Position:Home>Books & Authors> Can someone help me decipher this quote?--10 pts to best answer!?
Question: Can someone help me decipher this quote!?--10 pts to best answer!!?
The following quote is from The Crucible by Arthur Miller!. I'm using it in an essay and I'd like some clarification as to what it means!.!.!.!.I have a guess, but I'm not sure if its right!. Here's the quote:
“ Woman, plead with him! Woman! It is pride, it is vanity!. Be his helper!—What profit him to bleed!? Shall the dust praise him!? Shall the worms declare his truth!? Go to him, take his shame away!
This is said by John Hale to Elizabeth Proctor after John Proctor refuses to taint his reputation and decides to go to the gallows with the other accused!. I think he is saying that he wants Elizabeth to plead to John Proctor, and have him "confess"!. I'm a bit iffy about the last part of the quote!. Can anyone explain!? Thanks, Lily :)Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
You're right!. John Hale does want Elizabeth to convince John to plead guilty!. John of course has a lot of pride, and even though he would be free if he confessed, his hubris overcomes him!.
"Shall the worms declare the truth"
Means that shall his death, which characterized by the visual of worms consuming his decomposing body in the grave, have to prove that he was innocent!.
Www@QuestionHome@Com
I think!.!.!. that John wants Elizabeth to plead with this Proctor fellow to put aside his pride and to tell the truth; and that having John Proctor die would give no benefit to whoever is involved!. I dunno, that's all I understand from it :P
Sorry, but hope this helped a little!.
Www@QuestionHome@Com
It seems like John Hale is pleading to Elizabeth to make Proctor save himself!. It seems to say that John would die for his pride, he asks what good would it do for John to die ie, bleed, dust, and worms!.!.!.then be his helper, if she pleads with him then he can be set free without guilt!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
You're right - he is asking her to plead with Proctor and have him confess!. Hale is arguing that if Proctor dies for the sake of his pride then he will have suffered and died for (what Hale sees as) nothing!. The "dust" and "worms" are references to death!.Www@QuestionHome@Com