What does abigail say about marys testimony

John dies with his integrity intact. 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?

Was John still in love with Abigail? What causes tension between John and Elizabeth Proctor? Why is Rebecca Nurse accused of witchcraft?

Why is Elizabeth Proctor accused of witchcraft? What happens when Mary Warren tells the court the truth about the girls acting bewitched?

Why does Reverend Hale change his mind about the witch trials? Popular pages: The Crucible. Take a Study Break. He calls her a whore and admits that they had an affair so that she will be discredited. She is unaware that he has already confessed. A terrified Mary breaks down under the pressure of these accusations and confesses that John forced her to work for the Devil. Proctor and Corey are arrested , and Hale quits the court in disgust at this blatant display of irrationality.

You probably saw this coming. John Proctor wasn't going to get away with being so Devilishly handsome for much longer ew sorry. This act takes place in the vestry room of Salem meeting house, which is right outside the courtroom.

The audience hears Judge Hathorne questioning Martha Corey off stage in court. He asks her a series of leading questions in an attempt to get her to confess to witchcraft.

Giles is dragged from the courtroom and into the vestry room on stage by Marshal Herrick. Danforth admonishes Giles for interrupting the court proceedings. Francis Nurse says he has proof that the girls are frauds. This claim is disturbing to Danforth because he has already condemned many people based on their testimony.

At this time, John Proctor leads Mary Warren into the vestry room. Mary hesitantly tells Danforth that the girls were faking the whole time. Danforth warns Proctor that he had better be sure this new evidence is truthful and questions him about his intentions.

Proctor says he has no desire to undermine the court, and his only goal is to save his wife. Cheever reveals that Proctor tore up the arrest warrant when they came to take his wife, and Danforth becomes suspicious again. Danforth still feels that the girls must be telling the truth because he's seen them stabbed with pins and choked by spirits in court. Proctor counters by pointing out how weird it is that all these people who always had great reputations are now suddenly being accused of witchcraft.

Danforth and Hawthorne then tell John that Elizabeth is pregnant, meaning they will spare her at least until the child is born. Proctor refuses to drop his accusations of perjury against the girls even though his wife is safe.

His friends' wives are still in danger, and he is determined to expose Abigail as a liar. Parris insists that those who signed the petition should be summoned for questioning. Danforth orders warrants drawn up for their arrest, to the horror of Francis Nurse, who promised the people who signed the petition that there would be no negative repercussions for them. However, Corey refuses to tell Danforth the name of the person who gave him this information, and when Putnam is asked directly, he denies it.

Danforth insists that innocent people have no reason to be afraid. Giles is placed under arrest for contempt of court. It states that she never saw the Devil or any other spirits, and the other girls are lying. Danforth says witchcraft is an invisible crime, so the witch and the victim are the only real witnesses.

That means only the victim is left for reliable testimony in court since obviously the witch can't be trusted , so lawyers are unnecessary. Upon reading the deposition, Danforth asks Mary if Proctor threatened her to get her to change her testimony. Mary says no, she is telling the truth now. Danforth orders the other girls brought into the room. He urges Mary to tell Danforth about the girls dancing in the woods.

Parris is forced to admit that he discovered them dancing, and Hale corroborates. Danforth is disturbed by this information and becomes less trusting of Abigail. Hathorne then questions Mary about her past behavior in court in light of her new testimony. Mary says she was faking when she fainted in court before. Mary is unable to pretend to faint outside of the courtroom environment.

Abigail is insulted by these accusations, pointing out how much she has suffered at the hands of witches. She stops talking suddenly and claims to feel a spirit in the room. The other girls imitate her. Mary tries to run away, fearing for her life if the other girls accuse her. Proctor stops Mary from leaving and grabs Abigail by the hair in fury, calling her a whore.

Only when Proctor accuses Abigail of being a whore does she end her fit and lose credibility with Danforth.

When Proctor tells the court of his affair and Abigail's plot to kill Elizabeth, he gives the court another opportunity to end the trials.

However, just as Danforth willingly dismissed Corey's claim against Putnam because Corey would not reveal his witness, so Danforth dismisses Proctor's claim that Abigail is a harlot, simply because Elizabeth lies to conceal the affair. Irony is evident in this scene because Danforth is committed to preserving truth, yet he will not acknowledge truth when he hears it.

Proctor, who has spent seven months concealing his affair with Abigail, now tells the truth but is disbelieved. And Elizabeth, who has lived by the truth, lies to keep her husband's secret and condemns them both by doing so.

And Mary Warren, who had lied and now is finally telling the truth, lies again to save her life. The only winner here is the chief liar, Abigail Williams, who continues to lie. And the court, which should be an instrument of truth, is in the position of condemning those who tell the truth and believing liars. Truth does triumph in the end, through the individuals who refuse to compromise their beliefs in order to preserve their lives.

However, the advocates of truth often pay with their lives — a heavy price. Proctor's admission of adultery and Elizabeth's lie to hide the affair from the court mark a turning point in their marriage. Shame overwhelms Proctor, but he demonstrates his loyalty and love for Elizabeth by revealing the affair in order to save her life.

Elizabeth glances at Proctor for a clue, but Danforth demands that she look only at him while she speaks. Elizabeth claims to have gotten the mistaken notion that Proctor fancied Abigail, so she lost her temper and fired the girl without just cause. As marshal, Herrick removes Elizabeth from the room. Proctor cries out that he confessed his sin, but it is too late for Elizabeth to change her story. Hale begs Danforth to reconsider, stating that Abigail has always struck him as false.

Abigail and the girls begin screaming that Mary is sending her spirit at them. Mary pleads with them to stop, but the girls repeat her words verbatim.

The room erupts into a hectic frenzy of fear, excitement, and confusion. Mary seems to become infected with the hysteria of the other girls and starts screaming too. She accuses him of consorting with the devil and pressuring her to join him in his evil ways. Hale denounces the proceedings and declares that he is quitting the court. The desperate attempt by Giles, Proctor, and Francis to save their respective wives exposes the extent to which the trials have become about specific individuals and institutions struggling to maintain power and authority.

Deputy Governor Danforth and Judge Hathorne do not want to admit publicly that they were deceived by a bunch of young women and girls, while Parris does not want the trials to end as a fraud because of the scandal of having a lying daughter and niece would end his career in Salem. Although Proctor has not yet been formally accused of witchcraft, Danforth and Hathorne, like Hale earlier, question him about his Christian morals as though he were already on trial.

They hope to find in his character even the slightest deviation from Christian doctrine because they would then be able to cast him as an enemy of religion.

Once thus labeled, Proctor would have virtually no chance of anyone in God-fearing Salem intervening on his behalf. The reaction of Danforth and Hathorne to the deposition signed by ninety-one land-owning citizens further demonstrates the power of the court to invade the private lives of citizens, and indicates the extent to which the court believes in guilt by association.

In the witch trials, guilt need not be proven by hard evidence, and signing a deposition attesting to the good character of the accused is enough to put oneself under the same suspicion of guilt.