Preview

Reverend Hale Character Analysis Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
614 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Reverend Hale Character Analysis Essay
Reverend John hale was a minister from Beverly and witnessed Massachusetts’ first execution of convicted witch, Margaret Jones of Charlestown in 1648. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is about a group of teen girls convicted in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts for performing spiritual rituals around a fire; Which sparked the Witchcraft trials that Reverend John Hale participated in. My character analysis is on Reverend Hale because his dedication to the witchcraft trials changed, he had confidence in John Proctor’s innocence, and he regretted signing Rebecca Nurse’s death warrant. There are many examples in The Crucible that portrays Rev. Hale’s dedication status, confidence, & regret.

In the beginning, Rev. Hale was dedicated, knowledgeable, and certain in the trials, but as the story rolled on, he starts to feel unhappy about how the trial was going and then lost all faith in the court system at the end of the play. In act one, Hale came to the town of Salem with his understanding of the trials as well as a stack of heavy books; he comforted the people telling them to not be hasty. In act three, Hale realized that there isn't at all any witchcraft in Salem, only corruption. At this point, Hale’s understanding of the trials altogether altered him to doubt the court and leave the trials. In the end, Hale’s dedication
…show more content…
One example of Rev. Hale being disloyal was when he decided to stop helping the court and start convincing the accused to confess. Hale was described as a confident man when he believed in the confession John proctor stated. Finally, Reverend John hale was described as remorseful when he declared that his hand had shook after he signed Rebecca Nurse's death warrant. Generally speaking, Hale was an intriguing character because he gave up when the task at hand was too much for him; just like human’s natural reaction to give up after a certain amount of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller set in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, Reverend John Hale evolves from a self-confident witchcraft expert to a broken man who attempts to save lives. When Reverend Hale first arrives in Salem, he walks into the Parris’ home with an air of intelligence and great knowledge. As he situates himself in the house, he says to Mr. Parris, “… they [the books] are weighted with authority”, indicating that the books will decide whether a person is a witch or not (1.712-13). In Act I, Hale is the main person that begins the witch trials, because of the fact that he is a witchcraft expert and he gets Tituba to confess. His self-confidence, and lies from Tituba, Abigail, and Betty, leads him to think that there are…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Crucible bonus scene

    • 1361 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This creative writing piece is in the form of an additional scene to Arthur Millers The Crucible. This scene takes place two months after the end of the Salem witch trials. It is a conversation between Mr Hale and Elizabeth Proctor. It explores and evaluates the long term devastation caused by greed and self-interest. This piece displays how dramatic the effects of greed and selfishness can be. Mr Hale reveals his own inner turmoil since the trials, and how his own pride and arrogance contributed to the hangings. Elizabeth reinforces the idea of morality, mainly in defence of her late husband. This piece is written to serve as an example of how greed can corrupt and destroy everything. It is directed to western society presently as greed is becoming a greater issue in all facets of people’s lives. Taking place in a time where many customs and ideas seem idiotic to the modern world helps provide a sense of irony because as it seems people have evolved and gained more knowledge since then greed is still as devastating regardless of time period.…

    • 1361 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Coming into the Town of Salem, Massachusetts Reverend Hale illustrates a great deal of confidence with his knowledge and belief of witchcraft in Act I. Hale is known for being an expert on witch craft and as a “spiritual doctor”. Which he thinks very highly of as well when first comes to Salem. He sets his mind to persecuting the citizens…

    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Throughout the course of the play, the feelings and the firm beliefs about the suspicion of witchcraft in Salem which we see with the Reverend Hale in Act 1 begin to disintegrate as the play develops through to Act 2 where he meets with the Proctors and then further to the storming out of his own court at the end of Act 3. Through stage directions we can acquire a further insight into Hale’s feelings and emotions at key moments as they tell us certain gestures which he makes which we can then connote to feelings such as confusion or realization such as when Proctor opens his eyes in their encounter in Act 2 about the cause of the confessions of the Witches.…

    • 3181 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible, a play written to criticize the Red Scare, involves a theme which focuses on how the characters change as an effect of the intensity and hysteria of the town’s witch trials. Elizabeth Proctor and Reverend Hale, two major characters in the play, experience internal changes as the play progresses due to the individual pressures of the witch trials. Elizabeth Proctor faces the test of having been accused as a witch, having her husband be accused and condemned as a witch, and trying to move past her husband’s affair with a local girl. Reverend Hale was challenged by the corruption of the ministry in Salem and encountered much adversity while doing his job, seeking out witchcraft. Both of these characters come to realize the witch trials only result in death and lies, which causes these characters to evolve.…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “We shall need hard study if it comes to tracking down the Old Boy.” As Reverend Hale spoke these words he became a dynamic character in The Crucible. He was an intellectual, confident man, who became a desperate minister in the end. The three strongest characteristics of Reverend Hale’s change are his self-confidence, his reliance on knowledge, and his desire to save people.…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Crucible Analysis

