In The Crucible, how would you describe Reverend Hale in acts 1 and 2?

One word that I would use to describe Reverend Hale in Act One is "arrogant."  When he returns to Salem in Act Four, he says to Elizabeth, "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."  He felt so sure of himself, with his big books, and all his knowledge, and it did neither him nor Salem any good at all.  It is only much later that he realizes that he'd been overconfident and proud and that this contributed to his role in moving the trials forward.

I'd also call Hale too "trusting" of the judges, the girls, and the court.  Despite his initial shock that Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth Proctor are charged by the court, he continues to insist that the innocent have nothing to fear.  He tells Rebecca's husband, "Nurse, though our hearts break, we cannot flinch; these are new times, sir.  There is a misty plot afoot so subtle we should be criminal to cling to old respects and ancient friendships."  Rather than trust relationships that have existed for years upon years, Hale instead puts his faith the court and cannot even consider the possibility that it might be corrupt or deceived. 

Finally, I would describe Hale as "cowardly."  Even when he does begin to develop some qualms, he does not speak out.  He is described as feeling a "great uncertainty," and Proctor flat out tells him, "You are a coward!  Though you be ordained in God's own tears, you are a coward now!"  Hale does not have the guts to stand up to the judges or the girls until it is far too late (at the end of Act Three).  And, even then, when he is not listened to, he simply quits the court and leaves Salem for several months.

How has Reverend Hale changed both physically and mentally from Act 1 to Act 2 in The Crucible, due to the events in Salem?

Here I will provide you with textual evidence from both Acts and analysis of each piece of evidence. Then, it will be up to you to compare the evidence from the two Acts and draw your conclusions about how and why Hale has been affected: 

Act One:

• "No, no. There be no unnatural cause here. Tell him that I have sent for Mr. Hale of Beverly, and Mr. Hale will surely confirm that" (9)
  Even before he enters the scene, Mr. Hale's characterization begins. His reputation for a professional and expert lend a degree of gravity to his character: he is someone to be trusted based on his experience with the unnatural. 
  
  
• "Coming into Salem now, Reverend Hale conceives of himself much as a young doctor on his first call. His painfully acquired armory of symptoms, catchwords, and diagnostic procedures are now to be put to use at last. The road from Beverly is unusually busy this morning, and he has passed a hundred rumors that make him smile at the ignorance of the yeomanry in this most precise science. He feels himself allied with the best minds of Europe - kings, philosophers, scientists, and ecclesiasts of all churches. His goal is light, goodness and its preservation, and he knows the exaltation of the blessed whose intelligence, sharpened by minute examinations of enormous tracts, is finally called upon to face what may be a bloody fight with the Fiend himself" (36)
  Hale firmly believes that what he is doing is invariably good, right, moral, and interestingly, scientific. He does not question whether or not witchcraft might exist, or even if accusations of witchcraft might be used for nefarious ends. He is a healer and a scientist. 
  
  
• "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" (38) 
  A continuation of the above characterization
  
  
• "When the Devil comes to you does he ever come - with another person? She stares up into his face, Perhaps another person in the village? Someone you know" (45)
  Hale's innocence and naïvité, his belief that witchcraft is a rational thing, does not intend to lead Tituba into falsely accusing others. He, perhaps unconsciously, perhaps not, guides Tituba into spreading the blame. 

Act Two:

• It is Mr. Hale. He is different now - drawn a little, and there is a quality of deference, even of guilt, about his manner now. 
  As these stage directions note, Hale is physically differentiated from the introduction of the play now that the trials are fully underway. 
  
  
• "This is a strange time, Mister. No man may longer doubt the powers of the dark are gathered in monstrous attack upon this village. There is too much evidence now to deny it. You will agree, sir?" (64) 
  Although Hale may not be the same as he was at the beginning of the play, he has not renounced his beliefs, either. 
  
  
• Hale, glances at her open face, then at John, then: Let you re-peat them, if you will.
  Proctor: The Commandments.
  Hale: Aye. (66)
  Hale is continuing to use his scientific methods to determine, through what he believes is firm evidence, whether or not a person is taken by the devil. He does not merely accept accusations and insinuations but tests them. 

