Trevis McCullough
August 26, 2014
English 3
Mrs. Hall - Period 2 “Elizabeth Proctor” How far would you go to save your marriage, reputation, and your life? In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, he tested his characters ability to deal with the trials of marriage, specifically guilt and jealousy. Elizabeth Proctor struggled the most in The Crucible, she was caught up in the foolishness of others.. Elizabeth has to struggle with saving her marriage, clearing her name, and finally letting her husband move on to a better place. As a result Elizabeth is shown to be a very strong woman during The Crucible. Elizabeth is dealing with struggles within her relationship with John. In Act 2 John and Elizabeth’s relationship after the adultery (John’s affair with Abigail Williams) is revealed. John is
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(In court everybody was trying to save their lives.) In Act 3, Elizabeth Proctor came into the court after John confessed about his adultery and Abigail’s lies. They asked Elizabeth if John Proctor committed adultery and she responded, “I came to think he fancied her. And so one night I lost my wits, I think and put her out on the high road.” Elizabeth just admitted the truth about John’s adultery. Judge Danforth followed up by asking if she was sure that he committed adultery and Elizabeth responded by saying that, “My husband - is a goodly man”. These two quotes show how Elizabeth admitted the truth, but she that protecting John was most important and decided to lie by calling him a goodly man. (Delete) (She questioned herself in order to protect her husband, however she did not know that John already had confessed making a bad situation worse.) (This response is very different from her original statement about John. The court believes that no man who has committed adultery could be a goodly. This made her first statement void. This made a bad situation even
Elizabeth is known by her honesty. Later on, when Elizabeth was asked about the affair, she lied thinking it would salvage her husband. The tables turned, and she ended up saving Abigail instead of John. Elizabeth’s personal choice to lie, caused her husband’s
In act 2 we can see the effects that John and Abigail’s affair has on
As human beings, we each display specific traits and qualities that define our character and shape our personalities. The way in which we carry ourselves establishes our reputations, as well as how others identify us. We are each prone to making mistakes, and unfortunately, the mistakes we make can affect the way people see us as well. The struggle to regain a good name can be difficult and uncertain once someone’s reputation is tarnished. In Arthur Miller’s timeless play, The Crucible, a well-respected man named John Proctor betrays his wife and struggles to gain her forgiveness and his good name in the village of Salem. Although John Proctor betrays his wife, he
In Act IV, Elizabeth tells proctor, “Whatever you will do, it is a good man does it”. This is very important. Elizabeth seems to be saying that a man may lie and be ‘good’ – or, on the other hand, a man may refuse to lie and be equally as ‘good’. Proctor is faced with two choices, either to confess and live, or to protect his innocence and die, he knows now that whatever he chooses, Elizabeth will still see him as a good man.
Elizabeth and Johns relationship is certainly not an easy one. Although having been married with two children the intrusion of Abigail could not have come at a worse time. With Elizabeth ill and Abigail’s personality being such a contrast John felt it as an escape from his wife’s absence. The affair that John had with Abigail puts a strain on their relationship creating a physical and emotional divide that the audience easily pick up on. On top of the affair, living in a puritan society which can be demeaning to women makes the
When Elizabeth talks to John she tells him he is good. “… There be no higher judge under heaven than Procter is! Forgive me, Forgive me I never know such goodness in the world!” (1162) This quote that Elizabeth said shows that she believes that John is still a good person even though he committed adultery against her. John finally realizes his goodness after he rips his confession document. “…for now I do think I see a shred of goodness in John Procter.”(1166) John says this because he notices that he isn’t the evil one the ones in charge of the town and the people who want power are the evil ones. Elizabeth has also realized this change in Procter and lets him die a changed man. “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” (1167) Elizabeth is telling Hale in this quote that she won’t stop Procter because this is the first tell that John thinks of himself as good.
One trait that Elizabeth has is loyalty to her husband, John. Although John was unfaithful to Elizabeth, she was always loyal and supported him. In Act II, Elizabeth assures John, “I will be your only wife, or no wife at all!" (Miller 62). After John has an affair with Abigail, he asks for Elizabeth’s forgiveness. Elizabeth states, “It come to naught that I should forgive you. Will you forgive yourself? It is your soul, John” (Miller 57). Elizabeth realizes that she has already forgiven John. She knows John needs to forgive himself. Elizabeth will do anything to keep her loyalty. This relates to the theme of reputation because she is always a loyal and moral person. Elizabeth has a large respect for John and her own reputation.
However Abigail takes pride in her hysteria. This highlights the fact that the age difference between these 2 women is phenomenal. “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” Elizabeth is much more composed than Abigail, even though she is losing her husband she is happy for him, as she believes he is now at peace. Throughout the play John struggles with his feelings that he was not a good man. Hale tried his best to save John from being hanged to death but Elizabeth believes that he is finally going to be cleansed of his sins, as he has finally come out the dark about his affair. She loves him so much that she is willing to let him go. She feels that he is doing the right thing. She takes the name of God to justify herself.
should be happy. He also hides the fact that he was alone in the room
Elizabeth still questions John’s loyalty throughout the play. Elizabeth comes off as an outspoken women and that isn’t really supported in the Puritan society. When convicted of witchcraft she doesn’t fight with the men because she knows she hasn’t done anything wrong. Even though she tries to do what she thinks is the best for John, she ends up saying the wrong thing and Abigail isn’t punished. Elizabeth ends up being pregnant and the trials end before she has her baby so she survives.
In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible , There was a variety of traumatic events going on in Salem ,Massachusetts. There were innocent people getting there lives taken away by being falsely accused of witchcraft . These traumatic events take a toll on people aspects as well as their relationship according to John and Elizabeth proctor . In the starting point , Elizabeth and John’s relationship was very unhealthy and Elizabeth did not have a lot of trust in John because of what he did in the past.
Elizabeth exclaims, “John, it come to naught that I should forgive you, if you’ll not forgive yourself. It is not my soul, John, it is yours,” (Miller, Act 4). Abigail was so jealous of Elizabeth being with John, she committed an insidious act. Abigail accused Elizabeth Proctor of committing witchcraft. This led John to be filled with guilt because he knew that Elizabeth being accused was his fault. John was going to confess to the court about his affair -- to make Abigail's accusation against Elizabeth to be made out of envy. Because Elizabeth lied to Judge Danforth, John did not have to confess. Proctor was never able to forgive himself for committing
Elizabeth Proctor In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Elizabeth Proctor is a woman full of strength, independence, and is not afraid to defend for herself. Her husband, John Proctor, does not treat her with all the respect she deserves, and she still risked her life for him. In Act I of The Crucible, Elizabeth urges Mr. Proctor to go to the town and tell the people that Abigail Williams is insane, and is not telling the truth about the people getting arrested for witchcraft.
An impressive change in Elizabeth Proctor throughout the play is demonstrated in how she places the blame for John Proctor’s act of adultery; at first, Elizabeth blames her husband, but by the end of The Crucible, she blames herself for being a cold wife. Elizabeth struggles with trusting that John will be faithful to her, and this internal battle of placing blame follows her even to the day of John’s hanging. In the end, she acknowledges that she could not love him more than she had loved herself, by saying, “I counted myself so plain, so poorly made, no honest love could come to me!”; Elizabeth realizes that she could not place all blame upon John (Miller 137).
all faith in him, she feels that he does not want to prove Abigail is