Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is an unbelievable read that describe the everyday life of people in Massachusetts during the Salem Witch Trials. There are so many characters in The Crucible that all have different character traits and motives that distinguish them from each other. John Proctor is one of the main characters whose character traits help uncover the hidden theme, “Everyone deserves a second chance.” John Proctor is a dynamic character who is stern, authoritative, angry and unfaithful. Proctor develops a reputation in the beginning of the play based off of his past choices. Proctor is talked about within the community as an unfaithful man who needs to go to church. Proctor is unfaithful because he cheated on his wife Elizabeth with Abigail. Proctor and Abigail have a relationship for a while until Proctor calls it off. In act one Abigail says “I know you clutched my back...and sweated like a stallion when I come near”(Miller 14-15). This is an example of John Proctor being unfaithful towards his wife Elizabeth. Proctor tells Abigail “I may have looked up,” Proctor says this because Abigail says Proctor has previously looked up at her window when passing by. Abigail has a sense for heat towards Proctor. He denies that he paid any attention to her after their first interactions. Proctor continues to be unfaithful because he admits to Abigail that he looked up at her window from time to time. This relates to the theme because these are some of his wrong doings that make the people around him uneasy, in which he should deserve a chance to make up for what he has done. Proctor is a stern individual who likes to lay down the law. In a sense, it’s his way or the highway. Proctor is stern towards Abigail when she talks about their encounters. He says “Abigail you’ll put this out of mind” (Miller 14). “Aye but we did not,”(Miller 15) and “You’ll speak nothin of Elizabeth” (Miller 15) are both examples of how Proctor can be a stern individual. He tells Abigail they did not touch or have any relations even though that is not true. He is telling Abigail what happened and it’s all how he sees the issue. He doesn’t want Abigail speaking anything of his wife because that is a touchy subject to Proctor. Proctor
John Proctor has a dark secret, He possesses a major flaw he has had an affair with Abigail Williams, and eventually he realizes what he has done to Elizabeth, He has committed adultery against his wife. Due to the fact that Proctor has committed adultery against Elizabeth, he becomes a tragic hero, and Abigail Williams shows that when she says “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near” (Act I, lines 423-425). John broke his marriage vows, but even though he regrets he has become a tragic hero. It’s too late to regret he has sinned, he has ruined his marriage with Elizabeth and now she is not pleased with him. Due to the fact that he has cheated on Elizabeth, his outlook in life is negative, when He tells her “I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you” (Act II, lines 159-161). The affair also caused Elizabeth to distrust John, who for seven months was trying to get into her good graces and is tired of her suspicion. Because of John's inability to control his desire and resist temptation, his life is being turned upside down by the jealousy and need for revenge of Abigail, marking the beginning of his downfall and path to becoming a tragic hero. As a result, the need for revenge of Abigail marks the beginning of John downfall.
People’s true character is revealed through their actions. Their morals and ethics can be told from how they choose to act in a situation. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible; the character of John Proctor is an honorable man despite having committed wrongful acts. He was able to redeem himself through acts that is considered courageous, such as when he refuses to contribute to the lie of witchcraft in Salem, when he fights for the people who were convicted of witchcraft and when he regrets being a dishonest man.
Proctor and Abigail's complicated relationship is already defined in the book. John arrives at Reverend Parris’s house then Abigail and him end up in a room alone together. Abigail confesses to John,”And you must. You are no wintry man. I know you, John. I know you. She is weeping. I cannot sleep for dreamin’; I cannot dream but I wake and walk about the house as though I’d find you comin’ through some door”(Miller 22). Here Abigail is expressing her desire and love for John. In numerous instances Abigale professes her love to John, and he expresses the same animosity every time. Scene 2.2 restates everything that develops in the book. Instead of letting their relationship play out through multiple scenes, the essence of it is caught in one scene. The play is understandable and smooth with no strange gaps; the play doesn’t truly require the scene. This is recurrent to what is known about their relations; he scene is not really needed, it's just fluff on what the reader already
"How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave my name!" (Proctor) John Proctor a farmer, and the husband of Elizabeth. He had an affair with Abigail Williams while she worked as a servant in his house. John is a powerful man in both build and character. " John Proctor is a tormented individual. He believes his affair with Abigail irreparably damaged him in the eyes of god, his wife Elizabeth, and himself. True, Proctor did succumb to sin and commit adultery; however he lacks the capacity to forgive himself." (www.cliffsnotes.com) John Proctor goes from being loved and well respected to a sinner and later on becoming a tragic hero which was surrounded by strong feelings and beliefs.
His first display of this is shown when the Court officials come to take Elizabeth away. Proctor was so angered by this attack on his house that he ripped the warrant and told them to leave his house. He then tried to bribe Herrick, a court official, not to chain her, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Proctor recognized that he could save his wife by making his relationship with Abigail public, and therefore expose her motives, but his pride keeps him from doing so. Finally though, Proctor abandoned his concern for his reputation which enabled him to admit his sin in order to save his wife.
