The Crucible Act 4 Character: Danforth

I walked with Judge Hathorne in from the bitter cold with a great coat and a hat on. Cheever followed me n carrying a dispatch case and a flat wooden box containing his writing materials. Parris was no where to be found so Herrick starts for the door to go find him. I asked when Reverend Hale arrived, Herrick thought towards midnight. I was suspicious about why he was here. He has no authority to be here and why did Marshal let him in? Herrick had told me Parris commanded him. Herrick did not seem himself. I ordered Herrick to clear the court room. I was boiling with anger at this point. I was looking at Herrick with dissatisfaction while he was walking out the door. There was dead silence and I just stood there in thought.

Parris was trying to convince me to postpone the hangings. I think for a minute and I asked Cheever for the list. Cheever opens his dispatch case and handed them to me. Ad Parris talks to me I study the list and I said, “There will be no postponement.” After Parris and I go at it for a bit, he brings up a dagger. Parris’s voice is quiet and he starts to choke up. He said that when he opened his door to leave his house a dagger clattered to the ground. I had to take this all in because I had no idea what had happened. Reverend Hale had entered at the time. He was deep in sorrow, exhausted, and more direct than he ever was. Reverend Hale was heading towards me and told me,”You must pardon them, they will not budge.” I can not pardon when twelve are already hung for the same crime. I already told everybody I was not going to pardon or postpone the hangings. The people who do not confess will hang and that is that. The village expects to see them die this morning.

Herrick fetches Goody Proctor for me. I am very polite to Elizabeth and asked her if she was hearty. She was silent and finally said, with a warning reminder, “I am yet, six month before my time.” I told her we are not coming for her life. Hale interrupted and told Elizabeth that her husband will die with the sunrise. She looks at me, silent. I asked, ” Will you plead for his confession or will you not?” She would not promise anything and demanded to speak to her husband. I walked out of the court. I walked back in shortly after. I was getting aggravated and Proctor finally signed the paper. As I reached for the paper, Proctor snatched it and is now in anger. I extended my hand gesturing to give the paper to me. Still nothing. I must have good and legal proof and Proctor is about to burst into tears. Saying “I lie and I sign myself to lies.” I pointed to the confession in Proctor’s hand. Proctor tears the paper and crumples it and starts to weep. Elizabet rushes to Proctor he kisses her and I announce we will hang him high over town, “Who weeps for these, weeps for corruption.”

 

The Crucible Act III Character: Danforth

I enter the court room with Ezekiel Cheever and Parris behind me. Everyone is silent. I go down by Giles and I look directly at him. I asked him who he was and Parris answers, “Giles Corey.” Giles cops an attitude saying he can answer any question that is pointed towards him. I stand there, impressed and faintly smile. When Giles starts talking about how his wife is who we are condemning, I told him be gone. He starts pleading and saying he means no disrespect. It is disrespect since Giles is disrupting my court house. Giles begins to weep and mentioned how his wife was only reading books when Cheever arrested Elizabeth. I am confused. I asked, “What books?” Giles keeps sobbing and I am completely silent. Giles wanted to give evidence to the court and he can do so by submitting evidence in proper affidavit. I told Mr. Hale to clear the court room at once. Everyone left. Then another man came into the court room, Francis. Francis came to say that the girls are frauds and that he had proof. I sit there, shocked and observing him very carefully. More people enter the court room. Giles Corey, Mary Warren, and Proctor. After Parris and Proctor speak I was shocked and I turned to Herrick and asked him, “Did you not tell me Mary Warren were sick in bed?” He said she was and I become interested in Mary Warren. I questioned her. She looked at Proctor and still was silent. Proctor had spoken for her, “She never saw no spirits, sir.” With great alarm and surprise I looked at Mary and I said the same thing. Proctor reached into his pocket and said that she has signed a deposition. I told Proctor, “I do not accept any depositions.” And I turned from Mary to Proctor. Him and I are going at it. I think and stare at Proctor, then I turn back to Mary Warren. So I asked if the other girls were pretending and Mary Warren hesitated and finally said they were. My eyes became very wide and I was confused about all of this. Then I turn to Proctor. I told Proctor that I Understand that a husband will go to extreme measures to prove his wife’s innocence. I had to make sure he was telling the truth about his evidence. I was baffled that Proctor was going to go in front of the court and the public about this. My eyes went narrow and thought what his purpose might be. And surely it would be to free his wife. Then I studied Proctor and looked onto his eyes. He barely ever goes to church nowadays, maybe once a month. Proctors response was that he had to take care of his wife when she was deathly sick and that he plows on Sundays so he can feed his family and put food on the table. I do not judge Proctor, I do not judge him at all. I keep watching Proctor until our eyes meet. Well I finally brought up that Elizabeth claims that she is pregnant and Proctor seems very excited and shocked at the same time. I told him she can live this year until the baby is born. No charges will be dropped.

The Crucible Act 2 Character Mary Warren

I opened the door where Proctor and Elizabeth were. Proctor is storming towards me and grabs my neck. He was shaking and yelling at me for leaving Salem. He threatened to whip me if I ever left the house again. He finally releases me and I move towards Elizabeth and hand her a small rag doll. She looked amazed and thanked me. When I was about to leave the room, Proctor stopped me. He asked, “Is it true? There be fourteen women arrested?” I answered, “No sir, thirty-nine now.” I suddenly started to cry, I sit down, exhausted. I told them Goody Osburn will hang and there was silence. He yelled in my face and told me to go to bed. I stamped my foot at him and said goodnight. Proctor and Elizabeth were both staring at me as I left the room.  The next day I entered the room with Elizabeth, Proctor seeing me and pulls me toward Hale. I am very frightened and my voice becomes dim. Proctor asked me how the poppet got into his house and I pretended like I did not know what he was talking about. Proctor pointing at the poppet in Cheever’s hand. I evasively looked at it and not understanding where this was going. I meant no harm for the poppet and Proctor is yelling at me and I do not know why. He found a needle stuck inside the poppet and I stuck that needle inside myself. I was being accused of someone conjuring me. I am entirely myself, Susanna was watching me sewin’ the poppet in court. Abby sat beside me while I made the poppet in court. I am being accused of murder. Abigail was stabbed tonight and a needle was found stuck in her belly and Elizabeth charges me.

The Crucible 5th hour Character: Abigail Williams

My name is Abigail Williams. I am seventeen years old. It all started when I was spotted in the forest by Parris, while dancing and practicing witchcraft . When Betty became unconscious, Reverend John Hale could not discover any medicine to give to Betty and that is when unnatural things looked to be the cause of what has happened to Betty. Parris denies that witchcraft could be the probable answer and I denied it too when Parris asked me about it. Reverend John Hale asked me what sort of dancing we were doing with Betty in the forest and I answered, “Just common dancing is all.” Then Parris butts in and says he saw a kettle in the grass where we were dancing. I said it was only soup in there, but Parris insisted that he saw some movement in the kettle. Well Tituba came in the room and I told everyone she made me do it, she made me drink the blood. So I pinned the whole thing on Tituba and then some of the the Salem citizens. The horrible thing was that I persuaded Tituba to cast the spells. Ever since I had an affair with John Proctor, I have been out to get his wife, Elisabeth. I knew that the Puritanical society will never permit Proctor to leave his wife for me, and he does not want to leave his wife anyways so I convinced Tituba to put a curse on Elisabeth hoping to get rid of her and take her place at John’s side.

It is ironic that I encouraged witchcraft in the first place because I was the one going around accusing everybody else. I excited the other girls in a frenzy of emotion, which allows them to condemn as witches to the people they know and love. I riled up the entire village’s hatred of witches.