 Integrity v. Reputation  Hysteria feeds itself and grows  Social order v. Personal freedom  Hysteria changes people’s reception of reality  Hysteria v. Logic

 Condemns himself by saying that just and moral Salem can be overthrown by a whore like Abigail Williams.  Confesses to adultery in court in hopes of condemning Abigail Williams.  Says multiple times that his wife cannot lie.  Signs his name to a written confession but tears it up because he realizes it means the town will think he named his friends as witches.  Makes the decision to hang with Rebecca and Martha.  Refuses to let Elizabeth take any blame for his sins.

 Admits blame for her husband’s adultery because she was “a cold wife.”  Lies about John’s adultery to protect her husband’s good name.  Tells John that he must decide whether or not to confess; she cannot make the decision for him.  Refuses Hale’s request plead with John because she will not take away John’s newfound sense of goodness by begging him to avoid the gallows.  Tells John that she has forgiven him, but it means nothing if he cannot forgive himself

 Comes to the court at the insistence of John Proctor to confess that she never saw spirits or witches or the Devil.  confesses that Proctor made her sign her name in the Devil’s book and persuaded her testify against the girls in court.  Is unable to pretend to faint when asked to do so by Danforth and Parris.  Abby claims Mary has sent her spirit into a bird that nobody else can see, a bird that now wants to harm Abby and the other girls.

 Condemns the proceedings and “quits” the court.  Now feels the witchcraft trials were completely unwarranted, and he feels that their “blood is on his head.”  Returns to Salem after spending three months “like our Lord in the wilderness.”  Tries to encourage those condemned to death to confess.  Urges Danforth to listen to Giles, Francis, and John Proctor and points out that there is “prodigious fear” in the country of the courts.

 Refuses to hear a single plea about postponing the hangings.  He fears that any postponement would look like “floundering” on his part.  Dismisses all the evidence against Abigail when Elizabeth fails to corroborate John’s tale of adultery.  Informs Proctor that his wife says she is pregnant.  Tells Mary Warren to confess herself or she will hang.  Allows Elizabeth to speak with her husband in order to get him to confess.

 Attempts to defend his wife by going to the court and showing the judges proof that the accusation is based on Thomas Putnam’s “reaching out for land.”  Is arrested because he refuses to name the person who told him what Putnam said about George Jacobs.  Refuses to confess to or deny the charges of witchcraft.  Is pressed to death for refusing to enter a plea.  By refusing to enter a plea, he ensures that his sons can legally inherit his property.  Says that he “broke charity” with his wife by revealing that she reads books other than the Bible.

 Accuses Giles Corey, Francis Nurse, and John Proctor of trying to overthrow the court.  Admits that Abigail has robbed him of 31 pounds and run away with Mercy Lewis.  Waits three days to reveal that his niece has deceived him.  Encourages Danforth to let Elizabeth speak to Proctor, to convince him to confess.  Has received threats on his life from angry townspeople.  Is more interested in protecting his life than doing what’s right.

 If Mary Warren can prove that the witchcraft is all Abigail's creation, it will free the wives of Proctor, Nurse, and Corey and ease Hale's conscience.  At this point, she is the only person not entirely under Abigail's control who can stop the proceedings with few personal repercussions.  If she succeeds, Abigail will fall from her seat of glory, the women will be pardoned, and things will be able to return to normal in Salem.  If not, Abigail will retain her control, the women will eventually hang, and the madness will continue.

 Giles Corey charges Putnam for making his daughter cry witchery on George Jacobs.  Giles feels that Putnam had the motivation for doing it because if Jacobs dies, he will forfeit his property.  Putnam is the only man in the community who is wealthy enough to buy that land-- a likely scenario considering his materialistic attitude revealed earlier.  Giles Corey's proof is that a friend heard Putnam mention the plan.  Corey will not supply the name to the court because he already saw what happened to the ninety-one petitioners.  He is noble enough to refuse to allow that fate to befall another friend.

