The Crucible: Act Two

by Arthur Miller
This scathing dramatization of the Salem Witch Trials is also an allegory of Senator Joseph McCarthy's pursuit of Communists in the 1950s.

Here are the links to our lists for the play: Act One, Act Two, Act Three, Act Four–Echoes Down the Corridor
15 words 34716 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. draught
    a large and hurried swallow
    PROCTOR, drinks a long draught, then, putting the glass down: You ought to bring some flowers in the house.
  2. condemnation
    an expression of strong disapproval
    PROCTOR, holding back a full condemnation of her: It is a fault, it is a fault, Elizabeth — you’re the mistress here, not Mary Warren.
  3. pallor
    an unnatural lack of color in the skin
    Her strangeness throws him off, and her evident pallor and weakness.
  4. proceeding
    a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
    My insides are all shuddery; I am in the proceedings all day, sir.
  5. compensate
    make amends for
    As though to compensate, Mary Warren goes to Elizabeth with a small rag doll.
  6. perplexed
    full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment
    ELIZABETH, perplexed, looking at the doll: Why, thank you, it’s a fair poppet.
  7. ameliorate
    make better
    MARY WARREN: He sentenced her. He must. To ameliorate it: But not Sarah Good. For Sarah Good confessed, y’see.
  8. deliberate
    think about carefully; weigh
    HALE, nods, deliberating this.
  9. covet
    wish, long, or crave for
    Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods, nor make unto thee any graven image.
  10. misgiving
    doubt about someone's honesty
    He looks to both of them, an attempt at a smile on his face, but his misgivings are clear.
  11. daft
    foolish or mentally irregular
    I never knew until tonight that the world is gone daft with this nonsense.
  12. proportionate
    being in due magnitude or extent
    The jails are packed — our greatest judges sit in Salem now — and hangin’s promised. Man, we must look to cause proportionate.
  13. blasphemy
    the act of depriving something of its sacred character
    Were there murder done, perhaps, and never brought to light? Abomination? Some secret blasphemy that stinks to Heaven?
  14. lechery
    unrestrained indulgence in sexual activity
    Abby’ll charge lechery on you, Mr. Proctor!
  15. grapple
    grip or seize, as in a wrestling match
    Now Hell and Heaven grapple on our backs, and all our old pretense is ripped away — make your peace!
Created on Mon Nov 25 22:41:58 EST 2013 (updated Wed Jul 02 13:00:02 EDT 2025)

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