The Crucible Act III & IV Vocab Terms

Contempt

a willful disobedience to, or open disrespect for the rules or orders of a court

Deposition

a statement under oath, taken down in writing and used in court in place of the spoken testimony of the witness

Plaintiff

a person who brings suit in court, filing a complaint against another group or party

Effrontery

shameless of imprudent boldness; barefaced audacity

Probity

honesty

Quail

to lose heart or courage in difficulty or danger; shrink with fear

Allusion

a reference in literature to a familiar person, place, thing or event

Extended Allegory

a story where characters, objects, and events represent deeper ideas throughout the entire work.

Motivation

reason for performing an action

Social Criticism

piece of writing that critiques a social institution and seeks change in current action or policy

Dramatic Irony

when the audience knows something the character does not

Verbal Irony

says one thing, means another

Binary

a duel involving two, wants to divide audience into 2 separate and distinct groups