In Act Four, Hale tries to convince those condemned to die to confess to witchcraft. If they confess, they will not be hanged at the price of losing their reputations or having to face life as a social leper. Hale’s argument is that no one’s pride is worth their life. Danforth does not want Hale in the jail and talking to the prisoners. John Proctor is brought out and Elizabeth and Reverend Hale convince him to sign his confession. When Proctor tears up his confession because of his pride, Hale screams at him that he will hang and begs Elizabeth to convince him to confess.
In this act he is the most upset and completely changed form the beginning of the play. He is pleading with the condemned to save their lives, but it seems that they do not want to listen to him and he again feels powerless. Hale is angry at injustice of the situation and is obviously shaken and upset at John Proctor’s death. By the end of the play, he has turned from naïve and hopeful to pained and guilty.