 In calling Abigail a whore, John Proctor has thrown away his good name and has opened himself for charges (and corresponding punishment) of lechery, one of the worst crimes in Puritan society.  He makes this confession in hopes of discrediting Abigail and stopping the proceedings. This is a major leap into the waters of community involvement for John Proctor.  He has gone to the extreme of throwing away something very valuable to him-- his good reputation-- in order to save his wife and the wives of his friends.  He realizes that even if the witch trials are stopped he will still be punished for lechery, but the potential benefits outweigh the risk.

 the desire for privacy becomes an automatic sign of guilt, as the goal of the trials is to find precisely what is not seen.  that both judges remain caught in the hysteria and fail to listen to clear, factual evidence when determining guilt and innocence.  the power of the court to invade the private lives of citizens.  the extent to which the court believes in guilt by association.

 a true understanding of what a good reputation means, and his defense of his name enables him to muster the courage to die heroically.  He knows the display of his name on a confession will lend credibility to the executions of Rebecca Nurse, Marta Corey, and others.  He has a desire not to dishonor his fellow prisoners’ decisions to not confess.  how Proctor fixates on his name and on how it will be destroyed if he allows the confession to be posted on the church door.

 Abigail gets defensive when questioned by Danforth.  Abigail insists that she suffers greatly to fulfill her duty pointing out the Devil's people.  Abigail claims Mary Warren send out her spirit in the form of a bird to attack her face (beauty) and ironically reminds Mary that vanity is a sin.  Abigail threatens Danforth directly and says that the powers of Hell have the ability to turn even his wits.  Proctor admits that he had an affair with Abigail Williams.  Abigail threats toward Danforth show that she is over- reaching her authority.

 John Proctor is arrested and taken, along with Giles Corey, to jail.  Mary Warren accuses John Proctor of being the “Devil’s man.”  Proctor claims that the Devil, if he exists at all, exists within people, and not through ghosts or spirits.  When you know someone is committing a wrong, but you don’t do anything about it, you are more guilty than the person who committed the wrong.

 Hale feels a deep responsibility for his contribution to the deaths of others.  Hale recognizes the evil of the witch trials, and his response is not open defiance but surrender.  Hale returns to Salem after three month in the wilderness because he feels guilty about having contributed to the hysteria in Salem regarding the accusations of witchcraft.  Hale’s goal is to convince the remaining accused to confess to witchcraft in an attempt to end the trials.  Ironically, Hale finds himself faced with encouraging the accused to lie to save their lives.

 Proctor does not drop the charges against the court because he sees how his friends are suffering on account of their wives' condemnation.  He has taken the first step into community involvement and solving his personal problems is no longer enough.  Proctor knows that he holds the key-- he can no longer turn back.

 Proctor states that his wife must be pregnant because lying is simply against her nature.  This statement becomes vital later on in the act to validate John Proctor’s confession of lechery.  Miller has Proctor state this information three times to foreshadow what Elizabeth will do.

 Hale is no longer bold and confident in his search for witches.  He has strong misgivings about the validity of the entire process.  Now he is open, willing, and even eager to hear evidence that may prove that witchcraft is not present in Salem.  Unfortunately the trials have progressed to such a level that he is powerless to stop them.

 Mary Warren is questioned in a way that makes it clear that Danforth is very skeptical-- at best-- about her evidence.  Danforth also puts Mary in a position that essentially damns her if she recants her former testimony.  He reminds her that God damns all liars and that she will be sent to jail for lying now or having lied before.  Therefore, the atmosphere that Danforth creates makes it extremely difficult for Mary to tell the truth as she knows it.  On the contrary, Abigail is given the benefit of the doubt when she testifies.  The judges have no choice-- her testimony is the basis of all the hearings.  While Mary does not have to be believed, Abigail must in order to justify the incarceration of so many of the town's citizens.

 Mary can't give a show of pretense because the atmosphere is entirely different.  When she did it in the court, all the other girls were doing the same thing and the judges were encouraging it.  It was the acceptable thing to do-- not fainting and screaming would be considered improper.  In the court, she was simply giving them what they wanted to see.  This time, to do so would be to act against the girls-- the accepted authority in the courtroom.  The judges still believe that the girls are acting truthfully and their attitudes make that clear.  With her only support in the room being John Proctor, it is little wonder that Mary cannot give a show of pretense.