His wife Elizabeth was accused of witchcraft by the young girls which meant that she would be arrested and most likely hanged. John Proctor had make mistakes in the past such as cheating on his wife which led him to make the ultimate sacrifice for his family and his name. John Proctor confesses to being a witch as he knows it is the only way he can save his wife Elizabeth from being arrested and killed. Proctor is seen as a tragic hero because he decides to not sign his confession as it would
In a way, Shakespeare is implying that when women are allowed to make their own decisions and do what they want, it never results in anything beneficial. Gertrude chose her new king and in the process contributed immensely to the downfall of her son, Hamlet. On the other hand, Ophelia, Hamlet’s lover, is the perfect model for a young lady in those days. When her father advises her to steer clear of Hamlet, she immediately obeys him. She does what she is told, not questioning why, but accepting that that is the way that things are to be.
How can a righteous lady and a vindictive woman both be drawn to the same man? Better said, how can one man be involved with such different women? Apparently, these mysteries will forever remain unsolved. However, Arthur Miller surely knows how to deal with this controversy in his play The Crucible, through the characters of Elizabeth and Abigail. These completely opposite women serve as foils for each other since the differences between them help highlight their individual persona.
Transitioning to Act Three we see a side of Elizabeth that wouldn’t expect which would be dishonesty to save John from his death. Elizabeth being known through Salem for never telling a lie, is asked to tell the truth about John committing adultery so they can both be free. “I came to think he fancied her. And so one night I lost my wits I think, and put out on the highroad,” (1148). From that quote she broke her streak of honesty because she couldn’t tell if John wanted her to tell the truth, so she lied to court about John not being a lecher.
The nurse also has a different view of love, Juliet has a very deep serious love with Romeo and she is willing to trade her life for him, that idea is foreign and unexpected to the nurse. The nurse’s view on love is very temporary and meant for enjoyment. She knows Juliet very well and passes messages between her and Romeo. She personally asks Romeo about his sincerity to Juliet, and if he takes the marriage seriously. The nurse has a close relationship with her and she cares about her, she wants the best for her, so she helps her and Romeo meet each other.
When a woman is accused of being a witch and her life is in danger in 1600’s Salem, MA what recourse does she have to protect herself? Women of the time had no authority; they were seen as property of the men they married or were born to. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible takes place during the famous Salem witch trials. It all starts when young Abigail Williams has an affair with John Proctor and practices witchcraft in an attempt to kill John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth.
This secret was his affair with Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams was trying to get rid of Elizabeth, because she wanted to take over her spot as John Proctors wife. Due to Abigail's jealousy and revenge for Elizabeth she mentions Elizabeth's name during the Salem witch trials which causes nothing but chaos. During this chaos, John Proctor displayed traits of being short tempered and aggressive. The characteristics of anger, aggression, innocence and compassion where portrayed by John and Elizabeth Proctor in the story The Crucible by Arthur Miller.
It all starts at the very beginning when they start lying about Tituba being a witch and conjuring Ruth Putnams dead sisters. And the group of girls that accuse people of witch trial are lying pretty much the whole play. One doesn’t even know if witches and wizards are real and these girls had all of Salem going crazy thinking everyone is cursed with witchcraft. They did it all to make people lower on the social ladder than they are or to get back at people who have done them wrong. It is established very early in the play that girls are liars when Abby says, “
He also shows the importance of virginity through how her father ‘disowns’ her when she is accused of being unfaithful to Claudio. Now moving onto Beatrice, the cousin of Hero. She is a sharp, witty and feisty woman and unlike Hero, does not conform to the expectations placed on women at that time. Throughout the play, she swears that she will never get married to any man, and that no man will ever be good enough for her. However as the play goes on, we realize that she is very much afraid of being vulnerable to love, and uses her wit as a cover for it.
This limits women to find the confidence to stand up for their beliefs. As Claudio falsely degrades Hero’s character, Hero accepts these accusations voluntarily and remains silent about the issue. Claudio stands up in public and proceeds to call Hero slanderous names such as, “thou pure impiety and impious purity” (IV.i.109). Hero again does not object, though she falls due to complete shock. Once her father hears these accusations, he commands to “let her die” as a result of the crimes she committed (IV.i.163).
John committed adultery which is illegal and against the 10 commandments. John tells Abigail that it was a mistake and that he loves his wife. Abigail doesn’t feel the same way; she is madly in love with him and wants John 's wife Mary gone. Abigail tries to find a way to get rid of her. Abigail sees a perfect opportunity when Mary shows her a doll that she made in the courtroom.