"What profit him to bleed? Shall the dust praise him? Shall the worms declare his truth?" (IV.207) When John Proctor marches off to his martyr's death, Hale pleads with Elizabeth to change her husband's mind, screaming, He's not able to convince anyone to confess. Hale's last effort to wash some of the blood off his hands fails. He's lost all faith in the law, and there's a good chance his faith in God is a bit shaky as well. Hale is knowingly counseling people to lie. He councils convicted witches to confess so that they won't be hanged. After taking off for some soul-searching, Hale turns up hoping to save some lives. The transition from overconfidence to total disillusionment is already a big journey, but then Miller takes his character a step further in Act IV. He quits the court and storms out in anger. When John Proctor gets convicted in Act III due to Abigail's transparent machinations, Hale's confidence is shattered. This independent action is a big hint that he's probably beginning to doubt the validity of his own conclusions. He's there without the court's knowledge, trying to get an idea of who the Proctors are for himself. This is demonstrated by the fact that he shows up at the Proctors's house of his own accord. In Act II, we see that Hale's former confidence is slowly eroding.
#Reverend hale full
Though he's probably a little full of himself, his ultimate goal is to valiantly fight the Devil.
In Act I, Miller writes of Hale: "His goal is light, goodness, and its preservation." This guy has trained and trained to be the best witch-hunter ever, and he's psyched to finally get a chance to show off his stuff. He starts off with really good intentions-even if he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. With the notable exception of John Proctor, Hale gets our vote for most complex character in The Crucible. Hale starts out with a Van Helsing-esque vendetta (against witches, not vampires) and ends up a broken, cynical man.
(Click the character infographic to download.) A Personal Journey That Would Make Ulysses Jealous
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