Best of luck in your comparison!

In Act 2 of The Crucible, how has Hale changed since arriving in Salem and why is he testing Proctor and Elizabeth?

Hale came to Salem feeling quite confident in his abilities to root out the Devil and force him to let go of good Christians.  But as time passes, he becomes less and less confident about everything he knows as well as the motives of some of the accusers; however, in Act Two, at least, he still believes in the court's ability to suss out the truth.  At John Proctor's house, when Francis Nurse tells Hale that his wife has been charged with murdering Goody Putnam's babies, Hale is said to be "deeply troubled."  He "plead[s]" with Nurse to allow the courts to do their job as he still feels that "the Devil is alive in Salem."  However, he does feel "great pain" as he tells Nurse and Giles Corey to "remember [that] until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven." 

Hale tests John and Elizabeth Proctor because they have not been to church often of late—only twenty six times in seventeen months—and because her name was mentioned in the court today.  John tells him that Elizabeth has been ill for some months and that this is the reason they haven't been to church.  However, there was also the rumor Reverend Parris approached Abigail with in Act One: that Elizabeth doesn't come to church because she "will not sit so close to something soiled."  This is, of course, a possibility as well.  It must be painful for Elizabeth to be in Abigail's presence knowing what happened between Abigail and John.

Many questions!  I'll take the first one.  Hale has been recognized as an authority figure in town.  He is accepted as the leader, and as the deciding factor in the guilt and innocence of the accused townspeople.  However, he has begun to realize that all is not what it seems or what he assumed.  He has started to suspect that the accusations may not be all that they seem.

In Act 2 of The Crucible, why does Hale become suspicious of the Proctors?

In Act 2 of "The Crucible," (particularly Scene 3) Hale first approaches the Proctors because Elizabeth's name was mentioned in the court. Then Hale tells the Proctors that, from Parris' records, they have not been to church as often as others. Hale also notes that one of Proctor's sons has not been baptized. (John) Proctor admits this is because he does not "see the light of God" in Parris and refused to have Parris baptize his son.

The really telling moment is when Hale asks John to recite the Ten Commandments. John comes up with all but one: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Hale doesn't know yet that John has committed adultery, but Elizabeth and John do know. And the stage directions describe John's reaction when Elizabeth tells him adultery is the commandment he missed. John looks "as though a secret arrow pained his heart." To this, Hale replies:

Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small.

As events unfold, Hale turns out to be one of the more logical characters. But at this point, he believes that even the smallest sin or misjudgment can or does lead to much more serious sins.

Finally, as Hale is leaving, Elizabeth implores John to tell Hale that the girls have been lying about witchcraft only in order to save themselves from being hanged. As this discussion ensues, Hale asks them if they believe in witches. Elizabeth replies that she cannot and Hale is stunned.

How has Reverend Hale's opinion changed since Act 2 in The Crucible?

In act two, Reverend Hale has faith in the court and believes that the proceedings are just. However, he is cautious enough to carry out investigations on his own to confirm the court's decisions. In act three, Reverend Hale's opinion of the proceedings begins to change when he witnesses Deputy Governor Danforth's defensive personality after Giles Corey, Mary Warren, and John Proctor raise reasonable concerns regarding the court's validity. Hale acknowledges the fact that Danforth refuses to consider the significant evidence presented and disagrees with his orders to arrest Giles Corey. Reverend Hale also realizes that Elizabeth lied to save her husband's reputation and says that he always viewed Abigail Williams as a fraud. After Danforth orders Proctor's arrest, Hale quits the court and denounces the entire proceedings.

In act four, Reverend Hale is overwhelmed with guilt and has lost faith in his religion. He understands that Danforth, Parris, and Hathorne are corrupt, malevolent individuals and attempts to persuade the prisoners to offer false confessions in order to save their lives. Overall, Reverend Hale is a dynamic character, who experiences a dramatic transformation after discovering the dark truth behind the witch trials.

