The text directions inform us that Mary Warren, the Proctor's maidservant, hands Elizabeth the poppet as if to compensate for having gone to court to act as a witness in the witchcraft trials.
As though to compensate, Mary Warren goes to Elizabeth with a small rag doll.
Mary Warren: I made a gift for you today, Goody Proctor. I had to sit long hours in a chair, and passed the time with sewing.
Elizabeth, perplexed, looking at the doll: Why, thank you, it.’s a fair poppet.
John Proctor had specifically forbidden Mary to attend the trial, but she had ignored his command. When she returned, he scolded her saying that she had defied him and neglected her duties whilst Elizabeth was of poor health. Mary told John that she was not well and he then reneged on his desire to whip her when she started speaking about the proceedings in court.
This kindly and innocent act later becomes a damning indictment against Elizabeth and is a major turning point in the play.
Ezekiel Cheever, acting as sheriff of the court, and Marshall Herrick turn up at the Proctor home to arrest Elizabeth. When John demands to know who accused her, Cheever informs him that it had been Abigail. Proctor wishes to know on what evidence and Cheever then requests Proctor to bring forth any poppets Elizabeth might be keeping in the house. Elizabeth states that she had not been keeping any dolls since childhood. Cheever then notices the doll which Mary had given Elizabeth and asks her to hand it over.
Once Cheever has the poppet, John wants to know its significance. At this point, Cheever lifts the doll's dress and is astonished. He has noticed a needle stuck in its stomach. He cries out that the needle is damning evidence against Elizabeth. On Reverend Hale's inquiry, he informs him, wide eyed and trembling:
The girl, the Williams girl, Abigail Williams, sir. She sat to dinner in Reverend Parris’s house tonight, and without word nor warnin’ she falls to the floor. Like a struck beast, he says, and screamed a scream that a bull would weep to hear. And he goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. And demandin’ of her how she come to be so stabbed, she - to Proctor now - testify it -were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in.
Even though Mary later confesses that Abigail had seen her making the doll and that she (Mary) had stuck the needle into it for safe-keeping, Cheever insists on executing the warrant. John tears up the warrant and Elizabeth beseeches him to allow her to go. She is taken into custody and John promises that he will bring her back. Reverend Hale is virtually speechless but later tells John that he should find a cause for Abigail's terrible accusation.
Mary informs John after everyone has left, that Abigail will charge him with lechery. He insists that she accompany him to court the next day to testify against Abigail. Mary is distraught and cries out that she cannot charge murder against her. She is terrified of vengeance from Abigail and the other girls.
It is clear that Abigail has cunningly manipulated the situation so that she could avenge herself on Elizabeth for having dismissed her on discovering her adulterous affair with John. Furthermore, with Elizabeth out of the way, Abigail believes that John would turn to her and they would rekindle their relationship.
No comments:
Post a Comment