Remember, though, that my analyses are just that - interpretations. In both cases, for better or for worse, pride wins out over self-preservation. Miller makes this clear from the beginning, writingGentleness exudes from her (p. 24) into the stage directions. In this way, Rebecca takes responsibility for herself and maintains her high moral standing throughout the course of the play in a way no other character in The Crucible does. why does danforth want proctor and the other prisoners to confess? cite In act 4 of The Crucible, why does John Proctor decide to confess but refuse to sign a written confession? A fire, a fire is burning! Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. 134. What airlines fly out of King Salmon Alaska? Hale has not yet spoken to John, and Danforth hopes that Elizabeth can persuade him to confess to witchcraft. It's you folks - you riles him up 'round here; it be too cold 'round here for that Old Boy. Latest answer posted April 17, 2020 at 1:25:04 AM. Already a member? As the hysteria over the witch trials dies down, it becomes apparent that the reputations of the accused continue to influence how they are treated as prisoners. He also senses change coming. Hale has only returned to convince the prisoners who have refused to confess to do so and save their lives. Latest answer posted November 22, 2020 at 12:05:25 PM, In The Crucible, explain what Elizabeth means when she says, "He have his goodness now, God forbid I take it from him. Abigail wants her dead or out of the picture so that she can be with John again. He asks for Elizabeth's forgiveness, but she says her forgiveness doesn't mean anything if he won't forgive himself. Click the card to flip They want to be finished with witchcraft in Salem. This might seem strange to us today (obviously you should just lie to avoid being executed! (Act 1, p. 25). The Crucible- Act 4 Flashcards | Quizlet In Act 4, many of the power structures that were in place earlier in the play have broken down or become meaningless. He says "I am not empowered to trade your life for a lie" (Danforth pg. How does Rebecca's character fit into the themes of the play as a whole? "Rebecca Nurse, seventy-two, enters. As he puts it to Elizabeth Proctor, God damns a liar less than one who will die for pride. Accessed 13 July 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Did John Proctor admit to adultery? - TimesMojo He feels that if Proctor confesses, his life will be saved, and maybe that will convince the others to confess and save their lives too. Danforth requests this meeting between John and Elizabeth for selfish reasons. He feels responsible for their deaths, and is trying to keep people from hanging because they won't confess. Danforth realizes that John has influence over many of the townspeople. 113. She said she was pregnant. "Explain Danforth's predicament. Danforth refuses. "Tituba, pg. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? However, Danforth's own reputation as a strong judge hangs in the balance, and he dares not damage it by getting all wishy-washy. Everyone leaves the room to allow Elizabeth and Proctor privacy. While I speak God's law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering" (pg. Both Proctor and Elizabeth realize that lying about the confession is a small price to pay for his life. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". What does Danforth want from John Why does he refuse? Danforth insists that John sign a written confession that will be posted on the church door. He doesn't want to be held up by the court as an example to other prisoners. For Hale, even though lying is a great sin, the loss of innocent lives is a greater one. He was pressed to death by heavy stones 119). John Proctor's desire for perfectionism finally destroys him, although he is eventually able to break free of Abigail's influence and return as an honest man. Accessed 13 July 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. However, the girls. They would absolve him from any error in judgment or moral responsibility for taking innocent lives. John Proctor is not Isaac Ward that drank his family to ruin. How many people die in Arthur Miller's The Crucible? Why does Danforth want John to confess? If people confess, that would point to the existence of witches and thus the relevance of the court. This is not just a matter of upholding one's good name in societyit's a matter of the state of one's soul. In act 4 of The Crucible, why does John Proctor decide to confess but refuse to sign a written confession? Ask questions; get answers. Save. He finally decides he does have some decency within him, and it will be manifested in this final sacrifice. We've got summaries for both Acts 1 and 4 as well as for the entire play. In Act 4, Rebecca is brought in towards the end to witness Johns confession (and ultimately, his recanting of that confession); she then goes out to hang with John Proctor. In The Crucible, why does Danforth hesitate to accept Mary Warren's Why is Danforth suspicious of her and of Proctor? John asks Elizabeth whether or not he should confess. Smiling face with halo from Google's Noto Project/Used under Apache license. Multiple-choice 30 seconds 1 pt Who awaits the devil's arrival to take them south to Barbados? Here, Rebecca's warning not tobreak charity, or turn against someone youre supposed to honor, foreshadows the significance that the concept will have in the play. really only wants to do what is best for his wife and family. Danforth's problem is that now the people who are in prison are people who are well respected in the community. She is looked up to in the first act as having the answers because of her reputation of religious devotion (My wife is the very brick and mortar of the church Act 2, p. 67). Why does Danforth and Hathorne want John to confess? He knows she would never give into the pressure and lie. 2008, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/crucible-why-does-danforth-hesitate-accept-mary-18157. Act 4 gives us the exciting conclusion to this saga of madness. Create an account to start this course today. Pardon or postponement would be unfair and, what's worse, it would make him look weak. In The Crucible, Reverend Hale has gone a step further and asks Danforth to pardon Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, and John Proctor. 