Why is Reverend Hale in Salem in Act 1 of The Crucible?

Caught in a dangerous predicament, Reverend Parris, the local clergyman and the figure whose niece Abigail is at the center of the hysteria about to grip Salem, is desperate for evidence that will refute the notion that his daughter Betty has been the victim of sorcery. Playwright Arthur Miller’s allegory about the fear of communism that gripped the American public in the late 1940s and early 1950s, The Crucible, is a carefully constructed reenactment of the real-life Salem witch trials of the late seventeenth century. The tragic chain of events begins when Abigail, Betty, Ruth Putnam, and Tituba (the Parris family’s black slave), are observed performing a ritual akin, according to some, to witchcraft, with Betty falling into a trancelike state as a result. It is in his zeal to disprove the notion that witchcraft was practiced by his daughter and niece that Reverend Parris states that he has called for Reverend Hale:

“There be no unnatural cause here. Tell him (the physician who has been examining Betty) I have sent for Reverend Hale of Beverly, and Mr. Hale will surely confirm that. Let him (the physician) look to medicine and put out all thought of unnatural causes here. There be none.”

In conclusion, then, Reverend Hale has been summoned by Reverend Parris in the hopes that he, Hale, will disavow the local populace of any suggestion that Betty and the others have been engaged in witchcraft.

Reverend Hale is a minister from Boston who has been called to Salem to ascertain whether witchcraft is involved with the strange events happening there.  He has spent "a good deal of his time pondering the invisible world, especially since he had himself encountered a witch in his (own) parish not long before".  Even though the accusations of witchcraft had been found to be questionable in that case, Reverend Hale is looked upon as a sort of expert in matters concerning the supernatural, and as he arrives in Salem, feels "the pride of the specialist whose unique knowledge has at last been publicly called for".  Reverend Hale "conceives of himself much as a young doctor on his first call...he feels himself allied with the best minds of Europe - kings, philosophers, scientists, and ecclesiasts of all churches".  He believes that he is finally being "called upon to face what may be a bloody fight with the Fiend himself" (Act I).

Why does Reverend Hale return to Salem in act 4 of The Crucible?

Danforth is visibly upset when he learns that Rev. Hale has returned to Salem. He says he doesn't have the right to be here. He demands to know why he is back in Salem.

Rev. Hale returns to Salem to try and save as many of the accused as possible. He is really concerned for Rebecca Nurse. She has been locked up for three months and hasn't spoken a word in this time. Rev. Hale is with her, trying to get her to confess to witchcraft and find salvation. He is also there praying for all of the accused. The sun is getting ready to rise, and Rev. Hale tells Danforth, that he needs more time. Danforth refuses to give him anymore time. Danforth is adamant that the executions go as planned. 

"Now hear me, and beguile yourselves no more. I will not receive a single plea for pardon or postponement. Them that will not confess will hang. Twelve are already executed; the names of these seven are given out, and the village expects to see them die this morning. Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast a doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now. While I speak God's law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering. If retaliation is your fear, know this-I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law, and an ocean of salt tears could not melt the resolution of the statues. Now draw yourselves up like men and help me, as you are bound by Heaven to do. Have you spoken with them all, Mr. Hale?" 

This quote by Danforth, shows that no matter what he is going on with the execution. It doesn't matter that these people are innocent, Danforth only cares about how it would look on him if he allowed the people to go free.

I assume you mean his return in Act IV. He came back to try and get the people who are about to be hanged to confess in order to save their lives. He tries to get Danforth to postpone the hangings as well. Hale now knows the trials were lies started by teenage girls who got caught doing something wrong. He is mostly concerned for Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor who are the first of the town's upstanding citizens to be hanged. He wants them to confess so they won't hang. He's trying to save their lives.

In act 4 of The Crucible, Reverend Hale returns to Salem to try to convince convicted people to lie and falsely confess to witchcraft in order to avoid execution. In act 1, he was summoned to Salem to cleanse the community of evil. During the second and third acts, he realizes that his process is based on vengeful lies and false accusations; the trials devolve into a vindictive witch hunt pitting neighbors against each other and destroying the town’s social fabric.

After storming out of the courtroom at the end of act 3, Hale reappears in an attempt to quell the chaos he created. He wants to save the remaining accused. First, Hale pleas for their pardoning. He entreats Judge Danforth,

You must pardon them. They will not budge.

When Danforth refuses to pardon them (especially since twelve other people were already hanged), Hale tries another approach that appeals to the judge’s vanity:

Excellency, if you postpone a week and publish to the town that you are striving for their confessions, that speak mercy on your part, not faltering.

When Danforth refuses to budge, Hale emphasizes that the society of Salem is falling apart with so many people in prison due to accusations of witchcraft, which could directly backfire on Danforth:

Excellency, there are orphans wandering from house to house; abandoned cattle bellow on the highroads, the stink of rotting crops hangs everywhere, and no man knows when the harlot’s cry will end his life—and you wonder yet if rebellion’s spoke? Better you should marvel how they do not burn your province!

