Midterm Flashcards
Where does Act 1 take place?
In the upper room of reverend parris’ house; Salem Massachusetts
List 3 lies Abby tells in this Act
- All they did was dance
- She lied about why she was fired
- they weren’t conjuring spirits
Who is the Wealthiest man in the village? What does his attitude towards the others seem to be?
Thomas Putnam; He was bitter, vindictive, and held grudges
Which couple had buried 7 or 7 babies after birth?
Arin and Thomas Putnam
Which 2 girls will not wake?
Ruth and Betty
Who is the manipulative, threatening leader of the girls?
Abigail
Who is a farmer in his mid 30’s that cheats on his wife?
John Proctor
What do you know about Mary Warren so far?
snuck out, went to the woods, warned Betty, and worked for Paris
What hints are there that Abby and John had an affair?
She seems him at the window, and she talks about how Goody Proctor dismissed her
Why cant Betty listen to the Church Hymns
she thinks shes a witch/ possessed
What are the issues between the Putnams and the nurses?
there was a land dispute
Who is in their mid 40’s who has very little good to be said about them and is obsessed with hell. He is also narcissistic and cares about what people think.
Reverend Parris
What do Giles Corey, John Proctor, and Thomas Putnam argue about?
About Parris’ salary and land
How would you describe Reverend Hale’s attitude when first arriving in Salem? What evidence indicated this attitude?
super confident in his knowledge; he already found a witch in someone else ( Beverley)
What does Giles talk to Reverend Hale about? What problem might this conversation cause later?
Giles talks to Hale about his wife reading at night and that she hides them
Whom does Abigail accuse of leading the girls in conjuring spirits?
Tituba
Why does Tituba confess to witchcraft?
SO she can be cleansed and not killed?
Why are Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn easy targets of witchcraft accusations?
the lack social standing
Reread Tituba’s outburst towards the end of this act where she claims the Devil tried to control her (starting with “He say Mr.Parries must be kill!”) What can you infer by her remarks?
that she is either lying or that the Devil wants Parris killed
Why does Abigail and Betty join Tituba in accusing people of witchcraft when Abby has denied it up to this point and Betty has been silent?
to turn the blame of themselves
What indications are there so far that John Proctor is not the typical Puritan man?
He cheated and hes unforgiving
Looking back over the events of Act 1, what does Reverend Parris eem most afraid of?
His reputation would be tarnished and he would lose his parish
Where does Act 2 take place?
8 days later, proctor’s house
describe John and Elizabeth’s current relationship
there is tension between them and they act formal with each other; they have small talk of the weather and the food they are eating
How has Mary Warren changed?
She stands up to Goody and thinks higher of herself
Why does Elizabeth want John to go to town quickly
to expose abby for lying (she initially said it has nothing to do with witchcraft)
What does John slip up and say to Elizabeth that gets him in trouble?
that he was alone with Abby for a bit
What does it mean that Elizabeth’s “Justice would freeze beer”
its cold and impossible (will not accomplish anything, and will never happen)
What gift does Mary give Eilzabeth
a ragdoll
Mary tells Elizabeth that 39 women have been arrested. Then, she bursts out crying. Why is Mary upset?
Goody Osburn will be hanged
When Proctor threatens to whip Marry, what information does she provide about Elizabeth?
She was accused of being a witch in court, and Mary defended her
Why does Elizabeth think John talking to Abby will help?
He can say he lost feelings and won’t get together with so that she won’t go after Elizabeth
What really irritates John Proctor about Reverend Parris?
He thinks Parris is greedy and only cares about worldly goods
What questions does Hale ask the Proctors?
About their poor attendance in Church, and to recite the 10 commandments
What irony occurs when John recites his commandments?
He forgets the seventh commandment, “Thou shall not commit adultery”
Why does John think some people are confessing to witchcraft when they are innocent?
because they will be hanged if they deny it
What evidence does Exekiel Cheever find at the Proctor House that makes Elizabeth look guilty of witchcraft?
the ragdoll mary gave her, with a needle inside
Was mAry in on the plan to frame eilzabeth? How did you come to this conclusion
No. She is very shy and is clueless about what is happening with Elizabeth and the poppet
What action does John take out of anger that goes against the law of the land?