In the final act of the play, Hale has been convinced that the accusations of witchcraft are fraudulent, motivated by fear, greed, and lingering interpersonal conflict. Nearby towns have overthrown the court and violence has broken out. The court officials there are endangered. 

Hale fears that similar things could happen in Salem. More importantly, for Hale, the deaths of more innocent people can be avoided if the court relents. 

Hale's efforts to stop the court and to save the life of John Proctor are too little and too late. Though he has realized that his confidence and pride have helped to facilitate a great and grave injustice, his repentence and change of heart are not enough to change the course of events.

The play ends with Hale weeping.

How does Reverend Hale change in Act 2 of The Crucible?

The Reverend Hale is a scholar and an expert on witchcraft. At the beginning of The Crucible, the Reverend Parris has called upon him to investigate what has happened in Salem and Hale enters the play with an aura of calm authority. He believes in his own scholarship and his ability to distinguish between good and evil. He has investigated witchcraft in his own parish and found the woman accused to be a mere pest rather than anything more sinister. Nonetheless, he seems all too willing to believe accusations of witchcraft against Tituba and his confidence in his own abilities here suggests that his expert status has gone to his head.

The change in Reverend Hale's outlook in Act Two is due to his genuine intelligence and thoughtfulness. Unlike Parris, the other Ministers and Judges, Hale is too intellectually curious to ignore the mounting evidence that those accused of witchcraft are innocent. Finally, he begins to justify John Proctor's assessment of him as a sensible man and to doubt the evidence before him.

The Reverend Hale was, of course, a real person, who wrote extensively on the subject of witchcraft. As a character in Miller's play, however, we may regard his doubts and regret as symbolic of the attitude most people in Salem were soon to take, since the Witch Trials were regarded as an act of madness and cruelty even by most of those actively involved almost as soon as they were over.

What is the significance of Hale's quote from Act 3 in The Crucible?

Mr. Hale utters this line in the courtroom when he is attempting to persuade Deputy Governor Danforth that he should listen to Giles Corey's testimony concerning a man who does not want to be named. Giles claims that this man overheard Thomas Putnam incriminate himself as having a hand in prompting his daughter to make accusations against others in the town (because Putnam wants the opportunity to acquire the land owned by some of those accused). However, Giles's unwillingness to name this man proves Hale's statement that there is a "prodigious fear" of the court in Salem. Danforth interprets this to mean that there is "prodigious guilt" among the inhabitants of the town because, in his mind, there is no reason to fear the court unless one is guilty. Danforth implies that Hale has something to fear (as though he were hiding something), and when Hale speaks the line you've cited, he means that he has nothing to fear from the court because he is innocent. He rebuffs Danforth's thinly veiled accusation.

One thing this quotation shows us about Hale's character is that he is trying to do the right thing. He is sticking up for the people of the town, trying to impress upon Danforth that there are other reasons besides guilt that they might fear the court. This line shows us that Hale is trying to work with the court and the people too. He is a good and honest man.

When religious people use the word fear, especially in reference to God, it means several things. First, it means to revere or respect. It can also mean to be concerned of God's upcoming wrath.

The fear he notes in the country has to do with folks being afraid of the accusations. Good and moral people who had done nothing worth the life sentences they were receiving were being forced to accept a poor reputation or die.

I think this quote shows Hale's own worry about the accusations being made. I think it shows he cares about people sincerely. I think he wants to see justice work not just for the guilty but particularly the innocent. I also think he hopes he is not eventually condemned for his sincere faith.

What is Hale's mission in Act 4 of The Crucible?

In Act Four of The Crucible, Reverend Hale is practically driven to madness by his mission to save the lives of those who have been accused of witchcraft, a radical transformation for a man who was once obsessed with locating witches in order to drive out evil from Salem.

Hale is described in this act as "steeped in sorrow" and "exhausted" after praying with the prisoners who are schedule to hang. He has spent this time desperately trying to convince those prisoners to lie in order to save their own lives; proclaiming their guilt through a signed confession and agreeing to repent, despite being completely innocent, would rescue these folks from the gallows. Hale knows that the trials that have found so many others guilty have become inflated and ludicrous; having "quit the courts," he feels that this is good enough justification for the false confessions.

