In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, people in Salem, Massachusetts experience a barrage of court trials in which people were persecuted and sentenced to death. These persecutions divided families and divided communities, but for some, there were opposing results. John and Elizabeth Proctor, who are in a struggling relationship, undergo an unusual change in one another. At first, John and Elizabeth Proctor are a couple that is uncomfortable around each other. John Proctor was committing adultery with their household servant named Abigail Williams. Elizabeth Proctor knows John is cheating on her with Abigail and that is why their relationship is so awkward and tense. John is viewed as a coward at the beginning of the book and Abigail is starting …show more content…
Abigail wants to take Elizabeth’s place with John; Abigail will do anything to get what she wants. Elizabeth knows Abigail is coming for her when Elizabeth informs John with this statement on page 60. “She will cry out until they take me! She wants me dead, John, you know it!” This is when Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft. John knows he has to stop this rage Abigail and her friends are going on accusing people of witchcraft. Elizabeth implies to John, “Spoke or silent, a promise is surely made. And she may dote on it now-I am sure she does-and thinks to kill me, then to take my place.(Page 61).” Elizabeth knows Abigail is coming to take her place and Elizabeth knows Abigail will do anything to get that. Even if that means killing …show more content…
Elizabeth went into trial before John went in and told the court that John has never committed adultery. John knew his reputation was on the line and he would have to testify against Abigail. John did not testify against Abigail because he knew he would be double-crossing his friends and putting his reputation to shame. He would then hate himself everyday for what he did. John went into court and made his statement which is, “ Aye, sir. She swears now that she never saw Satan; nor any spirit vague or clear, that Satan may have sent to hurt her. And she declares her friends are lying now.(page 99).” John went into the court to prove the court that Abigail is lying and so are her friends.Then Elizabeth went into court and said, “My husband-is a goodly man sir.(page 113.)” Elizabeth lied about her husband’s lechery and that shows that they both would lie for each other; Lying for each other shows that this awful event brought them to reality that they truly love each
Elizabeth pick up on this because she wants John to go to court and tell them with evidence that the accusations are fake. 3. Elizabeth thinks it’s Abigail who accused her of being a witch because she wants to take her place as John’s wife.
Elizabeth knows that Abigail wants her dead " She knew all week it would come to this!" (Act II), Elizabeth knew that Abigail was accusing her of witchcraft. The scene when Elizabeth is arrested shows that her character is courageous. She stays calm at the time and gives directions to the family to live by while she is gone.
Purist Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 suffered from a rapidly increasing phenomenon: witchcraft accusations and trials. The Crucible is a play that recounts the times of this incident. For the most part, it follows a man known as John Proctor. He is a sensible, honest, and hardworking man who made the mistake of succumbing to lust which sets off a chain of events that leads to the witch trials, and to his own demise. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible’s protagonist John Proctor proves to be a flawed human being who struggles to make sense of his past relationship with Abigail, his love for his wife, and his pride.
''The Crucible,'' is a 1952 play written by Arthur Miller as an allegory of Mcarthyism. The play follows a theocratic society in which the church and the state are one, and reputation plays an important role in Salem where private and public moralities are the same. In act one, the secret affair of John Proctor and Abigail Williams was revealed that led to conflict between John and his wife. Divorce was not permitted in the late 16th century, hence, the Proctors had to maintain their marriage causing discord within the Proctor household. At the start of Act 2, Miller creates a tense atmosphere of animosity portrayed by John and Elizabeth Proctor in their lack of affection, awkwardness, appraisal and guilt leading to affliction.
Throughout all of the deaths and problems caused because of Abigails accusations, her motivations do not change. Abigail still wants to have John as her own, which means she still wants to rid of Elizabeth. She refuses to confess to the falseness of the accusations. Due to all of her lies in attempt of making others continue to believe there are people that were contacted by the devil, Abigail starts to believe her own lies. She herself seems to start to think of the lies she tells as
Would you rather die and know you did the right thing or would you rather live a life of shame and be seen as a villain. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible John Procter is seen as a strong hardworking man who sees himself as evil. John changes throughout the play and realized he was good. John‘s past was sinful and with the help of others he overcame his past and through his actions many readers notice his dynamic change.
