Once a peaceful town, Salem is struck with devilish desires. The Crucible, is a fictional tragedy by Arthur Miller. This play is a metaphor of the Salem witch trials of 1692, in Massachusetts. The sinful minded citizens of the town such as: John Proctor, Elizabeth, and Abigail contribute to the mass hysteria of witch hunts in the town. The town is mangled with acts of lechery, betrayal, and lies. Human pleasures devour true necessities and fade the moral conscience of the community. Abigail is a seductive serpent who pricks John Proctor with her sinful venom. Jealous of Elizabeth, Abigail takes matters into her own hands. Proctor gives in to the serpents desires and commits adultery against Elizabeth. Abigail then initiates a satanic ceremony …show more content…
I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind… We never touched. (Miller I.26). Proctor knows what he did was wrong and never wants to hurt Elizabeth again with his sinful acts. Therefore, Abigail is furious and wants Elizabeth out of the picture. John Proctor betrays himself by going against his marriage by being with Abigail. Proctor does not want to tell Elizabeth what he did so he would not hurt her. John becomes mentally distraught because of his sinful act. His mind is turned into a whirlpool of emotions filled with lust and hate. Not only is John Proctor guilty of betrayal, Abigail leads her friends astray. She betrays her uncle, and by using her friends to please her lustful desires by partaking in a satanic ritual. PARIS. I have fought here three long years to bend these stiff necked people to me… (Miller I.11). Paris realizes that Abigail has ruined his reputation by being accused of witchcraft. Paris is a self centered man who only cares about money. John Proctor is accused of being bewitched, and is sentenced to death. Elizabeth “never” lies, yet she lies so she can save her husband from being hung. Throughout this journey Elizabeth has stayed loyal to him even though he has hurt her in many ways. Abigail lies to Paris about them being naked in the woods and says there was only
Elizabeth Proctor is an ethical woman with a substantial amount of moral values that she attempts to uphold. Elizabeth devotes her life to being honest and truthful along with her Puritan faith. Elizabeth lies for the sake of her husband due to the fact she does not want her husband to be known as an adulterer. However, Elizabeth also believes that Abigail is attempting to develop inconveniences within her marriage with John Proctor and even within the court case. First, she arrives in the courtroom and the judge demands her to look only at the judge to answer her questions.
John Proctor’s excessive pride evidently led him to his downfall. In the beginning of the book, John is seen as a strong man, “in Proctor’s presence a fool felt his foolishness instantly” (Miller 20). He was seen as such a high man that he let his pride get the best of him, at first he didn't want to confess to the court about his affair with Abigail to keep his name from being blackened. When John eventually confesses to the court about his adultery with Abigail; His wife, Elizabeth, didn't know that John had already confessed, so she lied about it to keep him safe, which only made matters worse. In the end, he dies in order to keep his good name in the town.
Although Proctor wanted to keep a clean record, he decided saving his wife is worth telling the truth. He admitted to committing Adultery with Abigail when Elizabeth was mentioned in the court. John was thrown in jail. Danforth comes to John and offers him to sign a confession so he may be kept from hanging. Proctor´s mindset is stuck on his name.
While his wife was sick, he had an affair with Abigail Williams who was half his age. Later, Abigail even told him that the witchcraft accusations were false. When John ended the relationship, Abigail was livid and wanted to get revenge. She accused John’s wife, Elizabeth Proctor, of witchcraft and she was taken to jail. Now, John had to undergo a huge test of courage.
He admitted to this to try and save his wife Elizabeth’s life since Abigail tried to accuse her of witchcraft. Proctor also believed this would have made the court realize what is happening in Salem. Which would have made them realize the mass hysteria of witchcraft that needs to be stopped. John Proctor is willing to do anything to save his wife’s life therefore when it says "His determination to expose Abigail's false accusations eventually leads him to admit his own adultery to the court. He is at his most self-aware in his final speech when he realizes the importance of maintaining his integrity.