Ultimately, although Hale seeks the pardon of the seven prisoners who are being accused of witchcraft, he is unsuccessful; all of the "non-confessors" are to be hanged.

In Act 4 of The Crucible, what has Reverend Hale been trying to do with the condemned?

At the end of Act III, Reverend Hale leaves Salem.  In a dramatic moment he "quits the court" when he realizes that it is all a lie.  Because of this, Danforth and Parris are surprised that he is back in Salem and talking with the prisoners in jail.  Danforth is upset to hear that Hale has returned.  He knows that the witch uprising in Beverly has been squashed, so he has concerns about Hale's motives.  However, the men agree that Hale may be able to consul Elizabeth into convincing her husband, John, to sign the confession.  Knowing the importance of the Proctor name, they believe his confession carries great weight.

When he goes to her, Hale explains to Elizabeth that since he has been trying to convince those who are accused as witches to confess.  He no longer does this because he believes they are guilty, but because he feels guilty.  He knows if they confess, they will live.

Goody Proctor… I have gone this three month like our Lord into the wilderness. I have sought a Christian way, for damnation’s doubled on a minister who counsels men to lie.

In The Crucible, why does Reverend Hale visit the Proctors?

Reverend Hale is trying to understand the situation he is in.  He has been surprised by the accusation against Rebecca Nurse, having accepted her as an intelligent and well-read person, like himself.  He isn't sure what to make of the Proctors, and does not understand why they would avoid attending church.  It is in this scene that John Proctor speaks out against Rev. Parris, criticizing the man for hypocrisy and explaining his avoidance of church revolves around that, and not his belief or disbelief in God. 

Hale still believes in his quest here, especially when he first arrives at the house.  However, unlike the townspeople, he has an open mind, and his visit with the Proctors begins to tear at what few doubts he does have.  He goes in order to find truth - it just isn't the truth he thought he would find.

Hale goes to the Proctors to warn them to get their religious affairs in order, such as baptizing their youngest child. Elizabeth's name has been brought up by Abigail as a witch, and Hale wants the Proctors to look like they are religious, upstanding people. He has them recite the Ten Commandments, and John Proctor forgets the one about adultery. He tells them to make sure they go to church from now on and to do whatever they're supposed to as good Puritans. He doesn't want Abigail or any of the others to have a good reason for calling either of them a witch.

At this point, Rev. Hale realizes the witch trials are fake, and he wants to save anymore people from prison or from being hanged. He goes to the Proctors to help them.

Reverend Parris is caught in a tough position. He doesn't want to admit that his daughter has possibly been involved in witchcraft, he doesn't want to lose the faith of the parishioners who believe there is evil among them. Parris knows something needs to be done, but he can't bring himself to denounce his daughter and her friends.

Parris sends for Hale who he says has more experience in these matters. Parris is essentially "passing the buck" and letting Hale make the decision about what should be done. Therefore, Parris doesn't have to accept any of the blame.

What is Reverend Hale's role and significance in The Crucible?

Reverend Hale has a role that helps to demonstrate how easily and even innocently "false accusations, manifestations of mass hysteria, and rumor-mongering" can take hold of a community. 

Hale is a man of integrity and of faith. He believes that he is also somewhat scientific in his approach to witchcraft, as seen in the scene where he is introduced in Act I. Despite these positive traits, Hale is fooled by Abigail's lies as quickly as everyone else. 

Additionally, Hale fails to be convinced that Abigail and the girls are lying when he is initially presented with this fact. When Hale comes to investigate/accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft, he believes that he is acting with the utmost integrity and honesty. 

Even in this moment, the audience realizes that Hale is not being honest and that he is dominated by the popular view and, for a while, powerless against that popular view. He was an honest man, but he has become a hypocrite in his agreement with popular lies.

Hale embodies many of the moral contradictions of the play: he is a man of integrity who, although at times misguided and overzealous, is willing to change his mind when confronted with the truth.

The danger presented in Salem is one of abdication. The group claims the power to judge what is right, what is wrong and what is true when the individuals who make up the group agree not to think for themselves. In a play about how fear can be used to define communities and the harm that this can do, Hale stands as an example of the crisis at the heart of this process. 

