Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 1

Summary

Act IV begins in the Salem jail. Marshall Herrick wakes up Sarah Good and Tituba to
move them to a different cell. Sarah and Tituba tell Herrick that they are waiting for
the Devil. They plan to fly to Barbados with the Devil.

Analysis

Several months have passed since the action in the play began. Act I opened in the
spring of 1692, and the season is now fall. The court has already executed twelve
people from Salem, and has scheduled seven more to die today.

Although Tituba was told in Act I that she would be spared if she revealed her
alliance with the Devil, along with her knowledge of other individuals "in truck" with
the Devil, she has in fact been imprisoned. Sarah and Tituba have been in prison so
long that they have come to believe that they are in league with the Devil. Cold
weather, deplorable living conditions, and the lack of food have made them
delusional. They tell Herrick that the Devil will transform them into birds so that they
can fly to Barbados. Having internalized the accusations of witchcraft, they now use
them to create an escape from their situation.

Herrick's willingness to join Sarah and Tituba is noteworthy because he is no longer

afraid of the idea of the Devil, nor is he afraid of Sarah or Tituba. At this point in the
play the paranoia only remains within the court. The people of Salem have grown
weary of the witch trials and the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty they have
created.

Glossary

rile to anger; irritate.

Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 2

Summary

Parris summons Danforth and Hathorne and informs them that Hale is attempting to
convince the prisoners to confess their crimes. Parris also tells Danforth that Abigail
and Mercy Lewis have disappeared. Abigail robbed Parris, and he believes she and
Mercy boarded a ship.

Danforth and Parris discuss a recent rebellion in Andover. Parris worries that the
people of Salem will throw out the court, as the people in Andover did. He tells
Danforth the townspeople are not happy about the upcoming execution of Rebecca
Nurse and John Proctor. Parris found a dagger outside his door and he fears for his
life. He attempts to convince Danforth to postpone the executions until Hale
successfully convinces a prisoner to confess. Danforth refuses.
Analysis

Some individuals, such as Putnam, profited from the witch trials, but overall the
proceedings have devastated Salem. The court has torn apart families, leaving
children as orphans. Fields now stand empty, and cattle roam the streets unclaimed.
These consequences are noteworthy because originally the people believed that the
trials would only affect the accused; however, one cannot ignore the relationship
between the trials and the community. Instead of eliminating evil within the Salem
community and uniting the people, the trials created an atmosphere of terror and
destroyed the bond between neighbors.

Although no one has attempted to oust the court, as in Andover, grumblings of

dissatisfaction echo throughout Salem, and apprehension looms over the court. The
people of Salem are tired of living in fear. The court has accused many people, and
executed twelve. Proctor has been in jail for three months, giving the people in the
town time to think about his charge against Abigail and what happened in Act III,
Scene 3. The townspeople no longer believe that Abigail serves as a mouthpiece for
God, but instead acts upon her own vengeance; the people have had enough. The
dagger that Parris finds represents the potential for violence that is just below the
surface in Salem.

Danforth and Parris realize that public sentiment for the court is shifting. Their
actions at this point are notable. Danforth displays a rigid determination to continue
with the court proceedings. Act III, Scene 1, established the fact that Danforth's own
role in the court concerns him more than the implications of the court's actions. Act
IV, Scene 2 underscores his earlier behavior. He believes a delay in the executions
will suggest he is weak and that he doubts his own judgments. This point should be
irrelevant when contrasted with the possibility of executing an innocent person, but
public perception of himself concerns Danforth more than justice.

Scene 2 continues to contrast Parris and Hale. Self-preservation motivates Parris,

while a desire to make things right drives Hale. Parris prevails upon Danforth for a
delay, not because he worries about condemning innocent people to die, but
because Parris fears for his life. At the beginning of the play Parris worries about a
faction trying to force him out of Salem. Now he fears that a mob will attack and kill
him. The size of his congregation has diminished. This decrease is due in part to a
dissatisfaction with Parris as minister; however, it also underscores the people's
dissatisfaction with the court because the people perceive Parris as a proponent of
the court.

Abigail's disappearance further testifies to the unrest in Salem. After Proctor

revealed their affair, Abigail lost credibility in the eyes of the people, if not the eyes of
the court. Abigail now realizes that Proctor thwarted her plan. Not only has she lost
all of the power she gained through the witch trials, but she has also lost the prize
she sought in the first place, Proctor. Rather than eliminate Elizabeth, her actions
have condemned Proctor to hang. The deception that she created to possess
Proctor and gain power in Salem has backfired. No reason exists for Abigail to
remain in Salem any longer. Hints of violence toward Parris also alert Abigail that the
people of Salem may turn against her, because they see her as the one who started
the calamity.
Parris does not tell Danforth of Abigail's disappearance immediately because he
knows Danforth could interpret it as proof that the girls are a fraud. Once again
Parris protects his own interests. He withholds the truth in order to prevent upheaval
in Salem — an upheaval he fears would result in violence toward himself.
Nevertheless, he has gone from a man who asked for more pay at the start of the
play to a man who has lost everything. He is paying for his lack of integrity.

Danforth's reaction to Abigail's disappearance recalls his actions in Act III, Scenes 2
and 3. He does not consider the implications of Abigail leaving Salem because such
consideration would force him to review the court and its actions. Carrying on as if he
knew nothing of Abigail's disappearance is easier because it allows him to feel
secure in his own actions. He will not delay the executions for fear that the people
may regard the previous twelve executions as wrong. If this happened, Danforth
would loose credibility. He is willing to execute seven more people, even though he
doubts their guilt since the flight of their chief accuser.