The Crucible is an allegorical play written by Arthur Miller that criticizes McCarthyism during the 1950s through an historical event called the Salem witchcraft trials. The main protagonist is John Proctor, a man with a good reputation for being an honest and a diligent person. The second most important character, Reverend Hale, is a witchcraft expert who comes to Salem to determine whether or not witchcraft is present in Salem. They both are devout Puritans; however, they are different in the ways they show their piety, causing them to have numerous similarities and differences. Proctor and Hale, are similar because they both see the genuine motivations behind the accusations and struggle to defend the people being harmed.
Guilt is emotional torture that transforms one's psychological operation. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, before the Salem witch trials emerge, John Proctor cheats on his wife Elizabeth Proctor, with young Abigail. Causing him to live with an eternal shame that generates dispute. Proctor’s endeavour is to elude from his wrongdoing, but he cannot because of the disgrace he feels himself to be when around Elizabeth. Miller shows that John Proctor's emotional and behavioral conflict rises from his guilt.
For example, Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor who was married to Elizabeth Proctor at the time and got discovered. However, Abigail Williams still “loved” John Proctor and was rejected. Later, she accuses Elizabeth Proctor for witchcraft, an action she uses as her revenge. These acts of cruelty ultimately affect all the victims and their families in this play as their consequence is to be hung. The vulnerability and sense of helplessness are all revealed in the victims as they are facing their
In Act 2, Elizabeth and proctor get into a huge argument, she now feels like she can’t trust proctor anymore. Elizabeth says “ I do not judge you , the magistrate sits in your heart that judges you, I never thought you but a good man, John”(Miller 55). Proctor gets mad because his wife believes Abigail over him. Abigail accusations caused Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth to get into an argument. Abigail also claimed that she loved John and that he loved her too, “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time.
Abigail is willing to accuse any one in her path of witchcraft even if it means taking the lives of those close to her. Abigail Williams’ emotional desire guides her actions even if it conflicts with morality. Abigail williams is driven to do unthinkable things because of her love for John Proctor. Abigail works in the Proctor’s home and while doing so she finds herself attracted to John. Abigail’s obsession with Proctor leads them to have an affair, which they try to keep
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is about real life events that has been changed a bit by the author. The play is set back in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, were the Salem Witchcraft Trials were going on. The Witchcraft Trials were trials that mostly girls, but some men got accused of seeing the devil and doing work for him. If you were accused of being a witch you were to admit to seeing the devil, accuse other people, or you would get hung. Some people wouldn 't admit to being a witch just to save their life because of their faith in Jesus.
Elizabeth Proctor was true to God, her husband, and family. At the beginning of the story, she and John Proctor, her husband, were known as the best judges of character. As the play continues and the plot unfolds, she and her family became the resounding examples of their judgments. This occurs when Elizabeth finds out that her husband has been having an affair with their housekeeper, Abigail Williams. We, the readers, can infer that John had an affair because of Elizabeth’s cold, emotionless, and detached attitude.
Also, in attempt to tell the truth about Abigail, John Proctor admits to cheating on his wife with Abigail, but Elizabeth lets her fear assist her in lying. John Proctor tells everyone in the court, previous to Elizabeth arriving, “she [has] never lied” (III.891.). With everyone now knowing that she does not lie, it makes her trustworthy and believable. Deputy Danforth then brings Elizabeth in to confirm what
John Proctor never settles for keeping his opinion or what he thinks is right to himself. He knows telling Danforth that he is guilty for adultery won’t help his cause but it shows his desperation to win the case in order protect his wife, Elizabeth. John Proctor was sick and tired of watching Abigail win with a lie, in this case he spoke the truth knowing his consequences. John states, “Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave!
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is accused of performing witchcraft and contracting with the Devil. He is faced with the decision to either confess to or deny the accusations. Ultimately, Proctor chooses to deny the accusations and dies a martyr. Proctor’s decision to sacrifice himself is justified because he protected the reputation of those who died and risked being arrested to save his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. John Proctor’s death is justified because he was willing to sacrifice his life to protect the reputation of others.