Reverend Hale's Hysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

The famous renaissance man, Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence”. Ruling Salem in the 17th century, a theocracy, or government run by religious leaders, inhibited separation of the Puritan church and state laws. As a result, the most devout Christians experienced surges in authority because they were the most obedient to the theocracy and its goal of purifying Salem. Therefore, those who were obedient were rewarded, whereas ne'er do wells and other impure people were either corrected or removed from society. Allowing no room for error from its residents, the theocracy even installed “a two-man patrol” (4), appointed to ensure cooperation and righteous behavior.

He has taken notice of the large amount of witchcraft which that is present from act one and begins taking accusations against others for granted and does not investigate their legitimacy to bring justice. Since Reverend Hale is not looking for evidence when he investigates people, this allows Abigail to manipulate him. She makes it appear that Elizabeth used witchcraft to stab a needle in her stomach, which results in Elizabeth being wrongly accused. In this way not only has Reverend Hale changed by not looking for evidence but he has also changed the

The moment Abigail and Titiuba realized there was no escape from being framed as witches, they went along with it, and Hale believed them; of course, he later admitted he was wrong; however, by then, it was

The Salem witch trials that were held in 1692 inspired author Arthur Miller to write The Crucible. Dozens were accused of witchcraft only to save the hide of another towns member. Men from out of town were called in to put the accusations at rest. This did not work. The Proctors, most well known name in the town, were arrested and punished accordingly.

When Reverend Hale first Appeared in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, he was very different from the person shown at the end of the play ... At first Hale believed that he was to be helpful and that he was doing the right thing, but by the end of the play he was stuck trying to fix his horrifying mistake, weighed down by the guilt from the lives of those killed. When Hale first appears in Act I, he is on his way to Salem in order to see Reverend Parris’ daughter, Betty. Abigail began accusing many people of witchcraft, which then led Betty to “wake” and join her in the accusations. this strengthened hale’s belief that he was doing good for the town of salem, encouraging him to stay in town and further the trials at hand.

In Act I, the reverend of the town asked for Reverend Hale to go to the Parris household to find out why Abigail was “sick.” Soon after, he confirmed she was bewitched, being blind to the fact that Abigail was faking it all along. Hale also said that Betty was bewitched and began to question Tituba after Abigail accused her of doing witchcraft. To try to get Tituba to confess, he told her, “You’re God’s instrument put in our hands to discover the Devil’s agent among us” (Miller 594). Abigail wanted that kind of special attention too, which was part of the reason she started accusing others

One could easily say Abigail was the one to blame for the hysteria in Salem during the witchcraft trials, but there is someone who was as much to blame as her. Tituba is to blame for the Salem witchcraft. “To Tituba! What may Tituba-? Tituba knows how to speak to the dead, Mr. Parris” (page 1095).

Once Abigail is indicted of witch craft she exclaims that Tituba "...sends her spirit on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayer," Tituba quickly retaliates only for Abigail to inform Reverend Hale she is lying (Miller 43). Albeit Abigail wasn't so selfish and took the punishment she deserved, none of the accusations would have been made. Protecting herself was her only goal but little did she know that it started the whirlwind of dreadful events. Abigail makes things worse when she has to threaten the other girls such as Betty to lie. Abigail warns the girls that if, "...either of [them] breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and [she] will come to [them] in the black of some terrible night and [she] will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you" (Miller 20), it was crystal clear that if one rats her out they're dead.

Reverend Hale is an interesting character in Act I of The Crucible. He is presented as an educated man who is well-versed in the scriptures and the ways of the devil. His appearance is that of a typical Puritan minister, strict and serious. Hale's actions and words are those of a man on a mission to root out all evil in the community, but he also displays moments of doubt and self-examination. Hale's role in the play is to investigate the claims of witchcraft in Salem and to determine if those accused are innocent or guilty.

In “Tragedy and the Tragic Flaw” Aristotle describes a tragic hero as a person with a fatal flaw that ultimately leads to his downfall. In the novel “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, one important tragic hero is Reverend Hale. In the beginning of his arrival, Hale is what Aristotle describes the tragic hero to equate too, “happy, powerful, and privileged.” Unfortunately, as time passes, Hale comes to realize the inaccurate accusations against innocence citizens and by that time it is too late to correct it. He is “suffering immensely because of his own actions or mistakes.”

This is the moment when the confident Reverend Hale begins to crumble. Reverend Hale maintains his level-head and a degree of self-confidence, wishing for a more proper evaluation of the evidence. He remains much the way he came, level headed and confident, but now the people have broken into hysteria, and even judges of the court will not carry out his wishes. (pg. 103. The Crucible) Reverend Hale is accustomed to people listening to him, but this begins to change as fear, hysteria, and vengeance grips the town, and his good conscience forces him

When Hale asked Abigail why she was dancing around a fire and saying spells, she didn’t want to get hanged so she said Tituba made her do it. Abigail says "She sends her spirit out on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayer. "(Act 1) Hale believes Abigail and asks Titubia why she did it and she says that she knows nothing of this. Then Abigail says 'Don't lie!

After Tituba confesses he believes that all the people Abigail, Betty, and Tituba name are witches as well. Reverend Hale comes to Salem with good intentions but by the end of the Act he believes the wrong people and thinks that there are witches in

Hale’s questions are leading and forcing Abigail to give an answer that incriminated Tituba. It is as if the society knows that witches are not real, but they are so against differences that they will do anything to get rid of them. So they convince people they are witches and instead of facing their views of people who are different, they execute them. Not only do the leading questions make the reader question Abigail’s credibility, but also our knowledge of the affair gives Abigail a motive to lie. Abigail’s affair with John Proctor leads to jealously and eventually leads to the accusation of Elizabeth

”(Miller 1301). Next, Reverend Hale realizes that whole thing is getting out of hand and is ridiculous, so he quits the court. Reverend Hale's character changed from believing in witches and saving their souls from the devil to saving their lives from a lie. At some point, he realizes that the church can be used for evil too. The cause of this is from interrogating the people of Salem of witchcraft.