What an interesting assignment! I've always thought Mary Warren was one of the most pivotal characters in this drama. There is so much to observe in terms of her motivations. At first she enjoys the attention and admiration for being "an official of the court," which, of course makes her employer, John Proctor, angry. Proctor convinces her she needs to tell the truth out of respect for his wife Elizabeth and for the good of Salem Village, which has been torn apart by the trials. Her deposition reveals she never saw anyone bewitched.
But Mary is not strong enough to withstand Abigail's manipulation, and when Abigail gets the other girls to mock and imitate Mary in the courtroom, and pretend she has bewitched them, she decides to back down and wants to be included with the girls' circle of protection. It is not necessarily loyalty to Abigail, but rather fear of Abigail that changes her mind; Mary knows she could easily be accused of witchcraft also. She has seen how easily innocent people have been targeted, the tables turning on them in court. Ultimately, in order to protect herself and avoid more scrutiny and a possible accusation, she recants her deposition.
The perfect place for such a monologue would be at the end of act 3 or in act 4—after Mary has been able to see the impact of her decision and possibly reflect on how important it was to remain honest. She could speak about how she lacked the courage necessary to do the right thing and also mention the courage she has seen displayed in other people who have been wrongly accused. She could admit she feels terrible guilt and remorse. If she speaks in act 4, it could be after it is revealed that Abigail has escaped, and Mary realizes how selfish Abigail's behavior was.
An interesting character that you could write a monologue for would be Giles Corey. Giles is depicted as an ornery old man, who makes the terrible mistake of questioning his wife's behavior in front of Reverend Hale at the beginning of the play. Giles initially has suspicions about the books his wife is reading but is astonished to learn that Martha has been arrested and accused of witchcraft. In act 3, Giles Corey gets thrown out of court after insisting that Thomas Putnam is using the witch trials to buy land. Giles Corey proceeds to inform Deputy Governor Danforth that a reliable citizen overheard Thomas Putnam telling his daughter to accuse George Jacobs of witchcraft in order to buy his land. Thomas Putnam knows that George will openly confess to witchcraft in order to save his life, and his land will soon be available for purchase. Whenever Danforth requests the name of the man who overheard Thomas Putnam, Giles refuses to tell him and is arrested for contempt of court.
In act 4, Elizabeth Proctor tells John that Giles died an honorable death by refusing to confess to witchcraft. Unfortunately, the audience hears of Giles's valiant death secondhand via Elizabeth's description. An interesting monologue could be written at the beginning of act 4 and depict Giles's final thoughts before being pressed to death. You could describe Giles's feelings of regret for expressing his concern about his wife, which resulted in her arrest, or his feelings about the corrupt court. Giles could also elaborate on why he refuses to offer a false confession or speak about how he wishes to die an honorable death, which would be similar to John Proctor's final words. You could also describe Giles's concerns for Martha, Rebecca, John, and his sons.
There are many characters that you could choose and create an interesting monologue for. My recommendation is to write a monologue for Abigail. I would place the monologue in Act 4.
In Act 4, the audience is told that Abigail has run away and stolen money from Parris.
Parris: Excellency, I think they be aboard a ship. Danforth stands agape. My daughter tells me how she heard them speaking of ships last week, and tonight I discover my--my strongbox is broke into.
I would have the monologue take place before Abigail escapes. Have her debating with herself whether or not she should leave. There's a lot that you could explore there. A part of her would have to want to stay. She's in love with John Proctor, and guaranteed she is thinking about a way to save his life and still have him for herself without Elizabeth. She might even fantasize about having John run away with her. You could have Abigail speak in an angry rant for a bit about how much she despises Elizabeth. End the monologue with Abigail realizing that her name is completely ruined in Salem, and the only "logical" plan is to steal some money and run away.
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