During the Red Scare, people were afraid of Communists in the same way Salem residents were afraid of witches. Both John and Elizabeth understand Abigail's plot to replace her, and John attempts to defend his wife by tearing the warrant. Proctor asks his wife what's wrong. Why did Tituba confess to dancing with the Devil? In this case, it's "Man, remember, until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven" (Reverend Hale pg. 2023 Course Hero, Inc. All rights reserved. Act 2 Summary John Proctor sits down to dinner with his wife, Elizabeth. The Proctor's servant Mary has skipped work to be at court all day and gives Elizabeth a doll she made. John explains that they have some issues with Mr. Parris because he seems to care more about gold candlesticks and his salary than he does about his parishioners. Salem is where Abigail Williams lives. Rebecca Nurse's husband, who has also entered the house, says his wife has been charged, "For the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnam's babies." English. Elizabeth's side of the story immediately becomes virtually irrelevant because Abigail's testimony is much scarier and more dramatic: "She sat to dinner in Reverend Parris's house tonight, and without word nor warnin' she falls to the floor. Elizabeth tells Mr. Cheever that the doll belongs to Mary and she is called on to explain. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. Despite Mary's assertion, ''no, sir, I am entirely myself,'' Elizabeth is still arrested and taken away in chains. Anyone who has crossed the girls lives in fear of being accused of witchcraft. Proctor dismisses Mary. A man bought a pig from Martha Corey and it died not long afterward; he wanted his money back, but she refused, saying that he did not know how to care for a pig. hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? Mary uses "weighty" as a synonym for "important" or "vital." Cheever relates that Abigail had a fit at dinner in Parriss house that evening. He now has a quality of deference and even guilt. As the leader of the group, Abigail has finally achieved the power she desires, and now she can use it to obtain Proctor. ", Latest answer posted March 27, 2020 at 12:59:11 PM. People are told they will be executed if they refuse to confess, so obviously false confessions abound. "I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you, and still an everlasting funeral marches round your heart. When Mary Warren tells them the court accused Elizabeth, Abigail's plan becomes clear. In act2 of The Crucible, what are examples of irony? The accusing side enjoys a privileged position of moral virtue from this standpoint. Proctor laments the lack of hard evidence, but, of course (as Danforth will later point out), in supernatural crimes, the standards of evidence are not as hard and fast. Corey says Martha has been accused of bewitching some pigs with her books. John Proctor tries to whip Mary for her insolence, but Mary interjects that she saved Elizabeth's life by defending her against accusations in court. Cheever spies the doll Mary Warren gave her. answer choices 65). Hale pg. Hale appears less and less certain of the accusations of witchcraft. She gives Elizabeth a poppet (a rag doll, essentially) that she made in court. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. In Act 2, it becomes clear that Elizabeth is jealous of Abigail following John's affair with her. John angrily insists that Mary must tell the court Abigail is lying. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# You can also read my full summary of The Crucible here for a review of exactly what happens in the plot in each act. 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). Terms in this set (14) Wnat is the mood at the beginning of Act Two? In a sense, the trials really are "weighty work" because they overhaul the entire community. Mary, in a last ditch effort to escape punishment for disobediently leaving her work to spend the day in Salem, points at Elizabeth and says, ''I saved her life today!'' In fact, Elizabeth doesn't show many signs of being overly judgmental of John (she's actually doing pretty well considering he just had an affair with a teenager), and most of these issues are a projection of his own guilt. John and Elizabeth's relationship is still strained from his affair with Abigail. He claims that "an everlasting funeral marches round [her] heart," meaning that she insists on continuing to mourn for the damage the affair did to their relationship rather than allowing him to repair it. Hale questions Proctor about his poor attendance in church. No one has suddenly become vengeful, paranoid, and unjust - they were always like this underneath a shallow layer of decorum. Elizabeth knows Abigail will continue to accuse her until something sticks, and she tells John he has to go directly to Abigail and tell her that they're NEVER gonna be a thing. Cordial with an underlying disappointment from Elizabeth toward John. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Why is Rebecca Nurse accused of witchcraft? Taken aback, Hale replies that many have already confessed. Hale asks Proctor to recite the Ten Commandments. Elizabeth believes that Abigail will accuse her of witchcraft and then have her executed. Lesson Transcript. Learn about Act 2 of ''The Crucible.'' In high school, she earned a 2400 on the SAT, 5's on all seven of her AP tests, and was named a National Merit Scholar. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Proctor replies, ''I thought better of it since,'' but the stage direction tells us ''he knows what she means.'' The setting of The Crucible Act 2 is inside the Proctor home. Accessed 6 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. The Crucible is commonly viewed as an allegorical representation of the communist "witch . 71). What we don't learn much about is his wife, Elizabeth. Why? Hale dismisses John's claim, saying he has questioned Tituba and others. Now, respectable women are being falsely charged because Abigail and the other girls are accusing so many others of practicing witchcraft. Elizabeth believes Abigail must plan to profit from Elizabeth's death, for accusing a respected member of society like her is more dangerous than accusing a drunk or indigent woman like Good or Osburn. Why is this pertinent to what is going on? Fourteen people are now in jail. B.A. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, 'c8b8e502-c285-4182-9589-5f8ae230e78a', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Samantha is a blog content writer for PrepScholar. Were they born this morning as clean as God's fingers? Proctor instructs Mary to go to bed, but she demands that he stop ordering her around. Proctors intense dilemma over whether to expose his own sin to bring down Abigail is complicated by Hales decision to visit everyone whose name is even remotely associated with the accusations of witchcraft. This section lists the most important quotes in Act 2. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Cheever asks if Elizabeth owns any dolls, and Elizabeth replies that she has not owned dolls since she was a girl. After Mary spoke in Elizabeth's favor, the charges were dismissed, she says. Elizabeth notes that Mary's demeanor, previously very meek, is now like that of "the daughter of a prince" (pg. Mary reluctantly tells them that she did, indeed, make the doll and that she put the needle there herself for safekeeping when she was done sewing. She thinks he wouldn't be so hesitant to do this if he had to discredit a different girl. If anyone is judging him, it's a mini-John Proctor with a judge wig banging a tiny gavel right on his heart strings. Everyone exits the house except Mary and John Proctor. John Proctor sits down to dinner with his wife, Elizabeth. When she returns from court, Mary gives the poppet to Elizabeth. "Now Hell and heaven grapple on our backs, and all our old pretense is ripped away - make your peace! Hale asks why John doesn't go to church often, and he says it's because his wife has been sick and he dislikes Parris' displays of materialism. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Proctor is furious that she has been in Salem all day, but Mary Warren tells him she will be gone every day because she is an official of the court. In Act 2, we see the devastating effects fear can have on a population. Elizabeth wants him to testify that the accusations are a sham. Why doesnt Danforth believe John Proctors confession of his infidelity with Abigail Williams? Check out our complete overview of the plot of The Crucible, including descriptions of the main characters and a list of major themes. John gets angry (again) that Elizabeth presumes that he's still attached to Abigail and is leading her on in some way. Elizabeth's demeanor is "frosty" and "cold" towards John. Mary Warren gives Elizabeth a poppet that she made while in court. