1. Questions
1.1. 5. How many times is the word, lie, mentioned in act 3. Do include different word forms and synonyms of lie. Create a tally
1.1.1. 5. The word lie is mentioned 35 times.
1.2. 6. In act 3, who is actually lying and who is telling the truth. Give one example.
1.2.1. 6. In act 3 Elizabeth Proctor is lying about John not committing adultery when John had already confessed to everyone that he had committed adultery. Abigail is lying about her and the girls doing witchcraft and being able to see spirits when Mary Warren is saying the truth and saying that the only reason she would faint is because she wanted to make it seem real.
1.3. 7. A crucible is a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. a. In act 3, who is creating the high temperature and who is being melted away? b. What happens when a person(s) is being pressured or subjected to high temperatures? c. Are there any characters in act 3 that have not melted?
1.3.1. 7a: We believe Danforth is creating the pressure because he is the one that is asking all the questions to get to the bottom of whether the witchcraft is real or not.
1.3.2. 7b: When a person is being pressured they tempt to get really nervous and try to avoid certain things that are being asked. Most of the time they are pressured to lie but they don't know what the right thing to do is. They are also forced to do things they don't want to do.
1.3.3. 7c: Abigail williams is one of the characters that hasn't melted, in other words she hasn't fallen to the pressure of others.
2. Vocabulary
2.1. Pretense
2.1.1. Definition: pretending
2.1.2. Synonyms: acting, faking
2.1.3. "But if she speak true, I bid you now drop your guile and confess your pretense, for a quick confession will go easier with you" (102).
2.2. Deceive
2.2.1. Definition: to mislead
2.2.2. Synonyms: trick, falsify
2.2.3. "Excellency, I never thought to say it to such a weighty judge, but you are deceived" (87).
2.3. Guile
2.3.1. Definition: sly or cunning intelligence
2.3.2. Synonyms: dishonesty, trickery
2.3.3. "But if she speak true, I bid you now drop your guile and confess your pretense, for a quick confession will go easier with you" (102).
2.4. Concealment
2.4.1. Definition: Action of hiding something or preventing it from being known
2.4.2. Synonyms: Disguise, Dissimulation
2.4.3. "We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment" (89).