Thesis: Throughout the drama, the characters spoil acts of virtue or of piety for their own profit or selfish advance.
The seventeen year old niece of Reverend Parris prompts the story to turn into a giant snowball effect. Abigail violates multiple virtuous acts, some of which break the rules of her religion. These ruined acts include honesty, love and humanity. “PROCTOR, his smile widening: Ah, you're wicked yet, aren't y'! (A trill of expectant laughter escapes her, and she dares come closer, feverishly looking into his eyes.) You'll be clapped in the stocks before you're twenty. He takes a step to go, and she springs into his path. ABIGAIL: Give me a word, John. A soft word. (Her concentrated desire destroys his smile.) PROCTOR: No, no,
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I hope you will be one of those. Mary Warren suddenly sobs. She’s not hearty, I see” (Miller 1253). When speaking of John Proctor, a hard-working man and father, he seems to get only good reviews. Proctor, however, ruins the positive aspects of loyalty, mindfulness, and reverence. Long ago he performed the sin of adultery with Abigail Williams. This caused the rivalry between Abigail and Elizabeth that progressed throughout the story. “PROCTOR, his voice about to break, and his shame great: In the proper place—where my beasts are bedded. On the last night of my joy, some eight months past. She used to serve me in my house, sir. (He has to clamp his jaw to keep from weeping.) A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now. I beg you, sir, I beg you—see her what she is. My wife, my dear good wife, took this girl soon after, sir, and put her out on the highroad. And being what she is, a lump of vanity, sir— (He is being overcome.) Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. (Angrily against himself, he turns away from the Governor for a moment. Then, as though to cry out is his only means of speech left:) She thinks to dance with me on my wife's grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help …show more content…
Though dancing seems like a playful action the girls spoiled its virtue by trying to hurt people with spells and voodoo. Normally one sacrifices himself for the greater good of others but Abigail only sacrifices others for the greater good of herself. She blames others for what her and the other girls did in the woods. Even in court she acts as if someone influences her to worship the devil. John took Mary Warren with him to the courthouse so she could explain that she was the one who gave Elizabeth the poppet. The young girl broke the virtue of fidelity by renouncing her testimony. As Abigail sees a yellow bird that represents Mary Warren, she blames the girl of trying to harm her and pull her from God’s work. A result of this causes Mary to turn on John Proctor and beg for Abigail’s forgiveness. Mary Warren spoils the virtue of faith by turning on her employer. Everyone asks John to sign a paper saying that he worked with the devil and he does sign it. However once he signed the paper John lost his sense of nobility and integrity. Mr. Proctor felt ashamed of signing the paper but he valued his life more than his virtue. While Danforth is in the Proctor’s cell he too tries to convince the “guilty” man to sign the paper in order for him to be free. On the other hand, as Proctor refuses to give any names or refuses to give the paper back to the deputy governor
John Proctor is a very friendly man. Everyone likes being his friend. He is open, kind, helpful, upright, blunt-spoken, and just a good, hard-working man. John has lots of faith in God but little in humans. He knows that mankind is good but he also knows that they are weak and imperfect. “Proctor: I’ve heard you to be a sensible man, Mr. Hale. I hope you’ll leave some of it in Salem”.
John Proctor sought his wife’s forgiveness to regain her trust and to entitle him to die an honest man. He recognized his actions; he simply wanted his wife to recognize them too. “Let you look sometimes for the goodness in me, and judge me not.” (Miller 55) Proctor’s appeal to his wife reveals his hope for her forgiveness and for her to see the goodness in him. He wants his wife to recognize him as an honest man, because to him that is the only substance that made him feel like a good person. Later in the course of the play, Elizabeth forgives Proctor for his mistakes. She states, “John, it come to naught that I should forgive you… Whatever you will do, it is a good man does it… it needs a cold wife to prompt lechery.” (Miller 136-137) Elizabeth’s statement to her husband exhibits an understanding of his mistakes and acknowledgement of the good man Proctor truly is. Elizabeth’s forgiveness allows Proctor to forgive himself as well. After being forgiven, John Proctor can now die an honest man, a tragic hero - a man with integrity and goodness.
It’s important to note why and how Abigail inherited her selfish behavior in the first place, and what caused her to act a certain way. Abigail claims that she is in love with John Proctor, and the two characters were discovered to have an affair with each other. John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth Proctor, finds out about the affair and
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.