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you They are now "jangling the keys of the kingdom," or testing their ability to provoke widespread chaos that favors their own agendas. The central idea of Act 2 is the continuing accusations of witchcraft in Salem. . Does your target always get stabbed with the same implement that you used to poke the voodoo doll? Why doesnt John Proctor attend church often? Miller wrote the play as an allegory for McCarthyism, when the United States government persecuted people accused of being communists. He knows that he can bring down Abigail and end her reign of terror, but he fears for his good name if his hidden sin of adultery is revealed. She forgot about the one Mary gave her earlier, which Cheever sees and examines. He has just visited Rebecca Nurse. John was referring to his two cats, Heaven and Hell. Foreshadowing Foreshadowing in The Crucible is in some ways unnecessary, because many if not most readers are already familiar with the historical event that inspired the story. "The little crazy children" are the accusers, mostly teenage girls who previously had no power in Salem. Mary informs the inquisitors that she made the doll while in court and stuck the needle in it herself. Fear has swept Salem, and it seems no one is safe from suspicion, not even the oldest and most respected members of the community. The play is set in Salem, Massachusetts in the spring of 1692, and the first act begins in a small upper bedroom of the home of Reverend Samuel Parris, who kneels in prayer at the bed of his daughter, Betty. Historical Context Essay: Arthur Miller and the Red Scare, Literary Context Essay: Political Theater and the Play. Why doesn't John Proctor attend church often? He kinda deserves it, tbh. Proctor has a great loathing for hypocrisy, and, here, he judges his own hypocrisy no less harshly than that of others. Fourteen people are now in jail. "I am amazed you do not see what weighty work we do." marvelousmsb. 2. "Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Furthermore, there is a needle shoved into the doll's belly. At Elizabeths urging, Proctor informs Hale that Abigail told him that the childrens sickness had nothing to do with witchcraft. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. It is not clear if Mary means this warmly, or if it's some kind of threat. That night, Abigail pretends she has been stabbed with a needle. Mary Warren returns to the Proctor house. John can't believe this. Proctor tears up the arrest warrant in frustration, but Elizabeth agrees to go peacefully. Want a full summary of the play all in one place? Mr. Hale is about to leave when Ezekiel Cheever arrives with a warrant for Elizabeth's arrest. An error occurred trying to load this video. She informs Mercy that Parris knows they were dancing in the woods. Course Hero 406K subscribers Subscribe 1.1K 108K views 4 years ago The Crucible chapter summary in under 5 minutes! She begs John to go to Abigail, to tell her in no uncertain terms that their affair is over and that she and he have no future whatsoever together. He's frustrated that he hasn't been allowed to leave the affair behind him and hates that he now has to face up to real consequences. Whoever Abigail and her troop name as they go into hysterics is arrested for bewitching the girls. Salem is where Abigail Williams lives. The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Act 1 Plot & Summary, Act 3 of The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Summary, Themes & Analysis, The Crucible by Arthur Miller: Act 2 | Quotes & Analysis, The Crucible by Arthur Miller: Act 3 Quotes | Examples & Analysis, The Crucible by Arthur Miller: Act 1 | Quotes, Analysis & Themes, Reverend John Hale in the Crucible by Arthur Miller | Traits, Quotes & Analysis, The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Summary, Quotes & Themes, Hysteria in The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Theme, Quotes & Examples, Irony in The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Overview & Examples, Elizabeth Proctor Quotes in The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Examples & Analysis, Reverend Parris in The Crucible | Character Traits & Quotes, Tituba in The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Character Traits & Quotes, Main Characters in The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Analysis & Quotes, Symbols in The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Examples & Analysis, Betty Parris in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Logical Fallacies in The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Examples & Quotes, NMTA Essential Academic Skills Subtest Reading (001): Practice & Study Guide, TExES English Language Arts and Reading 4-8 (217) Prep, Common Core ELA - Literature Grades 11-12: Standards, Common Core ELA - Writing Grades 11-12: Standards, Common Core ELA - Speaking and Listening Grades 9-10: Standards, Common Core ELA - Speaking and Listening Grades 11-12: Standards, Common Core ELA - Language Grades 11-12: Standards, Study.com ACT® Test Prep: Practice & Study Guide, Study.com SAT Test Prep: Practice & Study Guide, Study.com PSAT Test Prep: Practice & Study Guide, CSET English Subtests I & III (105 & 107): Practice & Study Guide, ILTS English Language Arts (207): Test Practice and Study Guide, Create an account to start this course today.

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