The Crucible Act 3 Summary & Analysis

If you’ve read my series of articles on Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, you know it’s not a particularly happy text – nor should it be. Published in 1953 as a criticism of McCarthyism, The Crucible distills a uniquely American paranoia. Looking around at the current media landscape, I can’t help but think that Miller’s text is as relevant now as it was seventy years ago. With this in mind, this article will provide an in-depth summary and analysis of Act 3 of Miller’s The Crucible. 

All page numbers reference the 2015 edition of the text from Penguin Classics. 

First, the road so far (for you Supernatural fans)…

Recap of Act One 

The events in Act 3 of The Crucible have been percolating since the beginning of the play. If you remember, in act one, we find out that Reverend Parris caught his niece, Abigail Williams, dancing in the forest with Betty Parris and some of the other girls from the village. When two of the girls fall sick, people begin to suspect witchcraft. Under increasingly hard questioning, Abigail changes her story to hide her guilt. (Her biggest sin is having drunk a blood-charm to kill John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth. Remember – Abigail’s been in love/lust with John Proctor since they had sex in his barn eight months previous.) 

When Abigail implicates Tituba, the woman enslaved to Reverend Parris, all hell breaks loose. Tituba is questioned by both Parris and Reverend Hale (an expert on demonology). It quickly becomes clear to Tituba that the only way not to get hanged is to start accusing village women of witchcraft. Abigail seizes on this strategy as well. By the start of Act Two, more than three dozen women have been arrested. You can read my full summary of act one here. 

Recap of Act Two 

Act 2 depicts the slow inevitability of Elizabeth Proctor’s arrest. Elizabeth sees what Abigail is up to. While John believes naively in reasonableness of the law, Elizabeth knows that Abigail will eventually accuse her of witchcraft (and try to take her place as John’s wife.) By the time Elizabeth convinces John to go to Salem and denounce Abigail, it’s too late. 

Mary Williams returns to the Proctor’s house from court with a doll for Elizabeth. Unbeknownst to Mary, Abigail has claimed that someone’s “familiar” has stabbed her. When Cheever, clerk of the court, shows up at the Proctor house with orders to search for a “poppet” – a doll – he finds the one Mary brought home. Cheever pulls a long needle from the doll and Abigail’s accusations are “verified” (I guess it’s like a voodoo doll). 

Mary admits the doll is hers, but this isn’t enough to stop Elizabeth from being arrested. When everyone has gone, Mary tells John that she knows about his lechery (sex in the barn with a 17-year-old Abigail) and that Abigail won’t hesitate to ruin him with it. John is past all concern and resolved to go to court, consequences be damned. He declares, “we are only what we always were, but naked now” (75). You can read my full summary of act two here. 

Summary of Act 3 of The Crucible 

In act three we finally arrive at the court. From a room attached to the meeting house, we hear Martha Corey being questioned in court. Suddenly, Giles Corey can be heard protesting that he has evidence to present. People begin to yell and Giles is hustled out of court and into the room on stage. Hale enters and tries to calm Giles – Judge Parris, Judge Hawthorn, and Deputy Governor Danforth close behind. Giles and Francis (Nurse) claim to have evidence that Abigail and the girls are frauds. John Proctor comes in with Mary Warren, who says, hesitantly, that she “never saw no spirits” (80).

Needless to say, Mary’s claim shocks those assembled. Particular attention needs to be paid to the way Deputy Governor Danforth reacts. The text introduces his character as possessing “an exact loyalty for his position and his cause” (78). In other words, Danforth’s loyalty is to the institution he represents, not necessarily the truth. When Mary makes her confession, her sudden reversal threatens to discredit the entire structure of authority Danforth represents. If it is as Danforth says, that “the entire contention of the state is that the voice of Heaven is speaking through the children,” then Proctor and Mary are going to have a very hard time dissuading Danforth (81). 

Against the continued protests of Parris, Mary tells Danforth that she and all the other girls are merely pretending. Danforth focuses his questioning on Proctor, asking him if he simply wants to save his wife or if he has more nefarious aims (like undermining the court). Proctor denies any such motives, but he has few friends in the room – Cheever tells Danforth that Proctor ripped up the warrant and Parris says that Proctor hasn’t been to church in months. 

Summary of Act 3 of The Crucible (Continued)

Danforth takes a moment to consider and calls Judge Hawthorne over to confer. After a brief conversation, Danforth drops a bomb – Elizabeth is pregnant! This means that she will be safe for at least a year. Even though his wife is safe (for now), Proctor says he will not drop the charge. At this, Danforth declares he is ready to hear John’s evidence. John presents a list of ninety-one people who vouch for Rebecca (Nurse), Martha (Corey) and Elizabeth. Proctor thinks this list will sway Danforth, but he has miscalculated. Instead (on the urging of Parris and Hawthorne), Danforth orders warrants drawn up for every signer of the list.

It’s against this background that everyone turns to hear Mary’s testimony. Proctor tries to reassure her – reminding her what the angel Raphael said to Tobias – “Do that which is good, and no harm shall come to thee” (86). In some ways, this quote illustrates Proctor’s belief – that good will be rewarded and evil punished. However, against the paranoia and religious zealotry of Salem, this belief turns out to be misguided and naive. (Spoiler alert: Proctor is hanged.) 