Additionally, Proctor demonstrates characteristics which lead to his moral downfall as he attempts to use every possible avenue to circumvent the consequences of his adultery. Proctor manipulates Mary Warren into accusing Abigail of pretending to be afflicted by witchcraft. Proctor informs Judge Danforth that “[Mary] has signed a deposition [stating] that [the girls’ actions] were pretense” and therefore Abigail cannot be trusted (Miller 82). This signifies the reality of Proctor’s moral downfall because he further involves innocent Mary Warren in the trials. Resulting from Proctor’s insistence that Mary speak her mind about Abigail, Mary experiences a series of painful and humiliating events.
Despite his being an insignificant and non-status-holding member of society, John Proctor is a much-respected man in Salem. However, in determining his fate, he continues to make several critical and irreversible mistakes that harm his reputation. For fear of being exiled in a town where reputation plays such a large role in their daily lives, Proctor initially tries to hide his crime of adultery, but his affair with Abigail triggers a major series of events in Salem, where simple, unproven accusations escalate to a far larger issue: “Abby—you mean to cry out still others?” “If I live, if I am not murdered, I surely will, until the last hypocrite is dead” (Miller 150). In the end, Proctor decides that for the sake of his desperate circumstances, it would be better to admit to his affair, but by the time he decides to reveal his crime, it is too late to reverse all past actions. He is convicted of witchcraft and doomed to be hanged, later, when given a chance to live, he caves in and confesses to seeing the Devil, only to go back even on this last lie, because he does not have the heart to be freed and saved by a lie.
Abigail proclaims her guilt by revealing her character and purpose. She is mad in love with John Proctor, and attempts to sway his feelings for her. She speaks to him with a brimming passion, and even cries for his attention (Arthur Miller, The Crucible, Act I, 21,22). Even though Proctor is a married man, she strives to make him fall in love with her. Proctor’s wife Elizabeth asserts that, “...She (Abigail) cannot pass you in church but you will blush” and she believes he blushes, feeling the guilt of being too close to Abigail while she is beside him (Act II, 58,59). Abigail’s conduct is improper and shows her obvious guilt.
Abigail Williams, a vindictive 17-year-old niece of Reverend Parris, fancy’s her unrealistic future with John Proctor, a man of integrity. Her unconditional lust for Proctor causes her to perform demonic witchery in the woods, to venture (gain back) Proctors love. In need of rescue, Abigail deflects the incident in the woods and incriminates more than half of the town to
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
Adultery. Abigail Williams is the young niece of Salem's Minister, Reverend Parris, she also was once John Proctor's housemaid until his wife, Elizabeth, put her out because of the affair. Abigial was just a young girl, she felt as if her feelings for John Proctor were ‘true love’, this drove her to do some of the most unspeakable things. She was seeking vengeance on Elizabeth since she put her out on the street, “blackened her name throughout the town” and she had the man she loved. Abigail's best way of getting things done was through manipulation, which she was best at. She voluntarily used witchcraft to ‘curse’ Elizabeth and yet turned witchcraft accusations against everyone of Salem. “I will come to you in the black of the night and will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you”(19), is one threat Abigail used to keep the girls mouth shut. She was a power hungry girl who did anything to keep the power for her own selfish gains. When she realized she was losing her power she claims “I have been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people- and this is my reward? To be mistrusted, denied, question like a -”(100) this was her way out of the truth. This shows Abigail's true
Proctor produces a self-inflicted wound, which, only enlarges as Abigail’s jealousy of his wife, Elizabeth, increases. After Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor 's wife, is taken away by Cheever, the lawman, Proctor has a revelation, which entails, exposing Abigail`s lies with Mary Warren’s testimony. But when Abigail’s and her posse accuse Mary Warren of witchery he soon comprehends that a confession of his adulterous ways
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
Abigail William’s aggressive personality easily persuades the other girls to follow her footsteps, and back up anything and everything she says. This personality also frightens people in the courtroom to question her truthfulness, or her relation with John Proctor. Due to her forceful behavior, the girls support Abigail, and therefore become entangled in her web of lies, sins, and murders.
I feel there are a lot of quotes about fear the first quote i feel representing abigail very well the church searching around hunting for demons when the real one was right there the whole time while i feel John Proctor had a lot of different fears from the beginning, the middle and his end the fear of extinction-Our sense of identity is a fundamental need and is closely associated with our sense of meaning.When things happen to reduce this sense we feel diminished and our personal meaning in the world is damaged.John Proctor faced this at the end selling his friends out to be murdered and know that he did it face his own fate and let himself be the only casualty and self-worth that represent the many, many different types of fear represented