This passage takes place in Act III of The Crucible and presents the confusion and twisted logic which prevails in the court at Salem. Tip: Make sure that you analyze and discuss the relationship between the passage and the wider themes of the text and structure your response by grouping related ideas together. Leave enough time to discuss the entire passage. An answer which only discusses one section of the passage is incomplete. MARY WARREN: It’s not a trick! (She stands.) I used to faint because I - I thought I saw spirits. DANFORTH: Thought you saw them! MARY WARREN: But I did... Show more This passage takes place in Act III of The Crucible and presents the confusion and twisted logic which prevails in the court at Salem. Tip: Make sure that you analyze and discuss the relationship between the passage and the wider themes of the text and structure your response by grouping related ideas together. Leave enough time to discuss the entire passage. An answer which only discusses one section of the passage is incomplete. MARY WARREN: It’s not a trick! (She stands.) I used to faint because I - I thought I saw spirits. DANFORTH: Thought you saw them! MARY WARREN: But I did not, Your Honour. HATHORNE: How could you think you saw them unless you saw them? MARY WARREN: I - I cannot tell how, but I did. I - I heard the other girls screaming, and you, Your Honour, you seemed to believe them, and I -- It were only sport in the beginning, sir, but then the whole world cried spirits, spirits, and I - I promise you, Mr. Danforth, I only thought I saw them but I did not. Danforth peers at her. PARRIS (smiling, but nervous because Danforth seems to be struck by Mary Warren’s story): Surely Your Excellency is not taken by this simple lie. DANFORTH (turning worriedly to Abigail): Abigail, I bid you now search your heart and tell me this - and beware of it, child, to God every soul is precious and His vengeance is terrible on them that take life without cause. Is it possible, child, that the spirits you have seen are illusion only, some deception that may cross your mind when -- ABIGAIL: Why, this - this is a base question, sir. DANFORTH: Child, I would have you consider it -- ABIGAIL: I have been hurt, Mr. Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin’ out! I have been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people - and this is my reward! To be mistrusted, denied, questioned like a -- DANFORTH (weakening): Child, I do not mistrust you -- ABIGAIL (in an open threat): Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? Beware of it! There is -- (Suddenly, from an accusatory attitude, her face turns, looking into the air above - it is truly frightened.) DANFORTH (apprehensively): What is it, child? ABIGAIL (looking about in the air, clasping her arms about her as though cold): I - I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. (Her eyes fall on Mary Warren.) MARY WARREN (terrified, pleading): Abby! MERCY LEWIS (shivering): Your Honour, I freeze! PROCTOR: They’re pretending! HATHORNE (touching Abigail’s hand): She is cold, Your Honour, touch her! MERCY LEWIS (through chattering teeth): Mary, do you send this shadow on me? MARY WARREN: Lord, save me! SUSANNA WALCOTT: I freeze, I freeze! ABIGAIL (shivering visibly): It is a wind, a wind! MARY WARREN: Abby, don’t do that! DANFORTH (himself engaged and entered by Abigail): Mary Warren, do you witch her? I say to you, do you send your spirit out? With a hysterical cry, Mary Warren starts to run. Proctor catches her. MARY WARREN (almost collapsing): Let me go, Mr. Proctor, I cannot, I cannot -- ABIGAIL (crying to Heaven): Oh, Heavenly Father, take away this shadow! Without warning or hesitation, Proctor leaps at Abigail and, grabbing her by the hair, pulls her to her feet. She screams in pain. Danforth, astonished, cries, “What are you about?” and Hathorne and Parris call, “Take your hands off her!” and out of it all comes Proctor’s roaring voice. PROCTOR: How do you call Heaven! Whore! Whore! - Arthur Miller, The Crucible Show less
This passage takes place in Act III of The Crucible and presents the confusion and twisted logic which prevails in the court at Salem.
Tip: Make sure that you analyze and discuss the relationship between the passage and the wider themes of the text and structure your response by grouping related ideas together. Leave enough time to discuss the entire passage. An answer which only discusses one section of the passage is incomplete.
MARY WARREN: It’s not a trick! (She stands.) I used to faint because I - I thought I saw spirits.
DANFORTH: Thought you saw them!
MARY WARREN: But I did not, Your Honour.
HATHORNE: How could you think you saw them unless you saw them?
MARY WARREN: I - I cannot tell how, but I did. I - I heard the other girls screaming, and you, Your Honour, you seemed to believe them, and I -- It were only sport in the beginning, sir, but then the whole world cried spirits, spirits, and I - I promise you, Mr. Danforth, I only thought I saw them but I did not.
Danforth peers at her.
PARRIS (smiling, but nervous because Danforth seems to be struck by Mary Warren’s story): Surely Your Excellency is not taken by this simple lie.
DANFORTH (turning worriedly to Abigail): Abigail, I bid you now search your heart and tell me this - and beware of it, child, to God every soul is precious and His vengeance is terrible on them that take life without cause. Is it possible, child, that the spirits you have seen are illusion only, some deception that may cross your mind when --
ABIGAIL: Why, this - this is a base question, sir.
DANFORTH: Child, I would have you consider it --
ABIGAIL: I have been hurt, Mr. Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin’ out! I have been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people - and this is my reward! To be mistrusted, denied, questioned like a --
DANFORTH (weakening): Child, I do not mistrust you --
ABIGAIL (in an open threat): Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? Beware of it! There is -- (Suddenly, from an accusatory attitude, her face turns, looking into the air above - it is truly frightened.)
DANFORTH (apprehensively): What is it, child?
ABIGAIL (looking about in the air, clasping her arms about her as though cold): I - I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. (Her eyes fall on Mary Warren.)
MARY WARREN (terrified, pleading): Abby!
MERCY LEWIS (shivering): Your Honour, I freeze!
PROCTOR: They’re pretending!
HATHORNE (touching Abigail’s hand): She is cold, Your Honour, touch her!
MERCY LEWIS (through chattering teeth): Mary, do you send this shadow on me?
MARY WARREN: Lord, save me! SUSANNA WALCOTT: I freeze, I freeze! ABIGAIL (shivering visibly): It is a wind, a wind! MARY WARREN: Abby, don’t do that! DANFORTH (himself engaged and entered by Abigail): Mary Warren, do you witch her? I say to you, do you send your spirit out? With a hysterical cry, Mary Warren starts to run. Proctor catches her. MARY WARREN (almost collapsing): Let me go, Mr. Proctor, I cannot, I cannot -- ABIGAIL (crying to Heaven): Oh, Heavenly Father, take away this shadow! Without warning or hesitation, Proctor leaps at Abigail and, grabbing her by the hair, pulls her to her feet. She screams in pain. Danforth, astonished, cries, “What are you about?” and Hathorne and Parris call, “Take your hands off her!” and out of it all comes Proctor’s roaring voice. PROCTOR: How do you call Heaven! Whore! Whore! - Arthur Miller, The Crucible
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