At the trial, Proctor no longer tried to protect himself and admits to having an affair with Abigail, explains
The Crucible is a lengthy theatrical that delves into the time of the Salem witch trials. The author, Arthur Miller, depicts a dark time in which no one is safe from the questionable accusations of a few girls caught in a lie and trying to save their own skins. Miller introduces the protagonist, John Proctor, as a “sinner,” while some critics view him as a Christlike figure. John Proctor is a good man because he supports his family, practices his religion, and never fell for the witchcraft insanity that the rest of Salem fell for.
John Proctor is married to Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail was the Proctors´s servant who had an affair with John. ¨You were alone with her?”(L 132 P 167) Elizabeth questions John about the affair with Abigail and as a man he says yes. I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever i come near!¨(L 423 P 149) Abby states how she feels about John when they're together. ¨...Whore! whore! Its a whore¨. ¨Mr Danforth he´s lying”( L 831-7 P 193) John bashes Abigail in the court while telling the court about the
He feels that he can never be with Abigail again. He is haunted by this because when he talks to her, he is nervous. “Abby, 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” (Page 22). In this quote, two betrayals are revealed by Proctor. First, his betrayal of his wife and second his betrayal of Abigail. These two betrayals are crucial to the play seeing as it is due to Proctor’s betrayal of his wife, by cheating on her, and his betrayal of Abigail, by leaving her without taking responsibility, that initiated the conflict. Furthermore, because Proctor is not willing to admit his deceit, both he and his wife got caught in disorder. Ultimately, Proctor’s betrayal and dishonesty lead to his downfall.
Throughout the play, Proctor struggles with his honor as he changes from viewing it as his reputation to believing it is based on his own private moral of truth. The isolated Puritan community in which Proctor lives forces him to try and achieve a pious and perfect lifestyle, which ultimately pressures him into lying about his affair with Abigail in order to maintain a good reputation. This view changes in the courtroom, when Proctor becomes extremely frustrated with the lies and deceit that Abigail is telling the judges, Proctor screams in anger, “I beg you sir, I beg you - see her what she is… She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me; I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a
We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started”(Henry Ward Beecher). In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts Madness is consuming Salem, and everyone is accused of being with the devil. John Proctor’s affair with Abigail jump starts the witch hunts. In the Crucible Arthur Miller embodies Proctor as a tragic hero with many flaws but his fatal flaw was his pride which caused his demise. Throughout the play we witness Proctor’s transformation as a person from a sinful remorseless adulterer, repentant, and to an honorable man.
After having an affair with John Proctor, she couldn’t accept not being without him. Abigail also admires “how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife” like Elizabeth be unaware of the affair she had with John Proctor(act1pg#). As a result to the affair, Proctor is trying to rebuild his marriage with his wife. Abigail continues to intervene in John Proctors marriage and attempts to manipulate Proctor so he would confess his love for her. Proctor admits his love for her, but does not continue his affection because Abigail seeps of vengeance for other individuals. He portrays her “as a lump of vanity” who thinks to dance on his “wife’s grave!”(act 3). For her own selfish desires, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft and tries to intentionally sabotage her. She does this for the purpose of her own selfish and fictitious relationship that she has with Proctor. Abigail believes she has the capability to influence Proctor, but her egoistic actions to win his undefining love makes her appear as the criminal in the
Despite Abigail’s huge role in the Salem Witch Trials, John Proctor is a person who is clearly not innocent. Proctor himself is a smart man who can sometimes just make stupid decisions. He could have easily charged Abigail with fraud at a part in the play, but decides not to. John had an affair with Abigail when Elizabeth was ill which started Abigail on a wild fantasy. She strategically eliminated people to work her way up to Elizabeth to get her out of the way. Proctor always feels guilty about sleeping with Abigail and he is one who will never forgive himself. He feels it is his fault that the Witch Trials are occurring and that God is angry with him for being unfaithful. Despite the
John Proctor was a “farmer in his middle thirties… strong, even-tempered, and not easily led” (20). Proctor’s reputation was good and he was a well respected man around Salem. The play shows that Proctor’s past involved him having an affair with Abigail. Now in the present, Proctor is conflicted with the fear of being labeled as an adulterer for his past. Proctor’s fear weakens his morality in the court when he has to explain the situation to Judge Danforth. Proctor tells Danforth that he “has known her” (110) and that Abigail wishes to “dance with me (Proctor) on my wife's grave” (110). Although the fear of being labeled as an adulterer and being charged of lechery, Proctor believes that telling the truth is the right thing to do. Proctor realizes that the Salem witch trials have gone to far and are merely just attempts from Abigail to get Proctor all to herself. Proctor’s fear initially holds him back from telling the court the reason why Abigail is accusing everyone and acting strange. Later on the unveiling of his affair with Abigail results in the trials being questioned but it also fuels the deadly fate of
When we are introduced to his character, it is apparent that he has been unfaithful to his wife (Elizabeth) with a lady named Abigail. Following this, we see that his wife has been accused of witchcraft, and it is Abigail who made the accusation. Proctor realizes that it is because of his actions that his wife has been accused and he