Danforth first deals with Giles’ claim that Betty’s (Putnam’s daughter) accusations of witchcraft amount to nothing more than a land-grab. When asked to name his source, Giles refuses, as he knows that the person will be arrested. Even Hale (recall – Reverend Hale is the expert in demonology), who up to this point has at least tacitly supported the process, feels the need to speak up. Hale says what everyone is thinking, that “there is a prodigious fear of this court in the country…” (88). 

Summary of Act 3 of The Crucible (Continued)

Danforth’s response shows how ideology is immune to logic. To Hale’s statement of concern, Danforth declares, “there is fear in the country because there is a moving plot to topple Christ in the country” (88). Danforth’s logic is basically circular. If the court is the voice of Christ in the country, then anyone who speaks against the court is necessarily against Christ. Of course, the problem with the court is that the evidence presented by Abigail and the other girls is non-material (spectral) in nature. (Massachusetts would go on to ban spectral evidence the year after the Salem witch trials.) Any attempt to argue from logic (like Proctor and Corey try to do) will fail to overcome a belief in the supernatural. 

Danforth tells Corey that he will be jailed for his refusal to divulge his source. Corey flies into a rage but Proctor manages to calm him. He gives Danforth Mary’s deposition, in which she claims that she, along with the other girls, has been faking it the whole time. Hale’s belief in the process is rocked and he begs Danforth to reconsider the charges against Elizabeth and the others. Danforth’s reply shows again how belief in the supernatural cannot exist within a judiciary predicated on rationality. Danforth says, “witchcraft is, ipso facto, on its face and by its nature, an invisible crime” (90). Missing from Danforth’s understanding is that no one can logically dispute invisible evidence. In other words, the existence of witchcraft is a matter of faith, while courts must deal with factual evidence. 

Summary of Act 3 of The Crucible (Continued)

Danforth questions Mary, who claims she is now telling the truth. The clerk of the court brings Abigail and the other girls in. (No one who’s seen the recent Mean Girls – or the far superior original – can doubt how this is going to go down – Abigail is the OG Queen Bee.) Danforth questions both Mary and Abigail, but neither budge. Proctor tells Danforth that Abigail has both laughed during prayer and danced in the woods. It looks like it’s going poorly for Abigail, but then Hawthorne steps in to question Mary. If Mary was faking it in court before, Hawthorne asks, can she faint now? She says she cannot, but says, “I heard the other girls screaming, and you, Your Honour, you seemed to believe them, and I…but then the whole world cried spirits…” (96). 

At this point, Danforth seems to doubt his conviction and confronts Abigail. He asks whether the spirits she saw might have been merely illusions. He’s no match for Abigail. She turns on him, asking “Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits?” (96). From this open threat she pivots back to pretending. She says, “A wind, a cold wind, has come,” and looks at Mary Warren (96). Mary knows exactly what’s happening – Abigail is going to accuse her of witchcraft. 

The other girls take up Abigail’s suggestion and “feel” the cold wind. Abigail calls out, “Oh, Heavenly Father, take away this shadow” (97). Abigail’s performance is too much for Proctor, who promptly loses his s***. He grabs Abigail by the hair, and screams, “How do you call Heaven! Whore! Whore!” (97). The others manage to pull him off and Proctor, dejected, admits to his lechery. Danforth is rocked by this admission and turns to Abigail, who denies it all. He decides to bring Elizabeth in to clear this up. Danforth tells Proctor and Abigail to turn away from the door so that Elizabeth can receive no hints. 

Summary of Act 3 of The Crucible (Continued)

A moment later, Elizabeth enters the room and Danforth asks her why she turned Abigail out of her house. You can only imagine the stress Elizabeth is under at the moment. She has no inkling of what’s just happened. If she tells the truth, her husband’s honor will be ruined, but she has no way of knowing that Proctor has already confessed. In the end, she lies, saying that John did nothing. At this, Proctor cries out to Elizabeth, “I have confessed it!” but it is too late (100). Danforth has Elizabeth escorted out. 

Reverend Hale has finally had enough (ironic, because he started all this madness). He yells at Danforth, “I may shut my conscience to it no more – private vengeance is working through this testimony!” (100). But he’s no match for Abigail. Perhaps sensing that Hale is the last obstacle to her victory, she hits back with more witchery, this time seeing a “yellow bird” in the rafters (sent by Mary) come to tear her face. When Mary protests, the other girls start to mimic her every word and gesture. 

Summary of Act 3 of The Crucible (Continued)

By this time, Danforth is (re)convinced that Mary has some demonic power. Proctor does his best to keep Mary strong, telling her “God damns all liars”, but Mary doesn’t stand a chance (103). Abigail and the other girls keep on with the “yellow-bird-act” until Mary relents and rejoins the group (coven?). She turns on Proctor, telling Danforth that he “wakes [her] every night, his eyes were like coals and his fingers claw my neck” (104). Danforth is utterly taken in and tries to get Proctor to confess, at which point Proctor declares that “God is dead! (105). This is the nail in Proctor’s coffin. Hawthorn orders him and Corey arrested – Hale denounces the proceedings and storms out. 

Wrapping Up

Act 3 is heart-wrenching to read, because Proctor does what he thinks is right – he confesses to his lechery – and is nonetheless set to hang. Elizabeth too – pregnant with Proctor’s child – tries to protect her husband’s honor and ends up contributing to his arrest. I’d love to tell you that in Act Four everyone lives happily ever after, but that’s just not the case. If you’ve found this article useful or interesting, I’ve also written on 1984, The Great Gatsby, Hamlet, and Brave New World.