I don't think that Hale experiences a great deal of losing
confidence into Act II. He approaches John Proctor with the suggestion that he get his
child baptized and that he "get right" and attend church more frequently. When
Elizabeth is arrested, Hale is quick to say that the court will clear her. He does not
necessarily stop Cheever from doing his duty. He thinks that there is an answer and
believes that the faith in the religious order of Salem is that
answer.
I believe that the real loss of confidence is
evident during the trial in Act III. For example, when he has to sign the death warrant
for Goody Nurse, he expresses his own sense of discomfort to Danforth. At the same
time, he is increasingly weary of how the court is conducting itself and, of course,
Abigail. It is herre where Hale's loss of confidence is evident and significant in that
he no longer can stand up what is being done.
In contrast,
I would say that the significance of Act II's conception of Hale represents how
individuals who fail to question their authority when they feel something is wrong
actually end up being complicit to it. In this, I think that there is much significance
in Hale's support of what is happening in Act II.
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