Hale's character demonstrates this thematic idea: Even good people can be corrupted when they abdicate their own moral judgement in favor of the group. 

Hale's inability to perceive—and endorse— the power in Proctor's stand for personal virtue leaves his character ignorant and weak.

What motivates Reverend Hale, and what is his main conflict and personality in The Crucible?

Reverend Hale is a complex figure in the play. He is motivated by an honest interest to help the people of Salem, starting with Betty Parris. However, Hale is clearly also motivated by flattery and pride. He is an expert on witchcraft and the treatment he receives in Salem confirms his high opinion of himself. 

As the play goes on, Hale's honesty, his clear-sightedness and his integrity become the most important - and questionable - elements of his character. Hale has helped to stoke a witchcraft paranoia in Salem. When he is confronted with the truth about the accusations made by Abigail and the other girls, Hale is forced to choose between a loyalty to the truth and a loyalty to the majority of the town.

Importantly, the town's position reinforces Hale's initial assessment of the situation in Salem, lending continued credence to his "expertise". When presented with a compelling insight into the true nature of the witchcraft accusations, Hale cannot take an honest view. 

...he allows his ideology to hide the evidence presented to his reason.

Abandoning the view that witchcraft is actually taking place to admit that the accusations are a fraud also means that Hale will be admitting that he was wrong, diminishing his personal importance and the importance of his "expertise" on witchcraft. 

Hale does ultimately admit to being wrong and comes back to Salem to advocate for Proctor's release. He finds honesty in the end and attempts to win back some integrity. 

Hale embodies many of the moral contradictions of the play: he is a man of integrity who, although at times misguided and overzealous, is willing to change his mind when confronted with the truth.

How does Hale's character change throughout The Crucible?

Hale is humbled. The most signficant change in his character relates to this humbling, as Reverend Hale learns that his over-confidence and pride lead to the deaths of innocent people. 

As the play opens, Hale's pride is flattered by Parris and others. Though he tries to be exacting and academic in his approach to the question of witchcraft in Salem, Hale is ultimately swept up by the notion that his intuition is correct and witchcraft is indeed afoot in Salem. 

In the face of persuasive opinions offered by John and Elizabeth Proctor, Hale maintains his self-assurance, choosing to refrain from questioning his assumptions and instead watching while Elizabeth is taken to jail. 

Hale is finally convinced of fraudulent nature of the witchcraft accusations when Proctor brings Mary Warren to court and then Proctor testifies to his affair with Abigail. At this point, Hale is shocked and dismayed. He realizes what his pride has helped bring into being in these trials. He realizes that he will be responsible if Elizabeth is killed. 

Hale's transformation into humility is seen clearly in his demeanor in the final act of the play. Here Hale is seen pleading with Danforth, and pleading with Proctor too, trying to avoid becoming guilty and complicit in Protor's death by hanging. 

From pride and self-assurance, Hale falls into desperation and humility. 

Why does Reverend Hale visit the prison in The Crucible?

At the end of Act Three, Reverend Hale leaves the court in outrage. He has seen Abigail and the other girls' manipulation and has condemned the proceedings.

We discover at the beginning of Act Four that he is visiting the accused in jail. Reverend Parris says the following about his visitations:

Hear me. Rebecca have not given me a word this three month since she came. Now she sits with him, and her sister and Martha Corey and two or three others, and he pleads with them, confess their crimes and save their lives.

It becomes apparent that Reverend Hale has been begging the accused to confess. His earlier outrage and denunciation stem from his newfound belief that the girls are, and have been, misleading the court. He has witnessed their deceit firsthand, and he now believes that he can save those who have been condemned. Furthermore, he seems to feel guilty for having been involved in an injustice.

Reverend Hale has, from the outset, been a firm believer that the Devil is afoot in Salem. He has made it his duty to root out those who have been corrupted by Satan. Now, however, it appears that he also wants to atone for his guilt in having had so many brought before the court. It seems, though, that his efforts have been largely unsuccessful. He reports that Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, and others cannot be driven to confess.

