In The Crucible (1953) by Arthur Miller, Reverend Hale wants Proctor to confess since he wants to save Proctor from execution because he feels responsible.
Although Reverend Hale believes that John Proctor is innocent, Hale returns to Salem to convince him to confess. He thinks that, by making a confession, Proctor can save his own life and, in that way, end with the Reverend's feeling of guilt since he was the one that insisted on investigating the witchcraft rumours at the beginning of the play. For Reverend Hale it is better to instigate John to lie than to spend the rest of his life feeling responsible for the death of innocent people. In that way, by convincing Proctor to confess, Hale is trying to protect himself, his reputation and his integrity.
