The Crucible Act 4 Quiz: Test Your The Crucible Act 4 Knowledge

When asked to sign his confession in Act IV, John Proctor signs it, but later tears it up and denounces the court. He cannot bear to live with the shame of a false confession and chooses to die with his integrity intact.

In Act IV of "The Crucible," Reverend Hale's main purpose in returning to Salem is to convince the remaining accused to confess and save their lives. He has lost faith in the court and now believes that the accused are innocent.

Cows are wandering loose on the roads of Salem because many farmers have been jailed and can't take care of their farms. The witch trials have resulted in the imprisonment of many people, leaving their farms unattended.

Abigail and Mercy have left Salem because they fear the villagers will turn on them. With the growing skepticism about the trials and the increasing sympathy for the accused, they fear retribution from the townspeople.

When Elizabeth says of John, “He have his goodness now”, she means that he has regained his self-respect and recognizes the goodness in himself. By refusing to make a false confession, he has made a moral stand, which Elizabeth sees as a sign of his inherent goodness.

Giles Corey can best be described as courageous. Despite the danger and the pressure from the court, he refuses to implicate anyone else in witchcraft, even under the threat of severe punishment.

After signing his confession, Proctor rips it up so that it cannot be hung on the church door. He does this because he doesn't want to publicly admit to a crime he didn't commit, even if it means saving his life.

It's important to Danforth and Parris that Proctor confess because his confession will convince people the court has been just. A confession from Proctor, a respected individual, would validate the court's actions and suppress doubts about the trials.

The climax of Act Four occurs when Proctor rips up his confession. This is the turning point of the act, where Proctor makes a decisive stand against the court, choosing integrity and truth over his own life.

At the beginning of Act IV, Parris reveals that Abigail and Mercy Lewis have run away and stolen all of Parris’s money. This shows their opportunism and lack of genuine religious conviction.

Danforth refuses to postpone the hangings because it might look as if he has wrongly executed innocent people. Postponing the hangings would imply that the court is uncertain about the guilt of the accused, which would undermine its authority and credibility.

The references made to Andover suggest that the people there have rebelled and overthrown the court. This indicates a growing opposition to the witch trials.

John Proctor won't confess because he is innocent. He doesn't want to falsely admit to witchcraft, which would tarnish his name and reputation. He also doesn't want to give his persecutors the satisfaction of a false confession.

The line "Another judgment waits us all!" best expresses a major theme of the play, which is the idea of a higher, divine judgment that everyone will face, beyond the flawed and biased judgment of the court.