Act II Review

1
The Crucible

• Act II Review

2
Questions 1 - 4

• What duty has Mary Warren been performing in
  Salem?
• Mary Warren is an official of the court she
  is witnessing accusations and testifying against
  people.
• What does Elizabeth Proctor report to her husband
  about the trials in Salem? What does she urge
  John to do?
• Elizabeth tells John that fourteen people are in
  jail for witchcraft and that there is talk of
  hanging the accused. She wants John to go and
  tell Ezekiel Cheever that Abigail told him that
  witchcraft has nothing to do with the chaos in
  Salem.
• What gift does Mary Warren present to Elizabeth?
• Mary Warren gives Elizabeth a poppet (small doll)
  that she made while in court.
• What ominous revelation does Mary Warren make
  about Elizabeth's reputation? How does this
  disclosure serve to make the quarrel between
  Elizabeth and John even more heated?
• Mary Warren claims that Elizabeths name has been
  mentioned in court. Elizabeth is known as being
  outspoken and sometimes harsh. Abigail is the one
  bringing Elizabeth up in court because she wants
  to get rid of her and be with John.

3
Questions 5 - 7

• What are some of the ways in which John Hale
  questions Proctor and his wife about their
  religious faith? How do the Proctors answer each
  of the questions and allegations?
•  First, Hale questions why John has rarely been
  seen in church and John replies that Elizabeth
  was sick all winter so he needed to be home.
  Second, Hale asks why the Proctors third son is
  not baptized and John explains that he does not
  want Rev. Parris to baptize his son because he
  doesnt respect him as his minister. Finally,
  Hale asks Elizabeth and John if they know the Ten
  Commandments. John recites them all, except he
  forgets the one about adultery.
• What theological argument does John Hale use to
  explain the causes of the events in Salem?
•  Hale claims that The Devil is alive in Salem
  and that God is testing the faith of the citizens
  of Salem or God is punishing the citizens for
  some really bad thing that theyve done and wont
  admit.
• What conflict does John Proctor face at the end
  of the act?
•  John Proctor is torn because he needs to speak
  out against Abigail and he knows that if he does,
  she will reveal that they had an affair to
  everyone.
•  

4
Questions 8 - 10

• Explain how each of the following is an example
  of verbal, situational, or dramatic irony
• Mary's gift of a poppet to Elizabeth
  situational irony because it was supposed to be a
  gift but it ends up condemning Elizabeth as a
  witch 
• The one Commandment out of ten that John Proctor
  can't remember dramatic irony because the
  audience knows that John and Abigail had an
  affair but the characters in the play (aside from
  Elizabeth) do not.
• Proctor's statement about Abigail at the end of
  the act, "Good. Then her saintliness is done
  with." verbal irony because Abigail is the
  furthest thing from a saint.
• Explain John Proctor's allusion as he tells Hale,
  "Pontius Pilate! God will not let you wash your
  hands of this!"
•  Proctor equates John Hale to Pontius Pilate, the
  infamous traitor, and wants Hale to feel guilty
  for not standing up and stopping Elizabeths
  arrest when he could have vouched for her.
• The end of this act hints that the most important
  conflict in the play, will take place between two
  specific charactersa protagonist and an
  antagonist. Who is the protagonist? Who is the
  antagonist?
• John Proctor is the protagonist and Abigail
  Williams is the antagonist.

5
Speaking Like A Puritan

• For each metaphor used in the dialogue of the
  play, explain what or who is being compared to
  what and how the comparison effects meaning
• EXAMPLE
• Metaphor ? Proctor a funeral marches round
  your heart.
• Meaning ? Elizabeths demeanor and interaction
  with other people is being compared to a funeral
  march which implies that Elizabeth is cold,
  distant, almost like a corpse.
• COMPLETE THE CHART AFTER THE ACT II QUIZ and FOR
  HOMEWORK IF YOU DONT FINISH IN CLASS
• ACT II PACKET CHECK TOMORROW!