You must pardon them. They will not budge. 

Judge Danforth refuses to grant them a pardon. He believes that it will be unjust because twelve people have already been hanged. He also refuses Reverend Hale's request for more time. Hale's continued attempts at getting Judge Danforth to understand the desperate situation in the town are all to no avail, and Judge Danforth asks him why he has returned to the court. The Reverend's anguish is pertinently displayed when he cries out:

Why, it is all simple. 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!!

In the end, those who Reverend Hale so desperately tries to save are all put to death.

To his credit, Reverend Hale has changed his mind about the truth of the accusations of witchcraft in Salem.

Hale embodies many of the moral contradictions of the play: he is a man of integrity who, although at times misguided and overzealous, is willing to change his mind when confronted with the truth.

In the end, Hale no longer believes that the claims made by Abigail and the other girls are true. In response to this he removes himself from the court and its proceedings in Salem. 

When he returns to Salem and goes to the prison it is to redeem himself, to attempt to avoid an uprising against the injustice of the court and to save John Proctor from death. 

He tells Elizabeth Proctor:

I would save your husband's life, for if he is taken I count myself his murderer. 

Hale fails in his attempts to persuade the court (Danforth and Hathorne) to postpone the carrying out of Proctor's sentence. 

Reverend Hale has been summoned to Salem to investigate the accusations of witchcraft.

In this play, Puritans take witchcraft very seriously.  They believe in it, or at least most of them do, and they fear it.  Reverend Hale is the person to call if you suspect there are witches in your midst!  Salem's preacher, Reverend Parris, sends for him when he realizes that he is out of his league.

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)

Reverend Hale will supposedly investigate and determine if there is witchcraft afoot.  He is from Beverly, and “has much experience in all demonic-arts.”  This includes finding a witch in Beverly.  You can tell by the description of him that he really loves witch-hunting.

Mr. Hale is nearing forty, a tight-skinned, eager-eyed intel-lectual. 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. (Act 1)

Reverend Hale thinks that the Devil is “wily.”  Proctor tells Hale that he has heard Hale is a sensible man, and he hopes that he will talk some sense into people.  Hale tries to do the right thing, but Salem is swept into hysteria.  It is hard to separate the truth from the fiction.  Hale does his best to determine if there is something really there, but ends up succumbing to the general consensus.

Being an expert on witchcraft, Hale is out of his element in Salem.  There are accusations abound from people who seem credible.  Unlike the one witch in Beverly, Salem is crawling with supposed witches.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is based on the occurrences in Salem, USA in the seventeenth century. The community is steeped in superstition and easily persuaded that evil pervades their town when the minister's daughter, Betty Parris and her cousin, Abigail Williams, are caught dancing naked in the forest, a "sinful" activity. The girls, so as not to get into trouble, invent an elaborate plan to suggest that they are not responsible for their actions and have in fact been influenced by witches and are possessed. The townspeople believe these claims and, with their own agendas and need for retribution for their own unrelated problems, become involved in a web of intricate lies and assumptions which create an unmanageable situation. The Reverend Parris, Betty's father, sees an opportunity to create a name for himself and re-establish his authority in the town and, after the girls have provided the names of those so-called "witches," the town prepares to try and convict them. The crimes are punishable by hanging and the situation is, therefore, untenable as, even those who defend the accused are then also implicated and many innocent people are sentenced to hang.

The Reverend John Hale, "a specialist" in exposing witchcraft, comes from Beverly, a nearby town, at Reverend Parris's request, to officiate at the trials. He is tasked with establishing the connection to witchcraft and to expose the truth. He is considered an expert because he has studied its origins and even convicted a witch in his own town. He is excited to face "the Fiend himself." 

Eventually, however, recognizes the injustice. He begins to doubt the truth of the trials and, when Proctor is found guilty, he is tormented. He does try to find a way to change the outcome but is, however, not influential enough to make a difference, despite his expertise and knowing that the accused are not guilty. Matters have gone too far. 

Who is Reverend Hale in The Crucible, and why is he contacted?

