“Then her saintliness is done with.”
Why it's great
Saintliness used as a weapon turns a holy reputation into a mask he is ready to tear off.
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Informal
Use it yourself
Then his saintliness is done with after that email.
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00:00 / 03:38
Proctor Forces Mary to Testify, Explained
The Crucible · 2014
Chapter 16 of 29 · 3'38"
Proctor isn't asking Mary to testify out of cruelty; he needs her to expose Abigail. "Then her saintliness is done with," he says, gambling his own name to save Elizabeth. Mary, terrified, warns that Abigail will retaliate by charging him with lechery — and Proctor answers that they will fall together.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 2:07–3:14
❝ Monologue · 9 lines Proctor Says They Will Fall Together
66s - 3:15–3:36
❝ Monologue · 5 lines Mary's Breakdown
The same refusal is repeated five times, growing louder until she breaks.
21s
Proctor Forces Mary to Testify, explained
What happens
At the Proctor house, Giles leaves for the night, and Proctor tells Mary Warren she is coming with him to court. He wants her to testify about the poppet and the needle Abigail planted in it. Mary is terrified, warning that Abigail will accuse Proctor of lechery and destroy him. Proctor, undeterred, tells her to make her peace.
What's really going on
Mary's fear is not cowardice; it is arithmetic. She knows exactly what Abigail can do, and she says it plainly: "Abby'll charge lechery on you, Mr. Proctor!" That line reframes the whole scene. Proctor wants Mary's testimony to save Elizabeth, but the price is his own reputation, because Abigail holds their affair over him. Proctor's answer — "Then her saintliness is done with" — is a man deciding he would rather be exposed than let his wife hang. He insists the family "will slide together into our pit," refusing to let only Elizabeth fall. The scene is the moment Proctor stops managing appearances and accepts public shame as the cost of doing right, even as Mary, still terrified, keeps repeating that she cannot.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Then her saintliness is done with.”
- Proctor's reply: once he testifies about their affair, Abigail's image as a holy accuser collapses. He is willing to destroy her reputation along with his own.
- “Abby'll charge lechery on you, Mr. Proctor!”
- Mary's warning: if Proctor makes her testify, Abigail will retaliate by publicly accusing him of lechery — their affair — and ruin him.
- “We will slide together into our pit!”
- Proctor accepts mutual ruin: he will not let only Elizabeth fall. If the truth drags him down, it drags Abigail down too.
- “I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me!”
- Savage vow: he would hurt Abigail brutally, yet he cannot let Elizabeth, the good one, die in his place.
- “Now Hell and Heaven grapple on our backs, and all our old pretense is ripped away - make your peace!”
- He frames the moment as cosmic: their lies and appearances are stripped away, and there is nothing left to do but accept it.
- “Make your peace with it!”
- His blunt command to Mary: stop resisting, accept what must happen, and testify.
Theme
- Justice — Proctor risks his reputation to force the truth into court, betting exposure will outweigh Abigail's lies.
- Courage — He chooses public shame over silence, telling Mary they will 'slide together' into ruin rather than let Elizabeth die.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level2/8
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“Abby'll charge lechery on you, Mr. Proctor!”
Why it's great
Naming lechery outright turns her fear into a bargaining chip she can use against him.
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Formal
Use it yourself
They will charge lechery on you if you testify.
“We will slide together into our pit!”
Why it's great
The image of sliding into a shared pit makes mutual ruin sound almost fated.
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literary
Use it yourself
If this leaks, we will slide together into our pit.
“I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me!”
Why it's great
The brutal threat snaps into tenderness, so the line shows a man tearing against himself.
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literary
Use it yourself
I will bring your guts into your mouth but I will still cover for you.
“Now Hell and Heaven grapple on our backs, and all our old pretense is ripped away - make your peace!”
Why it's great
Hell and Heaven wrestling on their backs makes an inner war physical, and pretense falls away with it.
Register
literary
Use it yourself
All the old pretense is ripped away, so make your peace with it.
“Make your peace with it!”
Why it's great
Make your peace with it frames surrender as a settled inner truce, not a defeat.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
The deadline is gone; make your peace with it.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Proctor's Speech
It is a providence, and no great change; we are only what we always were, but naked now. Aye, naked! And the wind, God's icy wind, will blow!
He turns ruin into providence and cold wind, building pressure through short, breaking lines.
❝ Mary's Breakdown
I cannot. I cannot. I cannot. I cannot. I cannot!!!
The same refusal is repeated five times, growing louder until she breaks.
Up next · 17take it upon yourselfThe scene: Giles Corey Storms the CourtTakeaways
What you walk away with- Lechery is a heavy moral charge, not a casual affair.
- To make your peace with something is to accept it.
- The what-clause defines who they really are.
- Repeating I cannot shows a character breaking down.
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Questions, then the linesWhy does Proctor want Mary to testify in court?
Mary knows the poppet and needle came from Abigail. Proctor needs her to tell the court the truth so the judges see that Abigail's accusation against Elizabeth is revenge, not witchcraft.
Why is Mary afraid to accuse Abigail?
She believes Abigail will turn on her. She says so directly, and warns that Abigail will charge Proctor with lechery to discredit him if he pushes her to speak.
What does Proctor mean by 'Then her saintliness is done with'?
He means Abigail's reputation as a holy accuser will collapse once their affair comes out. If she exposes him, he will expose her — he accepts mutual ruin.
Does Proctor mind exposing his own affair?
No. He refuses to let Elizabeth die for him, saying he will not let 'that goodness' die in his place. He would rather fall together with Abigail than stay silent.