1. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible
Act Two
SMIC, AP LANG & COMP
with Mrs. Ma

2. Relationships: Discuss John and Elizabeth’s relationship.
Why does Proctor make a point of saying, “I mean to please you, Elizabeth.” (line 31)?
What do the stage directions in that same line suggest about Proctor’s efforts?

3. Comprehension check: Why has court been set up in Salem? (lines 82-85)
Who is the leader of the girls who claim to be bewitched? (lines 95-98)
What system is used to determine whether the accused people are witches? (lines )
Do Proctor and Elizabeth believe the accused are witches? How can you tell? (lines )
How many women have been arrested? (line 215)
What is the punishment if a person is found guilty of witch craft? How can a person avoid that punishment? (lines )

4. Analyze Language:
Mary Warren’s lines sometimes uses the present tense when describing past events, a sin these examples:
“she come into the court” (line 247)
“I say to myself” (lines )
“I never see no sign” (line 328)
What should be the standard verb forms in these lines?
Are there other instances where Miller uses present tense to relate a past event?

5. Analyze Conflict: Reread lines 323-344.
How has Mary’s defense of Elizabeth in court changed the power dynamics among Mary, Elizabeth, and Proctor?
Hint: How did Proctor speak to Mary in Act One?
How does that change reflect the upheaval throughout the community?

6. Comprehension Check:
Discuss the scene in which Hale begins to interrogate Proctor (beginning in line 478).
Although Hale come to visit “without the court’s authority” ( ), his conversation with Proctor certainly feels like a court proceeding, doesn’t it?
What news from Proctor shocks Hale? Why is Hale suspicious? ( , )
How does Proctor explain his silence? (610-11)
How does Proctor explain Hale’s effectiveness? (612-18)
What does Hale suspect, though he fights the suspicion? ( )

7. Comprehension Check:
With what crime is Rebecca Nurse charged? ( )
Why is it so surprising that Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey have been accused? ( )
How does Elizabeth characterize the town after leaning of these arrests? Why does she direct her comment to Reverend Hale? (681)

8. Analyze Mood: Reread lines 752-758.
Discuss how Proctor’s demand for proof in the arrest of his wife goes completely ignored by Cheever, who instead looks for evidence against her (what is that evidence?).
How does Proctor’s ineffective cry for proof reflect and further the mood of The Crucible?
Why does Proctor say that the children have all the power in Salem now? What evidence might he offer to prove his claim? ( )

9. Dramatic Irony: Review Definition.
Why is Proctor struck by Hale’s declaration that “some secret blasphemy” ( ) has caused all of the confusion?
Although Abigail does not appear in this act, her presence is undeniable.
Identify and explain the moment in Act Two in which you feel Abigail’s presence most strongly.