crucible act iv questions

distinguish what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant.
in act iii, arthur miller uses verbal irony when he describes abigail reaching
“out of her infinite charity,” to comfort mary warren. explain how this example
of verbal irony from act iii is similar to the following example of sarcasm from
act iv, when hale tells why he has returned to salem: “i come to do the devil’s
work. i come to counsel christians they should belie themselves” (paragraph
124). what does hale really mean by these words? support your response with
textual evidence.

In the first example, we get a comment of Abigail's character. We learn that Abigail is reaching out to Mary Warren "out of her infinite charity." This statement is clearly ironic, as we know that Abigail is not charitable. And even if she was, we know that Abigail does not care about Mary Warren.

This ironic statement develops the idea that people do not always mean what they say. Abigail acts in a way that seems kind and uninterested while she is actually plotting terrible schemes. This is similar to the role of Hale when he comes back to Salem.

Hale is a man who wants the procedures to be fair, yet he advises the accused to lie. This is a contradiction. Hale argues that the contradiction comes from the fact that he knows how corrupt the trials are, and that saving these people's lives is more important than being honest. He tells us that "life is God's most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it."

the answer is a hoped this