Act Four
- What time of day does Act IV open? Act IV opens before sunrise.
2. Whose presence in the jail makes Danforth upset? Reverend Hale has come back to town. He wants those condemned to “confess” so they will not die.
3. Cheever says that cows are running freely in the streets. Why are they roaming? The owners of the cows are now jailed or dead.
4. Who does Parris say has robbed him and vanished from the town? Parris says that Abigail robbed him and left town on a ship.
5. What object did Parris see as an intentional threat to his life? A dagger outside of Parris’s door is seen as a threat.
6. How many people have hanged already, and why does Danforth refuse to postpone any hangings? Twelve people are already dead. If he postpones the hangings, that would not be fair to those already dead.
7. Who has been arrested and detained in the dungeon? John Proctor is kept in the dungeon because he was violent toward one of the jailers.
8. Is Elizabeth really pregnant? Elizabeth is really pregnant.
9. Rev. Hale offers four signs that the town is being ruined, please list them. Cows are needing to be milked, orphans are wandering around, crops are rotting in the fields, and people are nervous.
10. Who is planning to hang when the sun rises in a few hours? Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor are scheduled to hang.
11. Does Rebecca confess to witchcraft? Rebecca does not confess.
12. Give two reasons why Giles Corey was smart for not admitting or denying the charges against him. By not admitting or denying the charges, his land will stay in the family and no one be compelled to confess by his example.
13. What are Giles Corey's dying words, and how does he die? “More weight” was Corey’s last words while he was being pressed to death.
14. What does Proctor admit to? Proctor admits to seeing the Devil.
15. What will Proctor not sign? He will not sign the confession that he saw the Devil.
16. Why would Proctor admit, but not sign, a confession of his guilt? He finally does sign it, but he rips it up. He doesn’t want to be used to convince others to confess.
17. How does Proctor think Danforth is using him? Proctor thinks Danforth is using Proctor’s good name in town to compel others to confess. If the confession is posted on the church door, everyone will see “proof” of John’s sin of lying that he saw the Devil.
18. What finally happens to Proctor's confession? Proctor rips the confession.
19. What happens to John Proctor? He is hanged.
20. Who else hangs? Rebecca Nurse