se the majority of the arrests: the numbers grow with horrifying speed.

The Commandments
It is ironic that John should forget “Thou shalt not commit adultery”.
· How do the three characters react to this lapse in memory? What greater significance does it carry for at least two of them?

Giles Corey arrives with news of his wife’s arrest. His timing is ironic as Hale has just been interrogating Proctor about his belief in witches and this interrogation was prompted by Giles’ earlier unthinking remark. His question about his wife’s reading of books has inadvertently led to her arrest.

Elizabeth is arrested and this shows different side to her character. She is a realist- she recognises the inevitability of her arrest and makes preparations for the family. She demonstrates great control and puts her own safety last.
· Do you believe that she is “cold”, as Abigail says? Discuss in light of the present situation.

Reverend Hale is in a “fever of guilt and uncertainty”.
· Look back and assess his reactions to Mary Warren’s evidence. Was this where his doubts about the validity of the witch-hunts began?

The fact that Mary knows about Abigail’s relationship with Abigail brings John to an abrupt halt. After all, if Mary knows, who else knows? Proctor’s guilty secret, the thing which has been keeping him back from taking the necessary action, seems to be common knowledge. However, he still has to come to terms with confessing this in public.
· Find the religious imagery that Proctor now uses.
It is his moral duty as a Christian to put a halt to the witch-hunt. He almost welcomes the honesty that is forced upon him.
“It is a providence, and no great change; we are only what we
always were, but naked now.”
He will no longer have to live with a lie, tormented by his past, but he knows what is coming will not be easy. His ordeal will be great.