to Abigail and part of him still wants to be with her. But John is not
At the beginning of the play, Abigail Williams lies to avoid trouble. She tries to protect her life over the life of others instead of doing the right thing by being honest about what happened in the woods. She lies multiple times in the play accusing others of witchcraft, although it was false. When the courts put Abigail to the test to see if she tells the truth, she fails and drags most of the town down with her. Unlike Abigail, Elizabeth has always been known for her honesty. Her husband John says that Elizabeth never told a lie. Yet when it matters most, Elizabeth lies to try to save her husband’s life. Ultimately, when Danforth and Hawthorne put her up to the test she fails to tell the truth and kills John. John, attempting to save himself, confesses to witchcraft. He lied to the courts and told them that he indeed was practicing the sorcery, when truthfully he was not. John thinks that this is the right thing to do to save his
To John the affair was just a one time thing and he never wanted it to be brought back up again. But for Abigail it was commitment, since they had the affair then she saw it as John being with her forever, and she realized that the only way for that to happen was to get Elizabeth out of the picture. So even though John Proctor was a good person because of his one little flaw, big issues appeared.
Elizabeth still questions John’s loyalty throughout the play. Elizabeth comes off as an outspoken women and that isn’t really supported in the Puritan society. When convicted of witchcraft she doesn’t fight with the men because she knows she hasn’t done anything wrong. Even though she tries to do what she thinks is the best for John, she ends up saying the wrong thing and Abigail isn’t punished. Elizabeth ends up being pregnant and the trials end before she has her baby so she survives.
Abigail is a highly jealous character, concentrating her jealousy on Elizabeth Proctor. This jealousy is driven by lust and her desire for John Proctor. Abigail served as a servant in the Proctor household and after an affair with her husband John, Elizabeth fired her. She still resents Elizabeth for this as she is still in love with John. She clearly says to John, "You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!" Abigail is still in love with John and she assumes the converse. Her love for John only causes her resentment for Elizabeth to strengthen. She hates John Proctor's wife and in her conniving ways she attempts to inspire the same views of Elizabeth in John's mind. Saying things to him such as, "She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me, She is a cold, sniveling woman." Abigail fabricates stories in attempt to steel John from Elizabeth. She is a manipulative liar that does and says as she pleases in order to get what she wants.
In the beginning of the play, John and Elizabeth’s relationship was awkward and strange. A quote from the story “Spare me! You forget within and forgive nothin” (Miller 54) which means, John Proctor to Elizabeth is explaining how she doesn’t forgive him, but in reality he doesn’t forgive himself. This quote shows his true guilt and how he hasn’t forgiven himself. Another quote that he says “You were alone with her” (Miller 53) means the lack of trust in the Proctor marriage after John’s affair with Abigail. John is upset that Elizabeth won’t forgive him and move on past the affair and Elizabeth is upset and suspicious of the fact that John was alone with Abigail. The suspicions between John and Elizabeth’s relationship, weaken and drives them apart.
Elizabeth is also strong and courageous. When John is accused of witchcraft, Elizabeth is willing to follow along with the decision John decides about whether he wants to confess or not. She knows if he confesses he will be living a lie and if he tells the truth, he will be put to death. Although the decision John makes will affect Elizabeth and she wants John alive, she is courageous towards John by showing her support and love. Elizabeth knows she must put her opinions to the side and John must construct this decision on his own. Elizabeth states, “I cannot judge you, John, I cannot” (Miller). Elizabeth is also strong because she was falsely accused by Abigail and
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible presents Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams who serve important roles through their unique characteristics and thinking. John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, has two defining characteristics that show throughout this play: she not only lives to please everyone around her and behaves passively, but she lacks the assertiveness to confront what lies directly under her nose. However, Abigail, the girl John Proctor commits the crime of adultery with, manipulates those around her. She is keen to act upon an opportunity when one arises and feels a determination to get her way. While Elizabeth and Abigail are similar in their love for John Proctor, Elizabeth differs from Abigail through her tendency to try to please everyone and keep her own emotions bottled up, while Abigail believes the world revolves around her and works to make things go her own way.
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the people of Salem, went through several trials dealing with witchcraft. For some, this tested the morals of their character and others it showed the cowardly side of themselves. In conclusion to these court trials many innocent people were put in jail or to death, two important people of these events were John and Elizabeth Proctor. John and Elizabeth Proctor, go through a variety of feeling throughout their relationship.