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Characterisation in the crucible
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The crucible character analysis essay
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Abigail and Elizabeth act as foils for each other in The Crucible. Abigail is jealous, a liar, and out for revenge whereas Elizabeth is portrayed as loving, truthful, and forgiving. Abigail will stop at nothing to reclaim John’s affections towards her, and Elizabeth, as his wife, is true to herself and her marriage. Abigail is passionate about John, and Elizabeth is more subdued and takes on the role of domestic at home which makes them complete opposites. Abigail and Elizabeth both love John Proctor. Abigail worked as a servant at the Proctor home, and during that time she had an affair with John. Abigail feels that is Elizabeth were out of the way she could have John all to herself, and that is why she’s jealous of Elizabeth, John’s wife. When Elizabeth is asked why she dismissed Abigail, she won’t say anything about the affair Abigail had with her husband. …show more content…
He wants nothing to do with her anymore though their interactions tend to focus around their prior affair. "It's a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, I will not work for such a woman!” This shows how spiteful Abigail is towards Elizabeth. Elizabeth doesn’t not stoop to Abigail’s ways and rises above it. Once again, it shows a true contrast to their character and actions. "She'd dare not call out such a farmer's wife but there be monstrous profit in it. She thinks to take my place, John” Elizabeth is trying to convince John that Abigail will stop at nothing to have him even if it means lying and manipulating others. "Elizabeth is heard softly singing to the children...and [John Proctor] glances about the room.. and continues onto the fireplace” During this, John can see the love that comes from Elizabeth’s heart which is something he has never seen from
¨I have known her, sir. I have known her.¨ A crucible is a test or severe trial, and no trial is more severe than that of a man’s soul. The entire story of Salem is ridden with tests of character and the humanity of the citizens as they respond to the mass hysteria created by someone crying witch. Every single character in this play is given a trial through which they must come to achieve their greater purpose, and these trials expose the skeletons in their closets and the blackness of their sins. However, the similar message is presented in different ways by the cinematic portrayal and Miller’s original play. Lies, unsubstantiated accusations, jealousy, and self-righteousness are the main factors fueling the flame of deceit and hatred. John
In this excerpt from the book, the reader is able to learn the true intentions and motives behind Abigail’s actions. Throughout the book one is able to see how Abigail is repeatedly trying to protect herself by creating false accusations against innocent people. Abigail tries to protect her reputation by creating a hostile atmosphere; forcing others into agreeing on lying about what actually happened in the woods. What sets this quote aside from others, is how Abigail uses threats of violence and, the belief that the she might know some form of witchcraft. Abigail uses these threats in order to try to save herself and her reputation throughout the book.
Elizabeth’s experience of betrayal is the source of her inability to forgive. John Proctor, Elizabeth’s husband confesses that he commits adultery with their servant, Abigail while Elizabeth is sick. John’s betrayal of their marriage leads Elizabeth to become judgmental and unforgiving. In Act I, Miller demonstrates Elizabeth’s mercilessness when John tells Elizabeth, “You forget nothin’ and forgive nothin’” (52). Even months after the affair, Elizabeth’s judgement of John creates tension in the Proctor household. John’s lack of loyalty to their marriage makes it difficult for Elizabeth to forgive him. Elizabeth is known for her religious devotion, which makes her even more judgmental toward John. While John and Elizabeth are in a heated conversation about Abigail, he responds to Elizabeth “Let you look to your own improvement before you go to judge your husband anymore” (52). Elizabeth believes John has not forgotten Abigail and continues to judge him for his past mistake. She is
Early on in the play, the reader comes to understand that John Proctor has had an affair with Abigail Williams while she was working in his home. Abigail believed that if she got rid of Elizabeth Proctor, then John Proctor would become her own. John Proctor had an affair with Abigail, but for him it was just lust, while Abigail believed it to be true love. She told John Proctor that she loved him, and once she destroys Elizabeth, they would be free to love one another. John is horrified at this, but can do nothing to convince Abigail that he is not in love with her. Because of Abigail's twisted plot to secure John for herself, Elizabeth is arrested. John Proctor has to wrestle with the decision of what to do. He knows that he has sinned; yet he does not want to hurt his beloved wife. This is partly why he is willing to die. He knows he has already sinned.
Elizabeth still doubts her husband because she feels that if it were any other girl that he had to go testify against, he would not hesitate. But, because it’s Abigail, he feels he has to think harder on making a decision. John Proctor feels he is now justified in becoming angry because for the seven months since his confession, he has done nothing but try to please his wife, and she still approaches him with suspicion and accusations.