He ripped the arrest warrant
What are Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, and elizabeth charged specifically with
killing the putnam’s babies, killing pigs, and attempting to kill abby
why does mary say she will not testify in court
the other girls will turn on her
what does this statement from john mean, “we are only what we always were, but naked now”
it means that people’s true selves are being exposed
what trait of John’s seems to prevail in Act 2? Explain your reasoning for selecting this triat?
Logic: He is the only person not going along with everything
where does act 3 take place
the salem meeting house
who bursts into the building with evidence
gies corey, john proctor, and francis nurse
what is danforth’s attitude towards the 3 men above coming into the courtromm
irritated; he sees it as disrespect
what 2 observations does cheever reveal about John that make John look bad
he plowed on Sunday and he ripped elizabeth’s warrant
what surprising news does John find out about his wife
elizabeth is pregnant
what happens to the 91 people who signed their names attesting elizabeth, martha, and rebecca are good people? What does this reveal about witchcraft accusations during this time period?
they are arrested for examination, it reveals that you weren’t able to stand up for what’s right
what does giles corey accuse thomas putnam of doing? what evidence does he present about putnam
pressuring his daughter, Ruth, to claim George Jacobs is a witch. He says John wants him dead so he can have his land
what information does john proctor and judge danforth finally get out of Mary
a written admission that she was bewitched by the girls
what lie does reverend parris tell in the court
he didn’t see naked dancing in the woods
how does judge hathorne challenge mary to prove she was previously influenced by spirits in the court
he asks er to pretend to paint for the count, and she claims she cannot
why does reverend parris keep interrupting
he hopes it will get the court off track so that things won’t be said about him and abigail
what infuriated john proctor enough to confess his adultery to the court
abigail starts to pray to take away the ghost that mary is causing . john cant stand the drama
what does the statement by john proctor mean, “I have made a bell of my honor. I have rung the doom of my good name…”
proctor is willing to ruin his reputation to expose the girls as liars and save elizabeth
what is ironic about elizabeth’s answer when asked about her husband’s faithfulness to her?
she never lies, and the one time she’s called on for the truth, she lies to protect her husband
what would have happened at this point if elizabeth had confirmed her husband committed adultery
they would have been realesed and their case would have been reconsidered
how does abby use a yellow bird to her advantage
she says mary sent a demon to the courtroom in the form of a yellow bird
how does abby continue to manipulate the girls and judges in the court
she and the girls pretend to be possessed by repeating mary
how does mary make matters worse for john
she claims that proctor made her lie
how is john’s statement “God is dead” verbally ironic
the court think hes confessing, but hes saying God isn’t present in Salem
what decision does reverend hale make at the end of this act? do you agree with his decision? why or why not?
he quits the court out of frustration. I disagree because it was irrational, but he was standing up for good
when john comes to court, why does he give so much other evidence first before confessing to adultery
he may not want to confess a sin during a trial so reliant on faith, and wants to save his good name
what conclusions can you draw about the judges?
the judges are cruel and don’t hesitate to arrest and hang people
where does act 4 take place
the salem jail in the fall
why has reverend hale returned
to convince the condemned to confess to witchcraft
why are cows everywhere in salem
many farmers have been jailed and cant take care of their cows
why do you think Parris is acting “unsteady” with a “mad look these days”
he has been argueing with farmer about the cows
what news does parris have about abby
she disappeared with mercy lewis
what is happening in the nearby town of andover
they rebelled against the witch trials and overthrew the courts
what warning has the town give to reverend parris to stop the trials
a dagger is thrown at the door
what is hales tone when he says this: “Why it is simple. I come to do the Devil’s work”
he knows he isn’t being a man of God by going around telling people to lie
How does giles corey die? what are his famous last words
he is pressed; “more weight”
does elizabeth try to persuade john to confess to witchcraft
no
what appears to be john’s main problem with signing his name to the confession
he feels guilty about his lack of integrity and doesn’t want to tie his only name to his lies
why do you think arthur miller ended the play with elizabeth’s words instead of someone else’s
elizabeth’s words reaffirm proctor’s redemption, as he died a martyr
name 3 characters who do not change during the play
judge danforth, ezekiel cheever, and abigail williams
how does john change through the play
he regrets his wrongdoings and tries to seek redemption for his wrong’s against elizabeth
who is led to this scaffold at the end of the play
John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey
How does Reverend Hale change throughout the play
he changes drastically throughout he goes from selfish and conceited, to being hesitant and willing to stand up for what’s right during the trials and hysteria
