The document summarizes key events from Act 3 of The Crucible. Giles Corey tries to convince the court that the girls accusing people of witchcraft are frauds, but the judges refuse to consider this. Mary Warren admits in court that the girls are pretending, but is pressured into accusing Proctor of witchcraft. Proctor admits to an affair with Abigail in an attempt to discredit her, but Abigail shifts the blame to Mary Warren through hysteria. Hale resigns from the court, realizing the disastrous consequences of their proceedings.

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