Summary of Act IV

The final act of the play is set at one of the Salem jail cells. Beginning with Tituba yelling incessantly for the devil to come get her, Danforth soon comes to the jail, where he finds out that Reverend Hale has returned to Salem. Irritated by the news, he summons Paris to explain why he has allowed Hale to return. He replies that Hale has returned to get Rebecca Nurse to confess, as well as several others. He also tells Danforth that his niece, Abigail, and Mercy Lewis have stolen from him and run away. He believes that this was a sign of a possible rebellion occurring in Salem, a notion that Danforth dismisses. Paris then asks for the postponement of the hangings scheduled for the morning, specifically those of John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse. Danforth refuses. Hale enters and asks Danforth to postpone the hangings to give him more time. Danforth again refuses, citing the possibility that postponement could cause some to see him as weak and lead to a revolt. Instead, he suggests the Elizabeth speak to John. Hale pleads with her to save John’s life by convincing him to lie in his testimony. Elizabeth speaks with John and tells him that Giles has been killed and the circumstances under which he died. John then asks her if he should lie and confess, to which she replies that it is his decision and she will not judge him. He decides to confess, and as he is confessing, Rebecca Nurse walks in, astonished. Danforth then asks John if he had seen anyone with the devil, beginning with Rebecca, to which he responded he did not. Annoyed, Danforth proceeds to ask for John’s signature on a confession, which was to be posted on the door of the church. John refuses, believing that it was enough that Danforth, Hale, Parris, Cheever, and Herrick had seen him confess. Danforth insists that he sign, causing Proctor to become increasingly angry, to the point that he refuses to sign and takes back his confession, citing that by signing it, he was losing his name and all that it entailed, including the betrayal of his friends. Hale pleads with John and Elizabeth to have him confess, but Elizabeth refuses, leaving John to keep his goodness.