The Crucible Reverend Hale's Downfall

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“Why, it is all simple. I come to do the Devil‘s work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves. There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head!!,” Reverend Hale exclaimed. How did the once faithful reverend turn into the man trying to persuade prisoners to lie? Several unfortunate reasons lead to the downfall of Reverend Hale, in The Crucible.
At the beginning of the play, Reverend Hale came into the quiet town of Salem overconfident and ready to save the day. This is clear when he first arrives and claims his books are heavy with knowledge. Hale was prepared to expel anyone suspected of witchcraft from the town. However, throughout Act I, Hale’s impressionable nature left him vulnerable to selfish people in Salem. Due to this, he believed every name he was given was guilty of witchcraft and got those accused thrown into jail. Such as when Abigail first claimed Tituba summoned the devil and she was beaten till she “confessed.”
Towards the end of Act II and throughout Act III, it was clear that Reverend Hale was becoming unsure of himself. When the court came for Elizabeth Proctor, Hale watched how the court acted towards John Proctor and Giles Corey. After some time Hale began to inject comments and act as a defense for the men. …show more content…
Hale’s reasoning for visiting was begging these prisoners to confess to the crimes they did not commit. Doing so would save their lives, but not their name. Hale was turning his back on not only the court but also his faith by asking these prisoners to lie. The pure ignorance of the court leads to Hale’s ruination. The fact that he could do nothing to help innocent people hit him in ways he could not handle. The idea of asking people to lie to save their lives was not wrong but was not right. While it is against their religion to lie, it is not against their religion to try to save their
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