When none of his entreaties move Danforth, Hale admits the reason for his return to Salem:

I come to do the Devil’s work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves … There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head!!

Ironically, the reverend wants the condemned prisoners to lie and falsely confess to witchcraft in order to save themselves from death. He feels remorse for initially fomenting hysteria that led to destruction and death. In order to soothe his guilty conscience, he now advises others to choose life over truth. He pleads with Elizabeth to tell her husband, John, to confess:

Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own. I came into this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed up. Beware, Goody Proctor—cleave to no faith when faith brings blood. It is mistaken law that leads you to sacrifice. Life, woman, life is God’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it. I beg you, woman, prevail upon your husband to confess. Let him give his lie. Quail not before God’s judgment in this, for it may well be God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride.

Where did Rev. Hale find a witch the year before the events in The Crucible?

In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Rev. Hale finds a witch the year before in his hometown of Beverly. However, the person he believes to be a witch is not, in fact, guilty (as will be the case in Salem).

In the stage notes by Arthur Miller, we learn that Rev. Hale is eager and intelligent. He is pleased to have been summoned to Salem.

This is a beloved errand for him; on being called here to ascertain witchcraft he felt the pride of the specialist whose unique knowledge has at last been publicly called for.

The difficulty, the audience soon discovers, is that Rev. Hale is out of his depth. The author's notes advise the reader that Hale barely has previous experience with a witch.

...he had himself encountered a witch in his parish not long before. That woman, however, turned into a mere pest under his searching scrutiny, and the child she had allegedly been afflicting recovered her normal behavior after Hale had given her his kindness and a few days of rest in his own house.

Hale only gained knowledge of what it feels like to be in the presence a woman that was falsely accused. One might expect that this would be information that could serve him well in Salem, but his eagerness blinds him to the difference between what he wants to see and what he actually sees in the courtroom. By the time it occurs to him to exercise caution, there is no way to stop the madness that takes so many lives in Salem.

Who summons Reverend Hale to Salem in The Crucible?

Reverend Hale of Beverly is mentioned several times by the townsfolk before he makes his appearance in the middle of act 1. It is obvious by the references that Rev. Hale carries some authority on witchcraft and has experience with investigating witches.

PUTNAM, as though for further details: They say you've sent for Reverend Hale of Beverly?

PARRIS, with dwindling conviction now: A precaution only. He has much experience in all demonic arts, and I—

MRS. PUTNAM: He has indeed; and found a witch in Beverly last year, and let you remember that. (act 1)

The people (Mr. & Mrs. Putnam mainly, at this point) who want to hunt and find witches assume, since Rev. Hale has been called, a witch must be present. It never occurs to them that his expertise will confirm there is NOT a witch in Salem, despite Rev. Hale mentioning this outcome as a possibility almost immediately after his entrance:

PUTNAM: She cannot bear to hear the Lord's name, Mr. Hale; that's a sure sign of witchcraft afloat.

HALE, holding up his hands: No, no. Now let me instruct you. We cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone, and I must tell you all that I shall not proceed unless you are prepared to believe me if I should find no bruise of Hell upon her. (act 1)

Rev. Parris is the one who called for Rev. Hale of Beverly to come to Salem:

PARRIS, his eyes going wide: No—no. There be no unnatural cause here. Tell him I have sent for Reverend Hale of Beverly, and Mr. Hale will surely confirm that. Let him look to medicine and put out all thought of unnatural causes here. There be none. (act 1)

Parris is convinced most people in the town are persecuting him for some reason. He sees the suspicion of his daughter Betty and his niece Abigail as witches to be the reason his persecutors will drive him from Salem. Rev. Parris has hopes that Hale can prove there is no witchcraft in Salem, especially involving his daughter and niece. Despite Hale being called to confirm there are no witches, his very presence helps to drive the hysteria that causes the witch hunts.

Why is Hale invited to Salem in The Crucible and has he ever found a witch?

Reverend Hale is invited to Salem in order to investigate the possibility of witches, evil spirits, and the practice of dark arts in the community. After Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam become mysteriously ill, the local doctors are puzzled and suspicion turns to the dark arts and presence of witches. Reverend Hale from Beverly is considered an expert in the field of dark arts and is educated in matters involving wicked spirits, ghosts, witches, and other paranormal phenomena. He once claimed to have discovered a witch in his old parish only to find out that she was simply a pest and the child she supposedly afflicted recovered to her normal behavior in a few days. Despite Hale's failure to discover a genuine witch, he is enthused about the challenge of finding a witch when he initially arrives in Salem. This is his first opportunity to test his expertise and Hale believes that he can help identify and rid the community of witches.

Who or what is Reverend Hale focused on when summoned to Salem village?

Reverend Hale has been summoned from Beverley by Reverend Parris, who, afraid of persecution and retribution by his own parishioners, has requested that he visit Salem to investigate rumours of witchcraft, or 'unnatural causes' as he chooses to call them, after his daughter Betty had fallen into a coma on being discovered dancing in the woods accompanied by her niece, Abigail, other girls from the village and the reverend's servant, Tituba.

