Martha Corey Quotes

What signifies the readin’ of strange books?…It discomfits me! Last night – mark this – I tried and tried and could not say my prayers. And then she close her book and walks out of the house, and suddenly – mark this – I could pray again!

– Arthur Miller

The Crucible, Act 1. When the hysteria over witches breaks out, Giles Corey carelessly mentions to Reverend Hale how he often wakes up and night and finds his wife secretly reading strange books. Without thinking of the consequences he complains that this somehow prevents him from saying his prayers. Unwitting Giles helps sentence his wife Martha Corey to death, since she is later executed as a witch. This passage is foreshadowing of Martha being accused of witchcraft.

That bloody mongrel Walcott charge her. Y’see, he buy a pig of my wife four or five year ago, and the pig died soon after. So he come dancin’ in for his money back. So my Martha, she says to him, "Walcott, if you haven’t the wit to feed a pig properly, you’ll not live to own many," she says. Now he goes to court and claims that from that day to this he cannot keep a pig alive for more than four weeks because my Martha bewitch them with her books!

– Arthur Miller

The Crucible, Act 2. Giles Corey explains how his wife Martha was charged with witchcraft because an unhappy pig buyer accused her out of a desire to seek revenge. When she refused to give Mr. Walcott his money back for a pig that died from his poor care, he claimed that she was a witch.

HATHORNE: Now, Martha Corey, there is abundant evidence in our hands to show that you have given yourself to the reading of fortunes. Do you deny it?
MARTHA COREY: I am innocent to a witch. I know not what a witch is.
HATHORNE: How do you know then that you are not a witch?
MARTHA COREY: If I were, I would know it.

– Arthur Miller

The Crucible, Act 3. The unbending and closed-minded Judge Hathorne is not interested in hearing the case for the defense from the accused in the witch trials. Martha Corey protests that she doesn’t even know what a witch is. This is met by Hathorne asking how did she know she wasn’t one. Hathorne is an intolerant judge who makes up his mind that an individual is guilty and doesn’t allow anyone question his thinking.
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