"He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!" In Arthur Miller's suspenseful play The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor is one of the most audacious women in the story. She showcases what the theme is really about in the story. She deliberately sacrificed her and her unborn child's life. Also, she surrendered to the court and lied to the judges. Lastly, she forfeited her rights as a wife.
First and foremost, Elizabeth Proctor independently immolated life for herself and for her unborn child. She was expecting a child and still was willing to save her husband. She didn't give her baby a second thought she automatically made her decision. Elizabeth's husband John Proctor cheated on her with Abigail, who by the way accused Elizabeth's
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That's when she forfeited her rights as his wife. During the whole entire story, she tries to save John from chastisement. But when it is time for his hanging she does nothing. Reverend Hale try to get Elizabeth to say something but she knows the best thing to do is let John go and do what he needs to do. Even though she is risking her husband and the father of her child but she knows it is the right thing to do. Elizabeth lets John keep his name pure by not stopping him from for making things right. "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!" (Miller) She lets her husband die for something he didn't do. But in a way, it is like she knows he is being punished for something. Instead of being punished for witchcraft, he is being punished for breaking his dues as a husband. That's why Elizabeth does what she does.
As a result, Elizabeth Proctor completes the story's theme. Though almost everyone in the story is hysterical, greedy, and jealous, there are some genuine people in this world. Elizabeth truly shows the readers what a true and pure puritan wife is. A woman who loves and stands by her husband through anything. Even when the husband is at fault. She still has to sacrifice everything to honor him, her family, and
Elizabeth thinks then realizes what she has just done and has been caught in a lie and John tells the court she was only trying to save his name. Elizabeth’s test would’ve been doing the right thing. Although John is her husband, she should’ve told the truth for not just their sake but everyone else’s. If Elizabeth told the truth she would’ve put an end to all the false accusations being made against John, Abigail, and many others. As time goes on and both Elizabeth and Proctor are in jail, in their last conversation Elizabeth was with a child, and she told John she could not judge him and that she realized he was a good husband.
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, most of the characters are those of weak values, afraid to stand up for what is truly right. They see the actions of others, willing to give their lives to show that the leaders have it all wrong, and continue to persecute innocent people. Elizabeth is not such a character; she is devoted, strong and sees what is wrong in Salem. She does not give in to the lies, despite it nearly costing her life. Elizabeth Proctor’s strength and bravery help her to endure a struggling marriage, an accusation of witchcraft, and her husband’s actions as a martyr.
In the pristine 17th century Christian community, it became standardized in accordance to the Bible that, “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct” (English Standard Version, 1 Peter 3:1). Most wives in Salem during this time period closely follow their role outlined in the holy scripture, but Elizabeth Proctor undergoes a journey that alters her perception on this religious fixation. However, in his 1953 play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller traces Elizabeth Proctor’s search for her dignity as she discovers the true role of a proper wife to illustrate that given a world that defines a
There are many tragic heroes portrayed in the world around us. Cinderella, Wall-E, and Simba, whom all overcame obstacles, vindicated themselves and aided their world to eventually be a finer place. Naturally, all their difficulties in the end led to their success, But, one man who presented those exact qualities, was not as fortuitous. This man presented himself to the court and fought for what was moral acceptable, subjected himself to prison for his mistakes and justified himself and the good people of Salem. John Proctor shows the admirable qualities and weaknesses of a tragic hero in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller.
Elizabeth Proctor deserves the reader’s sympathy because of a broken marriage. While living in a small Puritan village during the Salem witch trials, Proctor and Elizabeth’s lives start to face the worse. Their marriage is broken because Proctor committed adultery with another girl in the village. Proctor says, “Abby you'll put it out of mind. I'll not be comin’ for you more” (Miller 22).
Do as you wish, then.” (Miller 51) “I'll not have your suspicion anymore.” (Miller 51) “The reader quickly infers that John Proctor had the affair because Elizabeth is cold, emotionless and a detached woman. Elizabeth is naïve about the situation and wants to still believe she is living a perfect life.”
This proves that even after the hard and troubling times she still cares for her family more than herself. During her husband’s trial, she denies the fact the John committed adultery. She did this out of the sense of protecting him from being killed. After the death of John, she was in endless pain because she just lost the one she had come to love over and over again. These are few of the many actions portrayed by Elizabeth that validates the fondness she possesses for her
Throughout the play, Elizabeth seems to be struggling to forgive her husband and let go of her anger. But towards the end, she learns to forgive Proctor for his mistakes. At the beginning of the play Elizabeth is unforgiving of Proctors mistakes. “You’ll tear it free--when you come to know that I will be your only wife or no wife at all! She has an arrow in you yet, John Proctor, and you know it well!”
The Evolution of Elizabeth Proctor Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible is a compelling look at the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Elizabeth Proctor began as doubtful of her husband, John Proctor, but ends up having faith in him in the end. She still believed her husband was still in love with Abigail but Proctor soon proved his love for Elizabeth throughout the play. Elizabeth evolves from a woman who doubts her husband, but then evolves into a woman who risks her life to save her husband. Elizabeth continues to question her husband's faith causing an argument between the two.
Both John and Elizabeth are controlled by their gender roles. Their relationship is ruled by these things. Through a thorough analysis of John and Elizabeth’s marriage in The Crucible it is clear how gender roles how impacted and ruled their relationship. John and Elizabeth’s marriage has many problems all stemming from one underlying cause, the gender roles of the Puritan time. They are not open with each other, do not trust each other and are trapped in their toxic marriage.
In the book The Crucible by Arthur Miller many characters were portrayed throughout the book. The two characters I am going to go into depth about are Elizabeth and John Proctor. Elizabeth and her husband, John Proctor, were accused of witchcraft, tried, and sentenced to hang. Elizabeth Bassett Proctor, was born to William and Lexi Burt Basset in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1652. She grew up to marry John Proctor, who was about 20 years older than her, on April 1, 1674.
Elizabeth counts herself as “plain”, which exemplifies her character’s stereotype as a housewife (Miller 137). Puritan beliefs held that women served their husbands, which Elizabeth strives to do (Miller 50). At one point in the play, she finds herself unable to prevent a servant from leaving the home, which leads to her husband having to “hold back a full condemnation of her” (Miller 52). Elizabeth would be punished for this failure if she were any other woman with any other husband, but John shows an example of a better man in Salem, which only proves to show how misogynist Salem society is. Although not treated as poorly as some of the other women in The Crucible, Elizabeth stays within a certain behavioral pattern of
Elizabeth Proctor, 40, the wife of John Proctor, died in 1692 after giving birth to her third child which is John Proctor III. For disrespecting the court and lying to save her husband’s name, she was hanged. Elizabeth Proctor born in 1652, She is a person who fired Abigail Williams for having an affair with her husband. Abigail would say that she is a person with a cold personality. She was the third wife of John Proctor who lived on a farm.
Abigail is seeking Elizabeth’s death by framing her for witchcraft. Abigail is jealous that Elizabeth is the wife of John Proctor and she has become vindictive. John affirmed that Abigail and he were once in love and stated, “She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave!” (Miller 1333).
Elizabeth is the victim of Abigail’s heartless actions and affair. These two women are almost complete opposites. Both characters struggle and fight through the story in their own ways. Abigail is the villain in this play.