"The Crucible," Vocabulary from Act 2 (Part 1/2)

Compare with "reproach" in the list for Act 3--the adverbs "severely" and "angrily" make the criticizing tone of a reprimand more unpleasant that that of a reproach. But because the reprimand here is directed at Elizabeth by herself, it is weaker than the reproach that Judge Danforth hears from Reverend Hale.

Proctor scoffs ("treat with contemptuous disregard") without conviction because as a secret sinner, he does not trust himself or the community. The seventeenth-century Salem court also seems to be scoffing at convictions ("a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case"); normally the accused must be tried and convicted before they are sentenced, but here, those who have been accused must confess their guilt to avoid a death sentence.

A couple of lines later, Proctor shouts: "I cannot speak but I am doubted, every moment judged for lies, as though I come into a court when I come into this house!" This, along with the next two example sentences, connects the Proctors' domestic dispute to a court case (which foreshadows the witch trials and sets up comparisons).

Compare with "confounded" in the list for Act 3--the adjectives are synonymous, but in the example sentences, the characters differ in their emotional intensity and resulting actions.

Compare with "covenant" in this list. Although the two are sometimes used interchangeably (both come from words--the Latin "pacisci" and the Old French "convenir"--that mean "to agree"), in the play, "compact" is used both as a noun and verb to refer to an agreement between a human and the Devil. Because a compact is often written and signed, which is necessary when the participants don't trust each other, it is also more appropriate for the Devil.

"Monstrous" also means "shockingly brutal or cruel"--both definitions fit, since Abigail would want the abnormally large profit, but Elizabeth would see the profit as shockingly brutal or cruel since it would be gained through her death.