    • 266 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How has Reverend Hale changed over the course of this play? Why does Reverend Hale decide to quit the court?…

    • 266 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “What profit him to bleed? Shall the dust praise him? Shall the worms declare his truth? (145)” Reverend Hale begs Elizabeth to convince John Proctor to convince in order for him not to be hanged. Hale does this because he sees the errors in his ways and knows that Proctor is innocent. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Reverend Hale’s despair, Judge Danforth’s integrity, Reverend Parris’ greed exhibit their use of authority.…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Both Reverend Hale and I display our sympathy in different ways. Reverend Hale displays his character trait of being sympathetic when he came back to salem after quitting the court and leaving town to talk to the innocent people being accused of witchcraft. He feels bad for them and doesn't want them to die, so he tells them to…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hale was the first to speak out about the madness of the court that everyone else was missing. The man who in the beginning did only what he thought would make other people happy was coming out with something with something that the people of Salem were incapable of believing. He stopped trying to please the brainwashed citizens and decided to help the innocently convicted.…

    • 513 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    He gathers that innocent people die because the townspeople are too afraid to look past the lies of juvenile women to discover the truth. The tragic downfall of Salem is obvious to Hale as he realizes that death prevails instead of justice. He clearly sees this dark cloud as ?There are orphans wandering from house to house; abandoned cattle bellow on the highroads, the stink of rotting crops hangs everywhere...? Hale finally admits to the horrors which had occurred in Salem. He knows that he signifies the spark that started the fatal flame throughout Salem, and he tries to redeem himself. As a ?minister of the light,? he has "come to do the Devil's work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves. There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head!!" The realization of his guilt unfortunately comes too late in the play as many have already died. Although Hale begs John Proctor, the last of the accused, to save his own life by confessing to a false crime, Proctor cannot be saved as he would rather die than to admit to a sin he did not commit. Hale recognizes that as a servant of God, he should be saving people?s lives, not taking them…

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    His change occurs when Proctor confesses that Abigail told him that the sickness was not witchcraft. Surprised and confused Hale says, “his eyes wide: Abigail Williams told you it had naught to do with witchcraft!” (II, 65). This is partially because Hale has never been in this situation therefore he assumes abnormal things are normal. Listening to John Proctor, Hale is convinced that they are speaking the truth and decides to testify on behalf of Elizabeth. No longer believing Abigail he opens his eyes to a different perspective on the trials that allows him to see that those who have confessed did so to avoid the rope and those who have not, were innocent . This burden causes him to change for good. At the trial Hale begins to realize that the trials do not make sense as he says, ““Excellency, I have signed 72 death warrants; I am a minister of the Lord, and I dare not take another life without there be proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience may doubt it” (III, 92). Hale using his new perspective on the trials, he begins to doubt whether those who he signed to death were really guilty and in result he refuses to sign any more lives away until he seeks the truth. As a true puritan, Hale responds by devoting himself to save lives of those who have been accused. His first attempt is to use his power and save Elizabeth from Abigail's false manipulated accusation.…

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He is becoming more cynical and reasonable that he begins to interview the people of Salem to discover the truth. Reverend Hale goes to question the Proctors without the knowledge of the court because Goody Proctor is the ideal christian woman, but is still being prosecuted by the court on accounts of witchcraft. He confronts John Proctor to ask him if he has “ no belief that there may even be witches in the world” (Miller 40 ). This shows that Hale is worried and curious about what truly is going on. When John Proctor gets convicted in Act III due to Abigail’s transparent schemes, Hale’s confidence in witches is completely shattered. He is completely fed up with the situation and tell Judge Danforth that he will not “dare not take a life without there be a proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience may doubt it” (Miller 214). He quits the court and storms out of the scene in pure anger. Knowing the misjustice going on in Salem Reverend Hale begs John Proctor to sign the statement that is a lie, but will save his life. As the novel progressed, Reverend Hale began to be more reasonable and open to other’s opinions leading him to become a vague man who is fully against the…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hale’s conversations with John Proctor cause Hale to start to question his precious beliefs. In Act II, Hale is traveling around the town, going house-to-house searching for accused women to warn them that their names have been mentioned in the court. Hale soon finds himself standing at the Proctor home. During his conversation with Proctor, Hale sees a different perspective on the entire situation:…

    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Samuel Parris and John Hale are the two ministers in The Crucible and were initially alike in their attitudes towards witchcraft. However, their personalities show some striking dissimilarities. Unlike Hale, Reverend Parris is characterized by extreme paranoia and egotism. He is very static- his traits and motives remain consistent from the beginning to the end of the play. Although a religious man and believer in witchcraft like Parris, Hale values human life and is motivated by personal beliefs and his sense of morality, disregarding his best interests. He is a very dynamic character, becoming progressively less confident and trusting of law and doctrine as his faith is tested throughout the ordeal.…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays