In the Beginning: Fall From Grace

The Whole Picture

Read ACT 4 of The Crucible. Keep in mind the following pre-reading questions as you read:

  • How does Rev. Parris receive poetic justice (The rewarding of virtue/good and the punishment of vice/wrongdoing, often in an especially appropriate or ironic manner)?
  • How have Elizabeth Proctor and Rev. Hale changed since the beginning of the play?
  • What moral dilemma (the choice between equally unpleasant options or morally ambiguous options) do John Proctor, Giles Cory and Rebecca Nurse face, and how does each respond? What motivates each person in the decision?

Once you are done with the play, you can plot the plot. Let's take a look at classic plot structure shown through Freytag's pyramid and how it can be applied to The Crucible:

Freytag's Pyramid

Now click on each heading below to see a summary of the plot of The Crucible.

Exposition

Complications and Rising Action

Climax

Falling Action

Resolution