The Crucible—Film Study Guide Questions



The Crucible Name_______________________________

Film Study Guide Questions Date _______________ Period__________

Answer the following questions while we are viewing the film. This will be collected at the end of the film and will count as a quiz grade.

ACT ONE

Aim: What does this act reveal about the characters and Salem?

1) Describe what the girls are doing in the forest.

2) Why can’t Betty Parris wake up?

3) Why do the doctors assume Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam can’t wake up? What do they assume?

4) Who is Thomas Putnam? What do you learn about him?

5) What is Reverend Parris afraid of? Why does he feel this way?

6) Why was Abigail discharged from service at the Proctor household? What might be the real reason?

7) What does Reverend Parris tell the villagers about Reverend Hale? How do the villagers react?

8) What are the girls afraid of?

9) What does Mary Warren want the girls to do? Why?

10) When Betty wakes up, what does she reveal about Abigail?

11) What does Rebecca Nurse think is ailing Betty?

12) Why does Goody Putnam resent Rebecca Nurse?

13) What do Rebecca Nurse’s actions reveal about her?

14) How do the villagers feel about Reverend Parris?

15) What does Abigail tell John about Betty?

16) What does their conversation reveal about their relationship?

17) What does this conversation reveal about Abigail’s feelings about the end of their relationship?

18) Describe Reverend Hale.

19) What does Reverend Hale say to Rebecca Nurse? What does this reveal about Rebecca Nurse’s reputation?

20) What “signs” does Rev Hale look for when examining Betty? What is ironic about this?

21) What does Giles Corey tell Rev Hale about his wife? What might happen because of this?

22) Describe the manner in which Rev Hale questions the girls. What is wrong with this technique?

23) How does fear motivate the decisions of the following lies? State the lie that each character tells and how fear motivated that lie.

Tituba

Abigail

The other girls

24) How do you feel about the above lies?

25) How does Reverend Hale treat Tituba after she confesses? What does he specifically say to her? Why is this ironic?

26) How does Hale’s treatment of Abigail impact her decision to confess to witchcraft? What role might power play in Abigail’s confession?

27) By the end of the Act, how many people are named as witches?

CLOSURE: How do you feel about the girls’ behavior in this scene? How do you feel about the villagers reactions to the confessions? Why?

ACT TWO

Aim: How do we see that Abigail’s power has grown?

1) What can you tell about the relationship between John Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth?

2) What do both John and Elizabeth know about the girls’ claims of witchcraft? How do they know this?

3) Why is John Proctor reluctant to go to court and tell them what he knows?

4) What happens in the courtroom with Sara Good and Sara Osborne? How does Sara Good implicate herself? What do you notice about the way the courtroom is run? What is illogical about the proceedings?

5) How do you see that the hysteria is spreading in Salem? On what grounds are people arrested? Give specific examples.

6) How does the crowd treat Abigail? What do their actions reveal about Abigail’s new reputation?

7) Of what is George Jacobs accused? What is illogical about this accusation? What evidence is used?

8) How do you feel about the girls’ behavior in this scene?

9) How does Proctor treat Mary Warren when she tells him she is needed at court?

10) How do we see that Mary is aware of her power?

11) How does Mary save herself from being whipped by John Proctor?

12) Abigail meets John in the forest. What does John tell her?

13) What is Abigail’s reaction? What does this reveal about her?

14) Abigail says to John, “I am but God’s finger, John, if he would condemn Elizabeth, she will be condemned.” What does this mean? What does this reveal bout Abigail?

15) Why do you think this scene takes place in the forest?

16) What does Abigail do immediately after this? What might she be plotting? Predict what will happen next.

17) What doubts does Hathorne have about the trials? What is Danforth’s response?

18) Why does Reverend Hale go to the Proctor’s home?

19) When Reverend Hale visits, what things seem to go against John and Elizabeth?

20) Hale says to John, ‘Theology, sir, is a fortress. No crack may be accounted small.”

* What does this mean?

* What does this reveal about the Puritan’s beliefs?

21) When John tells Hale that Abigail is lying, what is Hale’s response? Why might Hale be hesitant to accept that Abigail is lying?

22) Rebecca Nurse is arrested. Why is this ironic? What does this mean for Salem?

23) Hale says to John about Rebecca’s arrest, “An hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven.” What does this mean? How does this relate to Rebecca?

24) What is the connection between the poppet given to Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s arrest?

25) John can’t understand why Elizabeth is being arrested. He says, “Is the accuser always holy now…I’ll tell you what’s walking Salem. Vengeance is walking Salem…”

* What does he mean?

* What does this reveal about the accusations and Abigail’s power?

26) What demand does John Proctor make of Mary Warren? What is her reaction? Why?

27) What must John do to save his wife?

ACT THREE

Aim: How is justice distorted in Salem?

1) In our courts, how is trial a typically run?

2) Of what crime is Martha Corey accused? What evidence is used against her?

3) What is a deposition?

4) What is Danforth’s reaction to the depositions being brought forward? Why is this ironic?

5) Why does Danforth think that John may have come to court? Why is this illogical?

6) What news does Danforth bring about Elizabeth? How does he use this information to strike a deal with John? What does this reveal about Danforth?

7) What deposition does Francis bring forth? Why ironic effect does this have?

8) What deposition does Giles Corey present?

9) Why is Giles arrested? How is this ironic?

10) Why do you think Danforth is so unwilling to consider that the girls are lying?

11) How is Hale different from Danforth?

12) What is Danforth’s explanation for his manner of conducting the trial without lawyers? What is ironic about this?

13) Hathorne questions Mary about fainting in the court. He asks her to faint on the spot. Why might this be difficult for Mary?

14) What is Mary’s explanation for why she lied and said that she was being afflicted by spirits?

15) Define psychosomatic. What role did this play in the witch trials?

16) After Mary’s confession, Danforth questions Abigail. What does Abigail do and say in response? What do these actions reveal about her?

17) What forces Proctor to confess? What is the significance of this confession? What does John mean by, “What man will cast away his good name?”

18) Why does Danforth bring Elizabeth into the court?

19)How does this scene build suspense?

20) Define dramatic irony. How can this scene be considered an example of dramatic irony?

21) Predict what Elizabeth will say. Why? How does this relate to the title of the play?

22) Why is it difficult for Elizabeth to lie about John’s infidelity?

23) How does Elizabeth inadvertently destroy Proctor’s efforts to save his wife?

24) What is Hale’s response to this? What should Danforth realize?

25) What does Abigail do? How do you feel about the girls antics in this scene?

26) In what ways is Mary Warren pressured in this scene? What does she do? What motivates her decision?

27) When John is arrested at the end of Act Three he says, “I say you are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore…I say God is dead!” What does this mean?

28) Why is this scene the climax of the play?

29) What have the previous events done to Reverend Hale’s opinions of the trial?

ACT FOUR

Aim: What impact has the witch trials had on Salem?

1) Three months go by in between Acts three and four. In that time, 12 people are hanged. What is the town’s reaction to these hangings?

2) What happens to Giles Corey? What do his last words, “more weight,” really mean? To what theme does this relate?

3) What does Abigail tell Danforth about Reverend Hale? What is Danforth’s response to this? What does this reveal about Danforth?

4) What fears does Hathorne express about continuing the hangings? How do the people of Salem feel about the hangings? What is Danforth’s response?

5) How do the people of feel about Parris now? Why do they feel this way?

6) Where does Abigail go? What do her actions reveal about her?

7) Why are they so desperate for a confession from John Proctor?

8) Why had Reverend Hale returned to Salem? What is ironic about this? Why does he feel that he must do this?

9) Hale says to Elizabeth, “Life is God’s most precious gift, no principle, no matter how glorious, may justify the taking of it. God may damn a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride.” What does this mean?

10) What seems to be Proctor’s objection to being hanged besides forfeiting his life? What is his objection to confessing?

11) What advice does Elizabeth give her husband here?

12) How is the conflict between Elizabeth and John resolved?

13) Once John signs the confession he retracts it. Why does he do this? What does he specifically say?

14) Once John retracts his confession he says, "Now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor, not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs.” What does this mean? Why did John feel like had to retract his confession?

15) How do you feel about John’s decision? Why?

16) After John confesses, Elizabeth says, “He have his goodness now; God forbid I take it away from him.” What does she mean? Do you think that this was an easy decision for Goody Proctor? What does this reveal about her character?

17) At the end of the play John is hanged. Prior to being hanged, he recites the Lord’s Prayer. What does this reveal about John Proctor?

18) What differences are there between history and the play? List at least four.

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