The Reverend Hale employs awhen he claims, "There is blood on my head!" Hale
has returned to Salem to counsel the convicted to confess, though it is a lie, because he
believes God would rather have them save their lives than keep their honesty in such a
situation. There is not literal blood on Hale's head; he uses the blood as a metaphor for his
guilt. He feels personally responsible for the deaths that have and will occur as a result of
the findings of this corrupt court because he didn't stand up to it, he didn't fight it, when he
had the chance. It kept quiet when he had doubts about the guilt of the convicted and the
innocence of the girls, and he simply left when he was displeased with the magistrates'
decisions.
When Elizabeth and John are speaking, she tells him that
"[Rebecca has] one foot in Heaven now; naught may hurt her more." She means that
Rebecca is so close to death, so close to eternal rest, that no one can really hurt her
anymore. Having one foot...
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