How does miller describe reverend hale

In Act IV, it is he who counsels the accused witches to lie, to confess their supposed sins in order to save their own lives. Although Hale recognizes the evil of the witch trials, his response is not defiance but surrender. He insists that survival is the highest good, even if it means accommodating oneself to injustice—something that the truly heroic characters can never accept.

SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Why is the play called The Crucible? What is a crucible? Did the girls really see the Devil or witches? Why did Tituba confess to dancing with the Devil? What does Hale mean when he asks if every defense is an attack upon the court? By the end of this act, would you say Hale is a dynamic or static character? Hale means that everyone is more concerned with their own position and authority rather than the actual truth.

When Danforth hears that Elizabeth is pregnant, what does he allow? If they do not, and she is truly pregnant, he will allow her one year before she is hanged , to have her baby. Elizabeth is tested by being asked if John had an affair with Abby.

She fails it because she lies and says that he did not. Mary finally cracks when the girls accuse HER of witchcraft—she is afraid of dying. When asked why Abigail was released from her service, what did Elizabeth respond? She was dissatisfied with Abigail. She, in her sickness, thought Abigail and John fancied each other.

John was not a lecher. John sees the entire court proceedings as a complete farce. What does Hale do when Proctor is arrested? Hale says that he denounces the proceedings and he quits the court. He also sends for Reverend Hale because the community is talking of witchcraft, and he wants to disprove it. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search.

Press ESC to cancel. Hale is one of playwright Arthur Miller's most memorable characters: He is a man who means well but was misguided by his fervent belief that witchcraft was rampant in the colonies. Reverend Hale has some salient, and mostly sympathetic, characteristics:. At first, the audience might find him to be just as self-righteous as the play's villain Reverend Parris. However, Hale seeks out witches because, in his own misguided way, he wants to rid the world of evil. He speaks as though his methods are logical and scientific when, in fact, he uses wives' tales and mythology to root out so-called demons.

One of the more interesting lines from the play is when Reverend Hale is speaking with Parris and the Putnams. They claim that witches are in Salem, but he contends that they should not jump to conclusions. He states, "We cannot look to superstition in this.

The Devil is precise. Arthur Miller notes that this line "never raised a laugh in any audience that has seen this play. Because, to Miller, the concept of the Devil is inherently superstitious. Yet, to people such as Hale, and apparently many audience members, Satan is a very real being and therefore the joke about superstition fell flat.

Hale's change of heart, however, stems from his intuition. Ultimately, in the climactic third act, Hale feels that John Proctor is telling the truth. The once-idealistic reverend openly denounces the court, but it is too late. The judges have already made their deadly ruling. Reverend Hale is heavy with guilt when the hangings take place, despite his prayers and impassioned protests.