Key Quotes Flashcards

“You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!”

Who: Reverend Parris

Meaning: (Shows his concern for reputation and control.)

“Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.”

Who: Abigail Williams

Meaning: (Her threat to the girls to keep silent.)

“Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again.”

Who: John Proctor

Meaning: (Reveals his guilt and desire to end the affair.)

“I want to open myself... I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand.”

Who: Tituba

Meaning: (Her confession to save herself.)

“We cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as snow.”

Who: Reverend Hale

Meaning: (Shows his initial belief in the witch hunt.)

“He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!”

Who: Elizabeth Proctor

Meaning: (Later in the play, showing forgiveness, but useful to discuss her character arc.)

“I’ll not hang with you! I love God, I love God.”

Who: Mary Warren

Meaning: (Her struggle between truth and pressure.)