The Crucible Compare And Contrast Elizabeth And John Proctor

Elizabeth Proctor is Abigail's arch-nemesis, because she is in love with John Proctor and wants to take her place as John's wife.

In 1952 a play was written by Arthur Miller, about events that happened in Salem in 1692. The play was about affairs, accusations, and innocent people being accused of witches. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail and Mary Warren are introduced as two separate people. Although people might see Abigail and Mary Warren as two separate people and nothing alike, they are more alike than meet's the eye. Abigail and Mary Warren have three things in common; they are both are deceitful, they both dishonest, and they are both apprehensive.

Their differences would also become evident when Abigail William goes on her path of vengeance. This trait becomes evident as Abigail Williams does whatever it takes to get her name cleared, including lie or commit murder. She then accuses Elizabeth of being a witch in an attempt to take her bed from her. Elizabeth, however, becomes the light of reason and sanity as she refuses to judge her husband, even to save his life. She knows that her husband is a good person and refuses to take that away from him. This was a very different view as compared to Abigail. Abigail held on to the notion that John Proctor would choose to run away and be with her instead. Wherein Abigail Williams had a somewhat weak background and character, which fed off of the fears of others, Elizabeth Proctor has a relatively strong character. Elizabeth refused to surrender her beliefs in the face of hardships, whereas Abigail would abandon her beliefs in order to save herself. Although Elizabeth spoke on the side of truth, Abigail would be the one that is believed because of her ability to change her belief to feed off of the fears of the community, a very powerful tool in puritan Salem.

Abigail is a highly jealous character, concentrating her jealousy on Elizabeth Proctor. This jealousy is driven by lust and her desire for John Proctor. Abigail served as a servant in the Proctor household and after an affair with her husband John, Elizabeth fired her. She still resents Elizabeth for this as she is still in love with John. She clearly says to John, "You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!" Abigail is still in love with John and she assumes the converse. Her love for John only causes her resentment for Elizabeth to strengthen. She hates John Proctor's wife and in her conniving ways she attempts to inspire the same views of Elizabeth in John's mind. Saying things to him such as, "She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me, She is a cold, sniveling woman." Abigail fabricates stories in attempt to steel John from Elizabeth. She is a manipulative liar that does and says as she pleases in order to get what she wants.

Throughout the story Elizabeth was seen as a cold person but she was also a very loving person towards the end. After she found out that John had cheated on her with Abby she said,” 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!(62)” Here she was giving him a chance to either go to Abby or stay with her. She even lies to the court in order to try to save John. “…Is your husband a lecher! Elizabeth, faintly: No, sir.” He court asked if he had cheated on her and she denied it. There she expresses her great love for John even though he cheated.

Firstly, Elizabeth Proctor is a foil to Abigail Williams because they are both women that are in love with John Proctor. However, Elizabeth differs from Abigail because she is kind, merciful, and honest, as opposed to Abigail who is unforgiving, jealous, and a liar. Arthur Miller portrays Elizabeth as a character that never does anything wrong, and that “she has never lied” (Pg. 116).

Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail William both heighten the tension of the witch trials in Salem; they are a contrast of each others character, and brawl for the desire for one mans love. Arthur Millers hysterical play, The Crucible, portrays the personalities of 2 exceptionally diverse women.

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible presents Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams who serve important roles through their unique characteristics and thinking. John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, has two defining characteristics that show throughout this play: she not only lives to please everyone around her and behaves passively, but she lacks the assertiveness to confront what lies directly under her nose. However, Abigail, the girl John Proctor commits the crime of adultery with, manipulates those around her. She is keen to act upon an opportunity when one arises and feels a determination to get her way. While Elizabeth and Abigail are similar in their love for John Proctor, Elizabeth differs from Abigail through her tendency to try to please everyone and keep her own emotions bottled up, while Abigail believes the world revolves around her and works to make things go her own way.

The Crucible, a novel/play by Arthur Miller displays the chaos of the witch trials within the small town of Salem, Mass. Of the many characters of the novel, John Proctor and Mary Warren are both characters that serve an importance to the novel. The two characters both interact in the stories in different ways. Even though both characters can be seen as minor characters because of their inferior power in the novel, Proctor and Mary Warren serve as important characters to the story line. One reason being the fact that they both bring about problems with and/or against antagonist Abigail Williams such as Mary Warren, who likes the feeling of have authority but gets into unwanted conflict often, and Proctor, who is an very aggressive person

Throughout the play, The Crucible, we find many characters whose personality and intentions contradict with another character. This contrasting set of characters is an example of the literary term called foil. Abigail William and Elizabeth Proctor, for example, are two different characters whose demeanor and motivations contrast but still have a strong effect on each other.

Abigail had many flaws throughout the story. One of her flaws includes lust. Abigail was involved in a secret affair with John Proctor, who happened to be married to Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail illustrated lust by telling John, “John- I am waitin’ for you every night.” This suggests that Abigail does have something secret going on with John. Abigail also says, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near!” This justifies that they have a relationship because she told John that he

Elizabeth feels that Abigail is motivated by jealousy and that she wishes Elizabeth to die. John doesn’t believe her.

As Act Two of the play begins, the reader meets John's wife, Elizabeth. Then everyone is introduced to their relationship and how bad it is. He believes that his affair with Abigail damaged him in God’s eyes, John Proctor was willing to lose his marriage with Elizabeth. Mary Warren told John Proctor that if he spoke out against Abigail Williams, Abigail would have him arrested for the crime of lechery (Miller 1248).

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is about the corruption of the witch trials that were held in Salem, Massachusetts. Throughout a story/play characters relationships tend to change depend on the events happening at that time. One specific relationship has gone through its ups and downs as the play progresses that is John and Elizabeth Proctor. At the beginning of Act 2 John and Elizabeth’s relationship is tense.

Everyone has some type of past, whether it is a good one or a bad one. The things that happen in the past do not always stay in the past. They shape who a person is as an individual in the present. Experiences shape relationships as shown in the play, The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams’s relationship was badly affected because of the jealously portrayed by Abigail. Throughout the book, Abby gives Elizabeth uncounted reasons for her to mistrust her.