Giles Corey In The Crucible

Giles Corey is an old eager to fight resident of Salem… Giles fate turns tragic when he, in a way, accuses his wife of witchcraft, when he out loud wonders about the strange books that she reads at nights. He isn’t very educated and is on his third wife, Martha. Since he isn’t very educated he cannot read the way that his wife does, and is suspicious because the other two wives he had did not read like Martha either. He then asks Reverend Hale a simple question that is misinterpreted. He tells Hales that it strange how at night when she muttering aloud her books he cannot say his prayers out loud, but when she stops he can pray again. This makes Hale very suspicious of Martha Corey for witchcraft, thinking that it is her spirit that is casting out at her husband so that he may not say his prayers.

Corey is frequently a plaintiff in the court, because he has brought dozens of lawsuits, and he stands with Proctor when he is challenging the girls ' accusations. He and Proctor believe that Thomas Putnam is using charges of witchcraft to secure land for his very own benefit. When Corey refuses to name the person who heard Putnam declare these intentions, he does this because he knows that if he tells that “mystery person” will more than likely be accused of witchcraft, just like the others. Corey is then charged with contempt of court, so in attempt to get him to say who it was that overheard, the court then orders him to be weighted with stones to coerce him to admit the name. Which he never did, so therefore he lives no more. Cory in this play is used to show how such a simple truth about his wife can be changed into an accusation of witchcraft by the authorities of Salem and can be used to put innocent people in jail and eventually execute