Reverend+Hale

In the play, Hale feels as though it is his duty to uphold the teaching of the church. He tries many times to help numerous people in the town. Hale is fascinated by the Devil, and his enjoyment in the beginning of the play at his appointment to the Salem case further proves this. He sees it his duty to treat all as a suspect, to sort the innocent from the guilty, and rid the town of the Devil.
 * Role ** : [[image:hale.jpg width="217" height="419" align="right"]]

Hale does however, experience a complete switch of roles through the play. His character in the beginning of the play shows enjoyment at convicting the town's people of witchcraft, and yet as the play proceeds, after he has signed away the lives of many, he begins to question the legitemacy of the girls' accusations, and begs the Court reconsider their judgement of those convicted.

His final role in the play, a polar opposite to his role in the beginning, was to try his hardest to save the lives of those he knew had ought to do with witchcraft. IN doing so he tries to overthrow the work of the Court.

"Why, it is all simple. I come to do the Devil's work. I come to counsel Christiansthey should belie themselves."

He pleads with Rebecca Nurse to confess in order to save her life, as he pleads with Elizabeth Proctor to try and convince John Proctor to confess to save his.


 * Adjectives ** :
 * **Aged**
 * **Tight skinned**
 * **Dried out**
 * **Intelligent**
 * **Superstitious**
 * **Fundamentalist**
 * **Stern**
 * **Peace-maker**


 * Quotations: **


 * "I have signed seventy-two death warrants; I am a minister of the lord, and I dare not take a life without there be proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience may doubt it."**

à Irony, because she is later convicted of witchcraft, and the whole green world does in a sense burn, due to the turmoil of the witch hunts.
 * "Believe me, Mr Nurse, if Rebecca nurse be tainted, then nothing’s left to stop the whole green world from burning"**


 * "Let you mistake your duty as I mistook my own. I came into this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, baring gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed up."**


 * Actions:**

Reverand Hale's appearance in the town alone, before he spoke a word or stepped into a house, greatly influenced the thoughts of those in the town. He is well known for seeking out and casting away spirits, and this fact alone unsettles the Village.

His pressuring and eventual breaking of Tituba set of a terrible series of events in Salem, and it was his eagerness to catch 'evil spirits' that allowed him to be tricked into believing the girls acccusations.

Even after signing an astounding seventy-two death warrants, he still thinks his work to be righteous and just, and that the girls' accusations are evidence enough for the lives of many to be signed away.

It is only after the arrest of John Proctor that Hale seems to have a change in heart. He now believes the word of the girls to be false, and that John Proctor is as innocent as he himself. He pleads with thew Court to reconsider their convictions, whilst also pleading with those accused to confess to the ridiculous charges in order to have their lives spared.


 * Obstacles:**

John Proctor is in the beginning of the play an obstacle for Reverand Hale, as Hale had questioned his Christian motives, and those of his house. He assured Proctor that his wife Elizabeth would not be convicted, as she of course was soon after.

The Court, Hale's allies in the beginning, became his largest obstacle by the end. They had in the beginnning listened to his word and respected his judgement, although had disregarded his word when it was most important.

Reverend Hale gets himself into many sticky situation with the characters in the play. Though numerous people had supported Hale for what he was doing, a few people had contradicted his morals. The most significant conflict was between John Proctor and himself. Throughout the majority of the story line, Reverend Hale had tried numerous times to get John Proctor to confess to witchcraft. His yearning for peace and truth in the world was not being fulfilled by Proctor's decisions, as proven by the arguments toward the end of act IV where John tears up the sheet he signed showing how he will not confess to something he has not done.
 * Conflicts:

Hale also causes conflict between characters such as; Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth. This is mainly due to him being very involved with the trials and accusers like Abigail, feel the need to prove to him more that the Devil is in Salem by blaming other people of sending their spirits out (quote?) to attack them. People see the opportunity to almost 'fool' this man. **

Hale's main wish is for the peace and to cure all from possession by the devil. In other words, he wishes for the world to be pure from witchcraft. Hale came to Salem in search of the signs of witchcraft and to identify the signs of the devil in Betty Parris. He is the most important person for the events in the play to have occurred. This is because he was the one who was to check whether or not Satan had infected Salem.
 * Motivations:

At first, his motivations may appear as cruel. However, his main goal is to protect the people from Salem. He wants to protect them from being hung. All he wants them to do is to confess to the crimes (which they had not committed) of witchcraft. We can see this when after slashing or whipping Tituba, he states that he wants to save her and want her to confess to loving God and explain to him all of Satan's torment. **