Reverend Parris is paranoid about the fact that others are out to get him and destroy his reputation and has therefore found it imperative to call upon Reverend Hale since he is believed to be an expert in the occult and could therefore dismiss any rumours of 'unnatural causes' and thus absolve him from any guilt.

After Reverend Parris has been informed that the village doctor cannot find any reason for Betty's condition 'in his books' and that the Reverend should look for 'unnatural causes' for her ailment, he states:

... There be no unnatural cause here. Tell him I have sent for Reverend Hale of Beverly, and Mr. Hale will surely confirm that.Let him look to medicine and put out all thought of unnatural causes here. There be none. 

Reverend Hale is quite pleased to have been called upon to share his expertise and has rushed over to Salem to conduct his investigation. He has had personal experience regarding this aspect and upon investigation had found that the woman in his village who had been accused of witchcraft, was but a 'mere nuisance' and her supposed victim recovered after he extended her his kindness and an opportunity to recover in his home. The Reverend has made a study of 'the invisible world' and believes himself to be an expert. He relishes this new assignment and sees it as an opportunity to confront the Devil himself.

Reverend Hale has come to Salem fully prepared and he targets the main conspirators, Betty, Abigail and Tituba first. He manages to get a confession out of Tituba, who, traumatised and driven to great anxiety and fear by the whole affair, also implicates others. She names, for example, Goody Good and Goody Osburn. Abigail sees this as an opportunity to absolve herself from blame and also starts 'confessing' naming innocent people. Betty miraculously recovers from her affliction and does the same.

Thus the Reverend Hale goes around the village consulting with all the girls and receiving their confessions, in which they name various individuals. The eventual outcome of this is that many innocent villagers are arrested on charges of witchcraft, jailed and brought before the court.

It is ironic that Reverend Hale only realises much later that he and others were victims of an extraordinarily brutal and tragic hoax by the girls, under Abigail's leadership. It has become too late for his intervention. He withdraws from the proceedings, but the damage has been done, since many have died or have been arrested and many more will suffer the same fate, even though he most vehemently objects.

In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, why is Reverend Hale in Salem? Has he found a witch before?

In Arthur Miller’s allegory about the anti-communist hysteria that was sweeping the United States during the 1950s, The Crucible, Reverend Hale is summoned to Salem because of his reputation for being knowledgeable about witchcraft and for the legend that he actually encountered a witch at one point in his career.  As Miller’s play opens, the town’s reverend, Parris, is frantically trying to understand his daughter Betty’s medical condition – she is unconscious – following his discovery of Betty, his niece Abigail and his housemaid Tituba dancing naked in the woods while the West Caribbean Tituba appeared to practicing some form of voodoo.  The town physician has been summoned and departs unable to diagnose Betty’s condition.  The scene is depicted as follows:

Parris, eagerly: What does the doctor say, child?

Susanna, craning around Parris to get a look at Betty: He bid me come and tell you, reverend sir, that he cannot discover no medicine for it in his books.

Parris: Then he must search on.

Susanna: Aye, sir, he have been searchin’ his books since he left you, sir. But he bid me tell you, that you might look to un-natural things for the cause of it.

Parris, his eyes going wide: No - no. There be no unnatural cause here. Tell him I have sent for Reverend Hale of Beverly, and Mr. Hale will surely confirm that. Let him look to medicine and put out all thought of unnatural causes here. There be none.

Parris is determined to prevent the spread of any rumor indicating that the girls have been practicing witchcraft, as the punishment for him would be professional disgrace and the punishment for his daughter and niece even worse.  As Parris discusses Betty’s condition with Ann Putnam, whose husband will emerge as the most vile of creatures as The Crucible progresses, and his decision to send for Reverend Hale, Parris’s ability to play-down the notion of sorcery begins to fade:

Parris, with dwindling conviction now: A precaution only. He [Hale] has much experience in all demonic-arts, and I -

Mrs. Putnam: He has indeed; and found a witch in Beverly last year, and let you remember that.

As the character of Reverend Hale prepares to enter, Miller’s stage directions provide both a physical description of Hale and a lengthy history and context in which this character will engage the others:

“. . .he had himself encountered a witch in his parish not long before. That woman, however, turned into a mere pest under his searching scrutiny, and the child she had allegedly been afflicting recovered her normal behavior after Hale had given her his kindness and a few days of rest in his own house. However, that experience never raised a doubt in his mind as to the reality of the under-world or the existence of Lucifer’s many-faced lieutenants.”

Miller’s directions in The Crucible exceed the norm for the average play.  His intent, however, was to establish an atmosphere on the stage, and in the theater, in which the play’s parallels to the political witch-hunt raging across America would be clearly evoked.  References to Hale’s having once encountered an actual witch, and the background information the playwright provided on that alleged encounter, serves to emphasize the absence of a solid foundation upon which the witch hunts – both in his play and in his country – were built.  By the time Hale understands the lies deceit at the core of Salem's hysteria, it is too late to affect the outcome, and he knows that he had contributed to the injustices that befell the town's people.