In Scene 2 Mary Warren begins to cry. Serving on the court all day has exhausted and upset her. At this point, Mary Warren attempts to convince herself and the Proctors that solid evidence exists against all of the accused. She secretly questions this, but feels she can only go along with Abigail and the others. She now belongs to a group, and does not want to be an outcast.
Abigail's scheme becomes apparent to Elizabeth and Proctor within Scene 2. This is central to the play because, up until this point, only the audience knows what is really happening. Now two of the characters accurately interpret Abigail's actions and her overall objective. Before Scene 2, Proctor and Elizabeth knew that Abigail had lied about the witchcraft incident, and both suspected that Abigail wanted to get rid of Elizabeth. Scene 2 confirms their fears. The poppet that Mary Warren innocently gives to Elizabeth foreshadows Elizabeth's arrest in Scene 4.
When Mary Warren tells them the court accused Elizabeth, Abigail's plan becomes clear. Time is now the most important element in the play. With each arrest for witchcraft, Abigail gains credibility. In addition, the courtroom fits, trances, fainting spells, and other demonstrations of "hard evidence" increase Abigail's authority. She is quickly becoming irrefutable in the eyes of the court.
Proctor only has two chances to save Elizabeth. Either he must speak to Abigail and convince her that her plan will not work, or he must speak to Hale before Abigail accuses Elizabeth. If Proctor calls Abigail a fraud after Elizabeth's arrest, he will appear to be lashing out. Proctor must act as quickly as possible because both Proctor and Elizabeth know that Abigail will continue to accuse Elizabeth until the court arrests her.