How can a girl who condemned seventy two to a death sentence and drank a charm to kill a man’s wife, a man she has slept with on more than one occasion be the victim? It’s possible when the town she lives in is worse than her. Although Abigail Williams is typically thought of as the antagonist of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, she is in fact a victim as much as any other tragic character in the play.
Elizabeth is often cold and not open towards people yet she changes as the novel progresses. Abigail accuses her friends and the townspeople of witchcraft; her motivations for turning against her friends are mainly because of Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail had an affair with Elizabeth's husband, which made Elizabeth fire Abigail. Abigail is in love with John and while talking to him she says, "I wake and walk about the house as though I'd find you comin' through some door" (Act I). This illustrates her love towards John and that she will never forget their affair and how Elizabeth broke them up.
Abigail commits adultery with Elizabeth’s husband who is John Proctor. In The Crucible John was thirty years of age and Abigail who was just seventeen. Even with a huge age difference Abigail seems to think she has a high level of maturity to do anything she wants. John and Elizabeth hired Abigail, until Elizabeth found out about his affair and fired Abigail. John told Abigail that he was done with the affair and that he will never touch her again. “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”. (Miller 23) Abigail would claim that John was in love with her and that she also loved him too, but John never really loved Abigail he only saw lust.
One of the most important conflicts that transpire is between Abigail and John, and Abigail’s jealously towards John’s wife Goody Proctor. The first case of jealously and conflict between these characters is when John has called Abigail to the woods to confront her about the accusations her and the other girls have been making. Abigail thinks differently; she believes that John is calling her to the woods to tell her that he wants to be with her. This is not the case though, John says he comes in friendly but he later reveals his true intentions and tells Abigail that she is not to call out Elizabeth’s name. Abigail proclaims “: Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be— Proctor, angered-at himself as well: You’ll speak nothing’ of Elizabeth.” Abigail: she is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, snivelling woman, and you bend to her! Let her turn you like a- Proctor, shaking her: Do you look for whipping’? Abigail refers to Goody Proctor as “ a snivelling woman” to make John believe that she is upset that Goody Proctor is vilifying her reputation in the town. The real reasoning behind Abigail insulting her is not because she thinks her name is being blackened but she is trying to cover up her unrequited feelings she has for John. Abigail is later brought up in the Proctor household...
John Proctor was a man who had internal conflicts that tested his moral values. In the beginning of the book the fact that he has feelings for a Mrs. Abigail Williams is brought to light when Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth are having a conversation: “
.... That at birth she was a different child to the present day Abigail. I feel that she has always had a sense of evil within herself. Her parent's deaths only heightened this sense and sharpened her intent, gave her the opportunity to exercise at her own will. From a powerful envy grew hate and from these emotions she brought a whole town to its knees.
John Proctor is Elizabeth Proctor husband. They live together for more than ten years, but their relationship seems to be awkward. Personally, I would rather think they owe each other than they love each other. John feels ashame to Elizabeth because of Abigail and him has an affair. And John become unhappy every time when Elizabeth talk about Abigail. The mistrust between John and Elizabeth seems to be more and more serious. When the chaos occurs, he hesitates to tell out the truth because he worries that his secret with Abigail will be exposed and his reputation will be ruined. Elizabeth and John proctor’s interaction seems to be weird. “He gets up, goes to her, kisses her. She receives it.” This is just not how a old-couple
Following Abigail’s behavior in the forest, the evil in her becomes even more evident throughout the play, supporting her devil figure characterization. In Act One, after Betty wakes up from her “illness” Betty says that sh...
The magistrate that sits in your heart judges you.” This is where Elizabeth suspects that John has committed adultery, but knows how good of man he is and tries to look over it. “Adultery, John.” This is where John tells her and she makes it sound like it is news to her even though she has known for awhile. She is trying to have John have a “good” name and not be a name that everyone discards. “No, sir.” Here she is protecting his name but she doesn’t know that John has just came out and said that he committed lechery. She thought that she was saving him but she was actually making it worse for him.“I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face.” Here he is talking about if he ever encountered the Devil that he would literally kick his ass.
John Proctor faces many decisions in response to his moral dilemma to try to save his life. One of the difficult decisions John makes is to reveal that he had an affair with Abigail Williams and thereby has committed adultery. If the local court convicts him of this crime, he faces being jailed. Also by admitting this crime, John reveals a weakness in his character. This flaw in his personality will make it harder for him to stand up in the community as an honorable and believable person. In trying to convince others that witchcraft does not exist John’s dishonesty with his wife will make him less convincing to the community.