Crucible- HW 9 (p.128-145)

“Pray be at your ease, we come not for your life. We—uncertain how to plead, for he is not accustomed to it. Mr. Hale, will u speak with this woman? ... Will you plead for his confession or will you not? ” (131,133)- Danforth

• At last, this ignorant judge has somewhat come to his senses and attempts to mend what he is responsible for “breaking”. However, Danforth goes about this in a strange way. He is aware that he has made a terrible mistake but he is not willing to sacrifice his reputation and go back on his word. As an alternative, we see Danforth pleading for Hale and Elizabeth to convince Proctor to confess to associating with the Devil. In doing so, Danforth realizes that he will be released from the chains of his decree and will be able to let the innocent live while keeping his high ranking. Danforth always tends to make an effort to redeem himself so long as nothing taints his name.
  
  Does Danforth feel an inch of regret for what he has done?

“Would you give them such a lie? Say it. Would you ever give them this? She cannot answer. You would not; if tongs of fire were singeing you you would not! It is evil. Good, then—it is evil, and I do it!” (138)- Proctor

• In this quote, we see the magnitude of honesty amongst the Proctors. As John grapples with the decision of either lying to save his life or telling the truth only to face death, he asks Elizabeth what she would do in the situation. Elizabeth is a loss for words. It is evident that she wants John to stay alive but refuses to convince him to falsely confess. As a result of this, Proctor realizes that his wife would not lie to save herself, so his act is indeed evil.
  
  Does Elizabeth regret not convincing her husband to falsely confess?