Arthur Miller's play The Crucible offers us a glimpse into the inner working of men's hearts and the potential for evil that may lurk there. Reverend Hale is a character intended to be the savior of Salem and inadvertently helps to further the prejudice and injustice of the trials.

In Act I, Miller offers commentary about Hale that sets up this character's nature and role in the play. He tells us Hale is an "eager-eyed intellectual" and his arrival in Salem, and the subsequent search for witches, is a "beloved" task. Hale is a man of great learning and has spent much time "pondering the invisible world." It is because of this reputation of occult knowledge that Reverend Hale is called to Salem to determine who may be, in fact, a witch. He will ask to function essentially as expert testimony in the trials. Judges Danforth and Hawthorn will look to his expertise in guiding their decisions. At the outset of the play, we learn Parris has called him to complete an examination of his daughter Betty to determine if the cause of her illness lies in the world of witchcraft.

What are Reverend Hale's motivations and conflicts in The Crucible?

I see Hale as a genuinely good man that believes in the administering of justice as well as the true nature of the legal proceedings.  He is against the idea of innocent people being put to death, yet he cannot stop the wayward nature of the proceedings when things are so obviously spinning out of control.  Hale believes that through his own good nature, he can make right out of something that is inherently wrong.  He does not recognize or does not stand up to the corrupt nature of the trial and how individuals in Salem have manipulated the proceedings to advance their own agenda.  Rather, he is committed to trying to prove justice can be achieved.  The reality is that he ends up becoming an apologist for the inevitable evil that results from the trials.  In the end, it is this position that makes Hale a very frail and weakened character.

What are five complexities of Reverend Hale's character in The Crucible?

Reverend John Hale is one of the most complex characters in the play and goes through a drastic change during the events depicted. 

In Act One, Hale enters the action as a fully trained and dedicated witch-hunter. Hale's intentions here are good, but his dedication to ridding the world of witchcraft and his overconfidence sets him up to be taken in by the girls' hysterics.

In Act Two, Hale shows himself to be not as easily bought in as he initially appeared. When he chooses to visit the Proctors to determine their characters without the court's knowledge, he shows that he can think critically and independently of his court and authority. He shows that he is dedicated to the truth of the matter, not just hunting witches.

This eventually leads him to denounce the court completely in Act Three, once it has become clear that the accusations of witchcraft are being used to manipulate and control the town. Again, this action shows Hale's ability to think and morally judge for himself. It also shows that he is not afraid to change his mind when he realizes he was wrong. 

In Act Four, Hale seems to experience a crisis of faith. When he suggests that Proctor and Rebecca Nurse falsely confess to witchcraft to save their lives, it becomes clear that this man of God and Law is beginning to doubt that either will save innocent lives and they will need to take matters into their own hands.

By the end of the play, Hale is devastated and tormented by the proceedings and his place in them. As he watches Proctor approach the gallows, he cries:

"What profit him to bleed? Shall the dust praise him? Shall the worms declare his truth?"

This Hale, doubting and despairing, struggling to see the point in anything is a far different man than the confident witch-hunter who came to Salem in Act One. 

How responsible is Hale for initiating and intensifying the witch trials in The Crucible?

It is my belief that Hale should not be held very responsible for the witch trials (as presented in the play). He is asked to come to Salem by Reverend Parris, and he is quite prepared to believe that there are no witches, going so far as to warn people that he will not proceed in his investigation if they are not willing to believe him should he determine this to be the case. Tituba, the slave, offers him a confession, even saying that there were others she saw with the devil—for sad and understandable reasons of her own—and he believes her. Why would he not? She seems compelling and even embellishes her story with details about the Devil telling her to kill Parris, her owner.

Hale does not step in later when the accusations become more far-fetched because, as he says, "until an hour before the devil fell, God thought him beautiful in heaven." He isn't wrong, as far as his theology goes. Later, still, he does object to the court's proceedings and tries to intervene, but Danforth is more powerful than Hale and will not listen to Hale's objections. Hale could try harder to do more, but I do think his intentions are always only good, and he is, perhaps, simply too trusting in his fellow man.