Glossary

strongbox a heavily made box or safe for storing valuables.

gibbet a gallows; a structure like a gallows, from which bodies of criminals already
executed were hung and exposed to public scorn.

Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 3

Summary

Hale informs Danforth that none of the prisoners will confess. Hale asks Danforth to
pardon the seven individuals condemned to die, or allow him more time to persuade
them to confess. Danforth refuses.

Hale summons Elizabeth. He asks her to convince Proctor to admit his guilt so that
the court will not hang him. Elizabeth agrees to speak with him. Proctor and
Elizabeth discuss their children and the child she carries.

Proctor admits that he is considering confessing. He asks Elizabeth if she will

respect him if he does. Elizabeth states that it is his decision, and she tells him that
she has forgiven him for the affair. Elizabeth realizes that she bears part of the
blame for the affair because she has been a cold, suspicious wife in response to her
own insecurities.

Analysis

Scene 3 reveals a dramatic change in the relationship between Proctor and

Elizabeth. They have learned to forgive one another and to communicate their
feelings. Elizabeth realizes that she cannot blame Proctor entirely for the affair. Her
insecurity prevented her from trusting Proctor and her lack of emotion created
distance between them. When Elizabeth tells Proctor of her feelings, he sees that
Elizabeth no longer condemns him. He can believe her when she tells him she has
forgiven him; as a result, they manage to put the affair in the past and move on to
consider the future.

Proctor's decision to confess seems surprising at first. Considering his options,

however, the choice seems less surprising. The Salem court states that it will find an
individual innocent, provided that he or she is of "good conscience," but this is not
the case. Danforth tells Hale in Act III, Scene 2 that witchcraft is "an invisible crime,"
one without witnesses. As a result, once an individual stands accused of witchcraft,
he or she is guilty. The Salem court does not operate on the modern idea that an
individual is innocent until proven guilty, but that an individual is guilty once accused.
As a result, confession is the only way to plea-bargain for one's life.

Proctor is guilty of witchcraft because of his charge against Abigail and Mary
Warren's accusation. He can refuse to plead guilty and be hung for witchcraft, or he
can confess the crime and live. Either way the court declares him guilty, but the
confession shows repentance for the crime and saves him from execution. Both
Proctor and Elizabeth realize that lying about the confession is a small price to pay
for his life. They have finally reached a point where they can begin to rebuild their
marriage, and they do not want to lose that opportunity now.

Glossary

floundering speaking or acting in an awkward, confused manner, with hesitation

and frequent mistakes; here, meaning wavering, especially from indecision or doubt.

quail to draw back in fear; lose heart or courage; cower.

disputation a discussion marked by formal debate, often as an exercise; here,

meaning an argument.

Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 4

Summary

Proctor confesses orally to witchcraft, but refuses to implicate anyone else. Danforth
informs him that the court needs proof of his confession in the form of a signed,
written testimony. Proctor confesses verbally to witchcraft, and Rebecca Nurse hears
the confession. She is shocked by Proctor's actions, and she still refuses to confess
to witchcraft. Proctor signs his name to the confession, but destroys the document
when he learns the court will post it on the church door.

The authorities of the court take Proctor out of the prison toward the gallows. Hale
pleads with Elizabeth to convince Proctor to change his mind. Elizabeth refuses. She
sees that he is now at peace with himself.

Analysis

When Proctor tells Elizabeth that he will confess, she understands that he is doing
so because he wants them to go home and reestablish their family. Note that neither
Proctor nor Elizabeth considers Elizabeth's situation. The court has delayed her
execution until she gives birth to the child, but she is still scheduled to hang. If
Proctor confesses and gains release, Elizabeth will still remain in jail. Proctor
realizes that Elizabeth will not confess, but agrees to confess anyway. The play
suggests, but does not confirm, two possible solutions for Elizabeth. First, she may
decide that, although lying is a sin, lying to save her life and protect her family
justifies the sin — especially since she already lied in the courtroom. On the other
hand, perhaps the witch trials will end (as they have in Andover) and the courts will
release her. Unfortunately neither one of these happens.

Scene 4 exemplifies a struggle. Proctor knows that signing the confession is lying,
and this sacrifice of honor is the hardest for him to bear. His desire to remain honest
and his desire to preserve his family tear him in two. Proctor believes that God will
forgive him if he confesses, because, as Hale states, "life is God's most precious gift;
no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it."

Proctor does not consider himself righteous, in fact he recoils from the idea that he is
compared to individuals like Rebecca Nurse who are innocent of any wrongdoing. Of
course Proctor has not practiced witchcraft; however, according to himself he is a
fallen man, one who has sinned against his wife and himself.

He is willing to sacrifice his honor — which he has already done by admitting to

adultery — and he can live with the knowledge that others will view him differently if
he confesses. However, Proctor cannot bear the shame of having his confession
nailed to the church door. Because confessing will save his life, he can live with that
idea, but he believes nailing his confession to the church door constitutes a betrayal
of everyone who refuses to confess. A public display of his false confession —
especially at a church that is supposed to uphold truth — would insult those who
choose to die to preserve their honor. A public display of his signature will strip him
of his pride and identity. He will lose his good name and be nothing but a broken
man. Proctor's decision to destroy the confession demonstrates his commitment to
truth and his inability to tolerate falsehood, especially in himself.

Glossary

scaffold a raised platform on which criminals are executed, as by hanging.

damn to cause the ruin of; make fail.

purge to cleanse or rid of impurities, foreign matter, or undesireable elements.

weighty of great significance or moment; serious.

beguile to mislead by cheating or tricking; deceive.