1. “The Crucible” Act 3
Do Now: Have you or someone you know
ever been unable to make a person listen to
you? How did it feel to be ignored? Did you
finally succeed in being heard? Describe the
situation in about a paragraph.

2. • Martha Corey is
supposedly
telling fortunes
• Have you ever
read a fortune
cookie? Do you
think this court
would consider
fortune cookies
evil?

3. • Giles Corey brings evidence to free his wife
from accusation.
• She was arrested based on his own suspicions
about her reading books - Guilt
• He didn’t expected that the court would go
this far with the accusations
• “they be telling lies about my wife”
• Putnam is “reaching out for land”, according
to Corey

4. • Francis Nurse and Giles Corey want to
convince the court that the girls are frauds
• openly weeping – cares for his wife and feels
responsible for her plight

5. • Danforth insists that
they follow procedure
and that the men
submit affidavit; this
is the third day that
they have tried and
failed to be heard;
their wives might be
executed before the
written plea is
reviewed

6. • The judges don’t want
their authorities
challenged. They
don’t want to think
about the girls being
frauds since they
already sentenced
women to death
based on their
testimony.

7. • 400 are in jails, 72 condemned to hang: he will
not want to listen to proof because he would
then have to review all his previous decisions

8. • Lines 121-133 – Mary Warren has not been at
court all week; Herrick says she was sick and
Giles says that she has been “striving with her
soul all week” - guilt

9. • Mary reveals that the girls are all pretending
and that she never saw any spirits
• Parris denounces Proctor as a troublemaker
that shouldn’t be listened to
• Danforth does not believe Mary is telling the
truth – he doesn’t want to admit that he has
been fooled by their performance

10. • Danforth believes Proctor has brought Mary
Warren to court to save Elizabeth
• Parris believes Proctor has come to court to
undermine the authority of the court

11. • Elizabeth claims to be pregnant, and if it turns
out that she is she will be kept alive until the
baby is born
• Proctor continues his attempts to prove the
girls are lying because he is also trying to save
the wives of his friends

12. • “that women will never lie” – about
Elizabeth

13. • a petition that attests to the character of
Elizabeth, Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse –
explaining they are good people and were
never seen to communicate with the Devil
• 91 signatures - Francis Nurse promised those
that signed the petition that they will not be
harmed because of it

14. • Parris and Hathorne insist
that everyone who signed
the petition should be
questioned – hysteria
• the judges are acting upon
illogical personal opinions by
wanting to bring before the
court everyone with an
unpopular opinion – the
judges feel threatened

15. • Hale protests with “Is every defense an attack
upon the court?” in lines 326-327
• Hale seems to be switching sides - he is
starting to question the events

16. • Giles insists that Putnam convinced his
daughter to cry witchery on George Jacobs so
that he can acquire his land
• the court doesn’t seem to need much proof to
convict witches, but a lot of proof when it
comes to defending them

17. • Giles Corey hesitates to give the name of the
witness against Putnam
• fears the man would be put in jail along with
the 91 who signed the character testament
• he feels guilty for causing his wife’s trouble

18. Do you agree with Danforth’s assessment
that Giles is a “foolish old man” in line 440?
• he is honorable and
keeps promises even
though he will suffer
for his silence

19. • Hale points out that there
is a fear in the country of
the court
• Danforth believes the fear
is caused by guilt
• people refuse to come to
the defense of their
neighbors for fear of
being accused
themselves; they see the
court is irrational and
fickle

20. • If Proctor is right about Abigail and the other
girls then innocent people have been
sentenced to die

21. • Hale comes forth “in a
trembling state” [506] and
implores Danforth to stop
the proceedings “in God’s
name” [512]; his “hand
shakes yet as with a
wound” [524] after he signs
Rebecca Nurse’s death
warrant because he
realizes how serious the
situation is – and suspects
that Proctor might be right

22. • Witchcraft is an invisible
crime and only the witch
and the victim can testify
to it. No lawyers.

23. • Danforth says in line
594 that Mary will
go to jail either way
- either she is lying
now or lied about
the witches – lying
is a sin

24. • Danforth encourages the girls to
continue their behavior in line 618-620 –
suggests that Mary Warren has been
conquered by the Devil and sent to the
court to distract the court’s sacred
purpose

25. • Mary Warren
cannot faint
when asked to
prove that she
was pretending
to faint
• the mood is
different, she
cannot find the
emotion for it

26. • Have you ever failed to
do something when the
need arose – something
that you had done
before or that you were
sure you could do? How
does that experience
help you understand
Mary Warren’s position
in front of the judges?

27. • Abigail refuses to
answer questions when
they reflect negatively
on her and shifts the
attention off herself
when in trouble
• she pretends to be cold,
Mercy Lewis follows,
they accuse Mary
Warren of bewitching
them

28. • John is mad that Abigail
asks for the help of
heaven
• he thinks she is such a
base sinner that she
has given up her right
to ask for heavenly help

29. • Proctor admits to his affair
with Abigail
• Abigail has swayed Danforth
to her side and Mary Warren
is weakening.
• It is his only hope to
discredit Abigail. He hopes to
prove her a whore and not a
child or a saint.

30. • Proctor argues that no man would ruin his
name unless it were true.

31. • Danforth has
Elizabeth brought to
the room to question
her about Proctor’s
claim that Abigail is a
whore.
• Proctor claims that
his wife cannot tell a
lie and kicked Abigail
out for harlotry

32. • Focus on the stage
directions in lines 920-
958.
• Elizabeth is nervous - tries
to glance at her husband,
hoping to find a clue from
him about how she should
respond; she is reluctant
to look at Danforth and
afraid that she will hurt
her husband with her
answer

33. • It was difficult for
Elizabeth to tell a lie
about John’s lechery
since she is characterized
as an honest woman
• She was trying to protect
John’s reputation
• She would never reveal
information about him
without his permission
• she has to decide
between honesty and
loyalty to her husband

34. • Hale believes
Elizabeth’s lie was
natural; he calls
Proctor an honest
man; he believes
the court is losing
control and that
private vengeance
is the cause of the
trouble

35. • Abby sees a yellow bird, which she claims
is the spirit of Mary Warren come to
silence her – once again, she shift the
attention away from her.

36. • The girls repeat
everything Mary
Warren says because
they are trying to
convince the onlookers
that Mary is directing
demonic power against
them
• Abigail has coached
them – they wait for
Abigail to lead; hysteria
– the emotion in the
room is high

37. • Proctor’s efforts to save his
wife are destroyed
• Abigail and the others badger
Mary Warren so badly that
she accuses Proctor of being
“the devil’s man” and is
believed
• Mary sides with Abigail
because of hysteria and
bullying - she has a better
chance of staying alive

38. • Hale denounces
the proceedings
and quits the court
• Proctor compares
himself and
Danforth with the
Devil – they are
both frauds and
will go to hell