120). After once quitting the court in disgust, he returns to Salem, a broken and tortured man for the role he has played in the trials, and moves from cell to cell, urging the accused to confess. He can't understand why Elizabeth doesn't fall apart and beg her husband to confess because he doesn't grasp the idea that an action can be legally prudent but morally distasteful. What has happened to Abigail since the trials? Hale wants Proctor to confess for different reasons; he doesn't care if the townsfolk rebel. In The Crucible, what does Mary Warren tell Danforth? 5 Why does Danforth insist on a written confession How does Proctor seem to react? Latest answer posted April 17, 2020 at 1:25:04 AM. wont stay to see witchcraft hunted out ("REBECCA: I wish I knew. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? Rebecca does not appear onstage in Acts 2 and 3, but we do learn important information about her from other characters. We have all heard of your great charities in Beverly." I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! Rebecca, in thought, now leaves the bedside and sits. Proctor understands that his signed testimony will be used to influence others to give false confessions, which will make the Court seem just. For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as Latest answer posted November 22, 2020 at 10:36:50 AM. The Crucible Act 4 Questions | Study.com Danforth is concerned that Parris is acting weird. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Ask below and we'll reply! If she persuades him to return and confess, she might as well not save his life at all because he will feel so utterly worthless after throwing away this last bit of integrity. Why does Danforth, Parris and hale want John to confess Rebecca remains strong through the course of the play; for her, doing the right thing is more important than staying alive, as she explicitly states in Act 4: Why, it is a lie, it is a lie; how may I damn myself? He claims that in the aftermath of the trials, "the power of theocracy in Massachusetts was broken." They know that Proctor is a well known and well respected man in Salem, so they are afraid that the townspeople might rebel if they hang Proctor without a confession. feature image credit: Samantha Lindsay, 2016/All rights reserved. He can't stomach the idea of also being defined by his confession in the eyes of society and history. Honest, upright, and blunt-spoken, Proctor is a good man, but one with a secret, fatal flaw. 6 What does Danforth want from John Why does he refuse? In The Crucible, why did Reverend Hale ask Elizabeth Proctor to persuade her husband, John, to confess to witchcraft? They want to be finished with witchcraft in Salem. Hale has been striving with all of the accused, trying to convince them to confess in order to save their lives. Why is it important to Danforth and Parris that Proctor confess? Danforth is exasperated and calls Parris a fool. What is the relationship between Danforth and Reverend Samuel Parris in The Crucible? Sahara Norman - Act IV Questions - 1 Sahara Norman AP John confessed in order to save his life. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! I beg you, woman, prevail upon your husband to confess. Danforth and John Proctor? Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Elizabeth attempts to defend her husband by denying the truth of the confession. Read our complete guide to the characters of The Crucible. His name is important to the townspeople. "Because it is my name! Parris reveals that he has received a death threat and fears for his life if they don't postpone the executions. Why do you think they have done this? How may I live without my name? In Act 3, Hale's identification of GoodyNurse as "Rebecca that were condemned this morning" (p. 80) lets the audience know that sometime between Acts 2 and 3, Rebecca was condemned a witch and set to hang. . Because I am not worth the dust on the feel of them that hang! To test the truth of Proctors confession and his claims against Abigail, Danforth tells both Abigail and Proctor to turn around. Hale thinks that John's life is too big a price to pay to protect his pride. Elizabeth also displays some guilt in Act 4 when she partially blames herself for pushing John into Abigail's arms ("I have sins of my own to count. Pause. Expert Answers. His lust for Abigail Williams led to their affair (which occurs before the play begins), and created Abigail's jealousy of his wife, Elizabeth, which sets the entire witch hysteria in motion. Danforth). So he approaches Proctor with a deal: sign a confession and he wont hang. Both Hathorne and Danforth are ecstatic that John finally wants to confess, and Cheever grabs pen and paper for John to write it out. So that they can post it upon the church door for all to read. In steadfastly refusing to confess, Rebecca Nurse ends up holding onto a significant amount of power. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. In Act 3, the concept comes up again when Giles Corey talks about how by accusing his wife of suspicious actions, he has broken charity with her (Act 3, p. 79-80). Rev. ), but we have to consider the pervasiveness of religion in Puritan society. They are tired of all the executions of good people. