The Crucible Act 2

Act II takes place entirely at Proctor’s house, and it begins eight days after the events in Act I.  While the act begins with only Proctor and Elizabeth at the house, their servant Mary Warren eventually comes home from the court where she has been all day. The three of them discuss the accusations, with Mary telling them that Elizabeth’s name has been mentioned in court, until Hale walks in. Hale begins to question Proctor’s religious habits until Giles Corey and Francis Nurse appear at the house, informing the Proctors that both of their wives have been taken away. Finally, Ezekiel Cheever and Marshal Herrick come to the house with a warrant for Elizabeth. They find a poppet with a needle in it, and because Abigail got stabbed with a needle that same night, they take Elizabeth away even though the poppet actually belongs to Mary.

From the beginning to the end of Act II, it is clear how much the entire situation from Act I has escalated. Originally, Proctor thought only fourteen people had been accused; however, Mary informs them that there have actually been 39. And, later in the act, Cheever mentions that he has sixteen warrants the night Elizabeth gets taken away, showing how much the situation has grown.

The theme of revenge comes up a lot during this act, especially when Elizabeth is being accused of witchcraft. While the people in the town are caught up in all of the accusations, Proctor sees right through it, yelling, “I’ll tell you what’s walking Salem - vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law” (Miller 73). It is interesting how the whole town seems to be swept up in the accusations; however, Proctor seems to be the only one to point out that the entire situation is driven solely by revenge. It will be interesting to see how all of the accusations and the theme of revenge continue to play out throughout the rest of the play.

-Braden