The Crucible
Act 2
11th Grade English 3 pages 487-503
Read Page 487
Closely examine the dialog between Proctor and Elizabeth in the
first scene. Remember that dialog can reveal a character’s
nature.
1. Re-read lines 1-42 come up with words and short phrases to
describe the way Elizabeth responds to Proctor.
2. What does her dialogue reveal about her feelings toward
Proctor in the beginning of this scene?
Read Page 488
Remember, a complication of the plot is a problem that makes
the main conflict more difficult to resolve.
3. In lines 101-112, how is Mary’s becoming an official of the
court a plot complication?
The play’s dialog sometimes advances the plot, or sequence of
events.
4. What do we learn about the progress of the witch hunt from
Elizabeth’s dialog in lines 114-119?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner. (2 min.)
Read Page 489
Although two separate stage directions may employ the same or similar
words, they may suggest very different motivations for the characters.
5. The stage directions in lines 147-153 both use the word “quietly.”
What is the difference between each character’s motivation to speak
quietly in this moment?
One way playwrights develop their characters is through indirect
characterization, including what characters say.
Lines 201-211 feature figurative language, which is language that is not
used literally and gives us clues about what is happening with the
characters.
6. Paraphrase the rich figurative language in lines 201-211, and infer
what it must have been like around the Proctor house. Cite specific
examples from the text to support your answer.
Read Page 490
While a play may have one large, global conflict, there may be many
other smaller, local conflicts among the characters.
7. Describe the nature of the personal conflict between Proctor and
Elizabeth.
Plot complications can dramatically impact the mood of a scene.
8. How does the mood of the scene change when Mary Warren
reveals that Goody Osburn has been sentenced to hang?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner. (2 min.)
Read Page 491
Both dialogue and stage directions often provide valuable clues to
character.
9. What do both the stage directions and Mary Warren’s dialogue
tell you about her character? Cite specific examples.
You will encounter characters that are foils for other characters.
These characters—often minor ones—contrast strikingly with a
main character, thereby illuminating the characteristics of the main
character.
10. How could Mary be seen as a foil for Elizabeth?
Read Page 492
Stage directions can offer historical background and help describe
setting.
11. What stage directions in lines 402-421 suggest about what
people were allowed to do their servants during the time of the
play.
Look for events in the play that are plot complications.
12.How did the event described in lines 419-431 qualify as a plot
complication?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner. (2 min.)
Read Page 493
Like everyday speech, dialogue can sometimes be ambiguous. It is
necessary to pay close attention to the entire context of the play to
make sure they understand what the characters mean.
13. Who do you think Elizabeth is talking about when she says “she”
in lines 460-461? Cite textual evidence to support your answer.
Stage directions can reveal motivations behind characters’ behavior.
14.Why do you think Miller puts the stage directions in quotes in
lines 502-513?
15.What is revealed about Elizabeth in the stage directions that are
in quotes?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner. (2 min.)
Read Page 494
The climax of a play is its most exciting and tense moment. All the
events of the play lead to the climax, and the climax has the
potential to change the outcome of the conflict. In addition to the
play’s overall climax, an individual scene may have a climax as
well—the point of the highest excitement and tension.
16. Reread lines 520-546 and identify the climax. Cite specific
details in the text to help explain why you think this is the climax.
Stage directions can reveal characters’ feelings and motivations.
17.What does the stage direction in line 586 indicates about Hale’s
emotional state at that moment?
Read Page 495
In addition to revealing a character’s feelings, dialogue can help to
convey the theme of an entire play. A character’s dialogue may
express the underlying message of the playwright.
18. What does Proctor’s dialogue in lines 655-664 reveal about his
feelings for Parris?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner. (2 min.)
Read Page 496
Dialogue moves the plot forward and also can hint at a future event.
These hints of the future are called foreshadowing.
19.Based on what you have read, what event might lines 700-703
foreshadow, where Hale asks Elizabeth if she knows the Ten
Commandments?
Remember, stage directions can contribute to the mood of a scene
or an entire play.
20. What is the mood of the scene? Cite stage directions in lines
700-766 to support your answer.
Read Page 497
Read all dialogue closely and look for punctuation and special type
that the playwright may be using for effect and emphasis.
Stakes are what the characters stand to lose or gain. A playwright
develops the drama of his or her play by raising the stakes of the
central characters.
21.How does Hale’s request for Proctor to testify in court an
example of raising Proctor’s stakes?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner. (2 min.)
Read Pages 498 and 499
Plot complications are additional problems that make the main
conflict more difficult to resolve. They will often raise the stakes for
the characters as well.
22. How can the arrest of the wives of Giles and Francis in lines 866924 be seen as a plot complication?
Character’s motivation can be inferred from either dialogue, stage
directions—or both.
23.What motivates Cheever to come and arrest Elizabeth? Cite
evidence from stage directions or dialogue.
Page 499 (continued) STOPPED
Plot complications build on the events of the plot—including
previous complications—and add intensity.
24. Why does Elizabeth’s arrest qualify as plot complication, and
how does Elizabeth’s arrest build on previous plot
complications?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner. (2 min.)
Read Page 500
Dramatic irony occurs when readers know more than some or all of
the characters.
25. How is the section about the poppet, in lines 1013-1057, an
example of dramatic irony?
Stage directions can give insight to characters’ feelings and
understanding.
26.Does Mary know about Abagail’s accusation against Elizabeth?
Cite evidence from lines 1047-1099 to support your answer.
Read Page 501
Dialogue can convey the playwright’s underlying message.
27. Identify the sentence in lines 1132-1143 that states one of
Miller’s central themes. What does this sentence mean, and how
does it relate to the theme?
Stage directions sometimes require interpretation.
28.Why do you think Proctor is not able to look at Elizabeth in lines
1154-1163?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner. (2 min.)
Read Pages 502 and 503
Stage directions can help establish mood.
29. How do the stage directions that describe sounds in lines 1174-1201
help establish the mood of the scene? Cite specific sounds listed in
the text in your answer.
Character’s dialogue, such as Proctor’s speech in lines 1282-1296 can
reveal more about the central conflict of the play and the character’s
role in it.
30.How does Proctor’s speech relate to the central conflict of the play?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner. (2 min.)