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Essential Quotes by Character: John Proctor, Critical Context (Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Literature Series), Critical Context (Comprehensive Guide to Drama). Though Rebecca Nurse's involvement has already been corroborated by other confessors, Danforth demands to hear it from John. (pg. Pray, calm yourselves Act 1, p. 25). His desperation is shown very dramatically in his final scene with Abigail Proctor, when he begs her as a last resort to get John's confession and save his life. Proctor has been contemplating making a confession, and he asks Elizabeth what she thinks he should do. When Elizabeth is taken to jail. God forbid I take it from him! Hale's argument is less than convincing to people who have spent their whole lives in service to God and don't intend to compromise such an excellent record. Latest answer posted May 16, 2021 at 12:50:01 PM. Let's do a quick recap of the events of Act 4, the frustrating conclusion of The Crucible: In Miller's short afterward, entitled "Echoes Down the Corridor," he states that Parris was soon voted out of office, and the families of the victims of the witch trials were later provided with compensation by the government. Let Rebecca stand upon the gibbet and send up some righteous prayer, and I fear shell wake a vengeance upon you (Act 4, p. 118). Parris says that the next town over, Andover, rejected the witch trial trend and threw out the court, which has sparked the beginnings of a rebellion in Salem. He almost believed Mary's story. Danforth, Parris, Cheever, and Hale return and start questioning Proctor so they can write down his confession. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. He says to her, "Be there no wifely tenderness within you? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. His good intentions rooted in a strong faith led to the loss of innocent lives. Answer: Rebecca serves as the moral high point of the play. In The Crucible, why does Danforth insist that Proctor sign the confession? Beware, Goody Proctor - cleave to no faith where faith brings blood. In act 4, why does Danforth allow Elizabeth to speak to John Proctor (Act 1, p. 23). "Let them that never lied die now to keep their souls. 126). After John confesses to witchcraft, Danforth wants him to sign his name on a written statement. John and Rebecca Nurse are led to the gallows to be executed. What does Proctor do after signing his confession? Latest answer posted November 22, 2020 at 12:05:25 PM, In The Crucible, explain what Elizabeth means when she says, "He have his goodness now, God forbid I take it from him. He finally does so, but then he snatches the signed paper away. He asks Elizabeth if she will respect him if he does. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. If you can think of a different explanation and then support it using evidence from the play, then you can and should do that! Parris points out that this is because all of the people who have been executed up until now had bad reputations for other reasons (Bridget Bishop lived with a man before marrying him, Isaac Ward's alcoholism left his family in poverty). 122)). The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. That autumn, Danforth and Hathorne visit Rev. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Rebecca herself does not confess to witchcraft and stands by as a witness to Proctors confession and ultimate denial of his confession (p. 129-134). Often these'll be related to an overarching theme, like hysteria or societal pressures. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Rebecca Nurse is a prominent and respected older woman in Puritan Salem, drawn into the witchcraft trials because of her and her husbands friction with the Putnams. Answers 1 Add Yours Answered by Aslan 7 years ago 10/13/2015 5:30 PM Parris also wants to save his own skin. However, the girls refused to confess, and John was arrested when Mary, confused and scared, sided with the girls and accused John of being the devil's minion. 126). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. John asks why he has to write his confession down instead of simply saying it, to which Danforth replies that it will be hung on the church door. Best Rebecca Nurse Analysis The Crucible, Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Score. What does Danforth tell Mary Warren will be the consequences of her new testimony? She is the yardstick against which Miller measures all other characters. If retaliation is your fear, know this - I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law, and an ocean of salt tears could not melt the resolution of the statutes." The sexism of the play shows through in Elizabeth's guilt. Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: PrepScholar 2013-2018. She is also able to get John to not completely lose it (at least temporarily): Pray, John, be calm. What is thought to influence the overproduction and pruning of synapses in the brain quizlet? Danforth, Parris and hale want John to confess because he believes that "life is God's most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it." Explanation: He feels that God will "chastise" a liar He said good morning to Parris a few days earlier, but Parris just started crying and walked away. Rev. eNotes Editorial, 25 July 2009, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/act-4-crucible-analyse-reasons-for-parris-hale-93175. All rights reserved. When Rebecca is accused of witchcraft (a decidedly ungodly crime), the only justification Hale can come up with is that God has been fooled by seeming purity before: Man, remember, until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven. (Act 2, p. 68). | 2 She is white-haired, leaning upon her walking-stick." The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests.