The Crucible  Act III worksheet: pages 1132 – 1151

 

Answer each question with a complete sentence. Put your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

 

1. What three depositions are presented to the court?

 

2. Cory charges that Putnam is “killing his neighbors for their land.” What does Danforth demand as proof?

 

3. John Proctor admits to his affair with Abigail. When Elizabeth testifies to Danforth, what does she say about this affair?

 

4. Mary rejoins the girls in their lies. What accusation does Mary make about John?

 

5. Why is John arrested?

 

6. How do the judges effectively discourage anyone from defending the good character or innocence of a person accused of witchcraft?

 

7. What does John Proctor’s decision to confess his involvement with Abigail reveal about his character?

 

8. Imagine that Elizabeth Proctor had told Danforth the truth. How might the outcome of the witchcraft hysteria have been different?

 

9. “Is every defense an attack upon the court?” Hale asks in Act III. Danforth observes, “A person is either with this court or he must be counted against it.” Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible during the McCarthy era of the 1950’s. McCarthy accused many of being Communists, and those who opposed his court and methods were themselves Communists, and he began to investigate them. Could this be compared to the Republican President of today who holds that those opposed to his policies then would be aiding Al Qaeda?

 

10. Consider the dramatic irony that occurs when Elizabeth testifies about her husband’s behavior. What does she not know that the audience knows?