In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, A strange phenomenon takes place in the town of Salem Massachusetts. Innocent people were killed because they were accused of being a witch. A man by the name of John Proctor gets thrown in to this event when his wife Elizabeth is accused of witchcraft. Salem was a very small and quiet New England town, this of course didn’t last very long. In the commencement of the play, John and his relationship with Elizabeth was stale and unhealthy. They had unrealing issues and Elizabeth was not ready to bring them up. While this was going on the witch trials were just starting to begin. The tension between the couple was because of another villager named Abigail. Elizabeth speaks about Abigail saying, “John with so many in jail, more than Cheever’s help is needed now, I think. Would you favor me with this? Go to Abigail” (Miller 61). Elizabeth is saying …show more content…
To prove that the girls are lying and that Abigail is not telling the truth about Elizabeth they call Elizabeth to the stand to see if she tells the truth. Danforth forces Elizabeth to look her right in the eyes instead of John when they question her. They ask if her if John ever turned from her, her answer was, “...Has Proctor ever committed the crime of lechery?.....(Elizabeth)..No, sir” (Miller 113). Danforth knew right away it was a lie for John had already confess to the crime of lechery. This makes John and his entire group look like fools for trying to call Abigail and her group liers. Danforth had no empathy for the Proctors and sends them both to jail. The fact that Elizabeth tried to lie for John in court presented that she still cared for him. Towards the end of they play we find out that Elizabeth is pregnant while she is in jail and it is a reason for her to live another year. John is also let out
However, this is inaccurate because he avoids Abigail and risks everything for his wife. Elizabeth was taken by the court because she was accused for being a witch, but John knows she is a good women and fights for her. Elizabeth is worth the trouble of going to the court and defying the government. It is honorable for a husband to protect his wife after all they are family. John is talking to the court and tell the court a secret that no one knows about, John’s reputation is on the line.
Hearing this, Danforth requests for Elizabeth to come and testify that what he says it truthful. Elizabeth has no idea that John already confessed, so she lies to save her husband’s reputation. Danforth immediately determines that the story of an affair is a lie, and imprisons John until further notice. John Proctor is eventually hanged for lying to the court about the affair and for performing witchcraft. Nothing John tells the court is able to change their minds about the trials, so more and more people are hanged each day for
Blamed for the Salem Witch Trials The Crucible,written by Arthur Miller, is about the witch trials that began in Salem, Massachusetts and involved several horrors no one would want to experience. People were accused, hanged or even crushed to death while being questioned. Miller describes the horror perfectly and he insinuates that Abigail Williams was the girl to begin the Salem Witch Trials.
John came face to face to a very hard decision, to live and dishonor his name and family, or to die a falsely accused man. John knew that confessing to witchcraft would be lying and that it would only make his afterlife worse. So he asked Elizabeth what she would do, but she only told him to follow his heart and that she supported whatever choice he decided to make. Proctor at first falsely confesses to witchcraft to save his life, which is what Hale, Danforth, and Parris wanted him to do.
The Tragic Flaw of John Proctor The Crucible by Arthur Miller based on the Salem Witch Trials. Story based on how the Trials of Salem occurred, and who was to take part in these trials. The story represents a tragic hero who is known as John Proctor, a farmer in Salem; His tragic flaw is his adultery with Abigail Williams, former house servant of John Proctor. The tragic flaw of adultery leads him to the ruining of his marriage, exposing of his affair with Abigail Williams, and to his tragic death.
At this instance, he is indirectly fueling Abigail and the girls to accuse whomever they want to. Judge Danforth’s irrationality bubbles out in this situation, as according to his judiciary system any person accused of witchcraft have no chance of being a defendant due to the absence of a witness. This shows incompetence and irrationality of legal judgments on the part of an experienced Judge such as Danforth. Lastly, Danforth’s poor judgment is also revealed in the instance of the play wherein John proctor sacrifices his name and tell the truth that he and Abigail had committed the crime of Lechery. In order to confirm this Judge Danforth calls Elizabeth Proctor to testify in court, in which she lies, as a result Danforth says “She spoke nothing of lechery, and this man has lied” (Miller 114).
Does your word mean anything to you? Does what you stand for as a person mean anything even when someone tries to take it away from you? A word John Proctor lived by, integrity, which stands for honest and moral. The religious background adds to more for their moral compass so they will go to heaven and not be sinful. The author of this play Therefore, to die for the truth is better than to live a lie.
Abigail is motivated by the lust she has for John Proctor to falsely accuse Elizabeth Proctor of practicing witchcraft. John Proctor had an affair behind Elizabeth Proctor's back and once she found out, she fired Abigail. Nonetheless, Abigail still yearns for John. On the other hand, John promised Elizabeth it would never happen again and he is devoted to her. In act one, after Reverend Parris, Abigail, Thomas Putnam, Susanna Walcott, Mercy Lewis, and Mary Warren finish talking about what has happened to Betty, John arrives.
As the trials go on and take more lives, Proctor finally has enough of Abigail’s nonsense. After Proctor confesses that he has committed the sin of adultery, Elizabeth is then questioned by Danforth to see if Proctor is telling the truth. Elizabeth tells Danforth, “Your Honor, I--in that time I were sick. And I-- My husband is a good and righteous man.
Either way he was in trouble already. If Elizabeth had told the truth he would be hung either way for the affair. Danforth say to Elizabeth, “Look at me! To your own knowledge, has John Proctor ever committed the crime of lechery?,” (p.521). Elizabeth choose to lie to save John’s reputacion.
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
Although Elizabeth was not the best wife at some moments, she loved her husband so much that she lied for him. When questioned by Danforth if Proctor committed lechery she said faintly “No, sir” (Miller 113). Elizabeth lies for the first time to save her husband because she is loving and cares about him. Although Elizabeth is not truthful, she protects her values by doing what she feels is right for her husband. Abigail is revengeful throughout the play at Elizabeth.
Likewise, when Elizabeth is brought before Danforth to verify Proctor’s confession, she lies to protect her husband, whom she refers to as a “goodly man,” from suspicion (Miller, 113). The affair may have caused Elizabeth to doubt Proctor but both parties still care deeply for each other and try to protect each other from harm. Even in his last moments, Proctor’s last words- “Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!”- were directed toward Elizabeth and were full of love and care (Miller, 144). Proctor may have sinned but his regret over his affair with Abigail and the trouble he had brought upon his wife justifies his
The Crucible: Character Analysis The book/play The Crucible by Arthur Miller tells the story of the people involved in the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts starting in 1692. Elizabeth and John Proctor lived on a farm with their three sons. John Proctor had an affair with Abigail Williams that affected a lot of the events that happened during the story. Abigail had become obsessed with John Proctor and even tried to get rid of Elizabeth just to be with him.
John Proctor’s words towards Elizabeth signal irritation and annoyance. John Proctor, the main character of The Crucible, has an affair with a much younger girl, Abigail Williams, breaking his wife, Elizabeth’s trust in him. Her suspicion of him rises when he tells her he was in a room alone with Abigail. Elizabeth’s growing mistrust begins to aggravate John, which is revealed when he says, “I’ll not have your suspicion any more” (489). Elizabeth is doubtful after learning about John’s affair with Abigail and her lack of trust in her husband begins to anger him.