The Crucible
Act Two
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Plot summary exercise
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John and Elizabeth
There are far fewer characters at the beginning of the second
act of the play and the setting feels much more intimate,
focusing mainly on the complicated relationship between
John and Elizabeth.
John, if it were not Abigail that
youElizabeth
must go to hurt, would
you falter now? I think not…
…Let you look to your
own improvement
before you go to judge
your husband any more.
Find three words to describe their relationship
and three quotations to back them up.
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John and Elizabeth
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John and Elizabeth
This is their home, and their children are asleep upstairs.
Thus the sense of an unwarranted invasion is powerful when
Cheever and Herrick come to question and arrest Elizabeth.
(With great fear)
I will fear nothing.
(She looks about the room, as
though to fix it in her mind.)
Tell the children I have
gone to visit someone sick.
Although Elizabeth was not present in the first act,
we have learnt a lot about her character in this one.
Think of three adjectives to describe her and
three quotations to back up what you say.
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Proctor
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Elizabeth
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Mary
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Cheever and Elizabeth
Many arguments are used by both Cheever and Hale to try
to convince Proctor and Elizabeth of the danger in Salem
and to try to get them to co-operate. Look at what Cheever
says below and pretend you are Elizabeth. How would you
defend yourself against his reasoning?
‘’Tis hard proof! (To Hale) I find here a
poppet Goody Proctor keeps. I have found it,
sir. And in the belly of the poppet a needle’s
stuck. I tell you true, Proctor, I never
warranted to see such proof of Hell…’
What does this reasoning say about Cheever?
How does the audience feel about him?
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Hale and Elizabeth
Hale is also
concerned that
there is something
going on at the
Proctors’ house and
tries to convince
them to co-operate.
How would you
defend yourself
against these
arguments if you
were Elizabeth?
There
a misty
Noisman
mayplot
afoot
sodoubt
subtlethe
we
longer
should
beofcriminal
powers
the darkto
cling
old respects
aretogathered
in
and ancient
monstrous
attack
friendships.
I have
upon this village.
seen is
too
many
There
too
much
frightful
proofs
in court
evidence
now
to
– the Devil
denyisit.alive in
Salem, and we dare
not quail to follow
wherever the accusing
finger points!
How does Hale’s reasoning differ from Cheever’s?
What does this say about Hale and Cheever?
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Love: John and Elizabeth
At the heart of the play is the love between John and
Elizabeth Proctor. Their love is tested to the limits during the
story. Notice how John and Elizabeth are fully rounded
characters, whereas Abigail is kept fairly one-dimensional.
Notice too how Abigail’s ‘love’ for John is based on her
adolescent passions, rather than being the ‘true’ love that
John and his wife share.
Now Iyou
willbid
bring
meyou
tearhome.
the light
I
out ofwill
mybring
eyes?
you
I will
soon.
not, I
You loved
me, John
Oh,cannot!
John, bring
me soon!
Proctor, and whatever sin it
is, you love me yet!
What effect have the events of this scene
had on John and Elizabeth’s relationship?
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What is Elizabeth thinking?
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Subtext
The ‘subtext’ describes the technique whereby a playwright
gives characters a hidden agenda, one that is not
immediately apparent from what he or she says. The subtext
will affect the way a character behaves, especially if he or
she wants their secret to remain hidden.
The subtext may be hidden from the other characters and
from the audience. If the audience knows the subtext, this is
called dramatic irony.
‘Subtext’ means literally ‘below the text’. How can these
unspoken ideas be communicated by the actors?
body language
tone of voice
facial expression
Find three examples of subtext in Act Two.
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Subtext
What is Elizabeth’s subtext
in this act? Why is she so
scared about bringing her
secret fears to the surface?
What is John’s subtext?
Subtext
How does
John’s subtext
affect his mood?
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What has John done in Act
One that Elizabeth only finds
out about during this act?
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Dramatic irony
‘Dramatic irony’ is a term used to describe a situation in
which the audience knows something that the characters
(or most of them) do not.
Dramatic irony increases the tension for the audience,
because we are waiting to find out what will happen. Our
foreknowledge involves us in the story more strongly.
In Act Two of The Crucible, dramatic irony lies in the fact
that we (the audience) know that John has seen Abigail
alone. We therefore feel tense, waiting for Elizabeth to find
out.
Dramatic irony also lies in the fact that the audience has
heard Abigail and the girls discussing her attempt to murder
Elizabeth by witchcraft. In the next act, Abigail will accuse
Elizabeth of trying to kill her in exactly the same way.
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Dramatic irony
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Dramatic irony
How does the
dramatic irony of his
meeting with Abigail
affect John’s mood
early on in Act Two?
Can you find another
example of dramatic
irony/subtext in this scene?
Look at Hale’s interview
with the Proctors.
Dramatic
irony
How does hearing the girls’ discussion in
Act One affect the audience? Particularly,
the knowledge that Abigail 'drank a charm
to kill John Proctor’s wife'?
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Dramatic structure
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Revision activity
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Vocabulary
Learn the meanings of three more words in Act Two.
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Act Two questions
1. The setting for Act Two is very intimate – the private
home of the Proctors. What is the impact of the arrival
of Cheever and Herrick on the atmosphere created?
2. How could a director use lighting to intensify the
intimacy and fear apparent in this scene?
3. Which of the themes that you identified in Act One are
developed more fully in this act?
4. What special effects might you add to the ending of
this scene to develop the sense of approaching
doom?
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