Question

Is Mr. Hale "Sanctimonious", "Fearful", "Demanding", or "Lugubrious" based on the following excerpt from the stage directions?

Answer 1

"Mr. Hale is nearing forty, a tight­skinned, eager­eyed intellectual. This is a beloved errand for him; on being called here to ascertain witchcraft he felt the pride of the specialist whose unique knowledge has at last been publicly called for. Like almost all men of learning, he spent a good deal of his time pondering the invisible world, especially since he has himself encountered a witch in his parish not long before…However, that experience never raised a doubt in his mind as to the reality of the underworld or the existence of Lucifer’s many ­faced lieutenants."

Answer 2

I would think that he would be more sanctimonious. Fearful only explain the last sentence, but it doesn't really complete the entire sentence. Demanding doesn't really express him, as he doesn't demand anything from the passage above. Lugubrious means to show sorrow, but the diction from "pride, and beloved", proves that he isn't really in sorrow

Answer 3

Sanctimonious would mean to make show of being superior to others, since it says that he feels beloved to being called up for being known as a specialist.