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The crucible abigail williams as a villian
Summary of abigail williams in the crucible
The justice in the crucible
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In John Proctor’s last plea to save his dignity he said;“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them you have hanged! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name.” The overall theme of the movie is the importance of keeping one’s dignity. John Proctor and Rev Hale showed this theme the best.
The first character that successfully showed the theme of the movie is John Proctor. John Proctor's reputation is being threatened by Abigail Williams because she is in love with him and is willing to do anything to try to get rid of his wife Elizabeth. I also think that Abigail is finding ways to threaten his
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reputation by doing things psychologically. For example when Abby is in court pretending that his wife is a witch and by acting as if she is possessed. This makes John come to his only option to confess that he had and an affair with Abigail and that is she maliciously lying so that she can get rid of Elizabeth. John Proctor again attempts tries to save his dignity by sending Mary Warren to to tell the court that they made up all of the stuff in the woods and that they never had contact with the devil. Lastly he attempts to keep his reputation by deciding that he was going to rip up the confession paper when they told him that they were going to nail the confession paper to the church door to tell the townspeople that he has decided to confess his sins of committing witchcraft. Ultimately I think John Proctor successfully saves his dignity by ripping up the confession because it was false and he knows that he would rather die knowing that he was innocent and he wasn't going to live his life trying to convince people that he didn’t commit witchcraft. The second character that showed the theme of the movie successfully was Rev Hale.
Rev Hale’s dignity was threatened by Judge Danforth and Rev Parris. I think they threatened Rev Hale’s dignity by not really letting him have a say so during the trials for example when he was trying to speak up at Rev’s Parris’s house and they quickly turned him down. I think he knows in his heart that the people that got accused for witchcraft aren’t guilty of it. Another way that they threaten his dignity is by not giving him more power in the trials since they called him into Salem to tell whether or not people committed witchcraft and if they wanted to be forgiven for their sins. Even though Rev Hale’s dignity is threatened he does a good job of maintaining it by trying his best.
In summary, The overall theme of the movie is the importance of keeping one’s dignity. The theme is best shown by John Proctor and Rev Hale. John Proctor ultimately keeps his reputation by deciding to die instead of a giving a false confession that would lead to a life of misery. Rev Hale also manages to keep his dignity by trying his best and still speaking up for his beliefs whenever he had the chance to do so. The theme of the movie was successful because of these characters and what they went
through.
As Reverend John Hale is not a resident of Salem, he approaches the accusations and rumors without any prior opinion. Hale is introduced as extremely arrogant and proud with his goal being “light, goodness and its preservation”(Miller 34). This phrasing strengthens his role as a man of God, but this is not actually displayed in his personality until later. He is very book smart and this leads to some signs of immaturity. This is shown in Act I when Parris questions why the devil would come to Salem. “Why would he [the devil] choose this house to strike?”(39) In response Hale says, “It is the best the Devil wants, and who is better than the minister?”(39) This shows he enjoys the position better than he does its purpose. He is also very eager.
John Proctor is a good man. He is a puritan, a husband, a citizen, and an all around valuable member of the community. All of this is represented by his name. The name of John Proctor could be considered his most prized possession. It is his most priceless asset. Proctor is very strong-willed and caring. He does not set out with any intentions of hurting anyone. He is a farmer and village commoner who is faced with incredible inner turmoil. He has committed adultery and had absolutely no intentions of joining in the witch trials. After his wife got involved and eventually was set free due to the fact that she was pregnant, he feels that he can't sit back and accept what is happening to the town. John Proctor is a good and noble man and because of this he believes that he can't be hanged and die a martyr when he has this sin blooming over him every waking moment.
John Proctor was just one example of how the characters in the play underwent changes in regards to selfishness and he exhibited the most change. He showed it is important to think of others before you think of yourself and that past sins, motivated by your own wants, can come back to haunt you, and in his case cause a great number of problems.
Proctor’s prideful personality does not let him baptize his third son because he dislikes Reverend Parris (168, l. 516-520). Proctor withholds his affair with Abigail because of his pride, he was unable to confess it until his wife was accused. Before he confessed he stated that “a man will not cast away his good name,” this statement suggest that a man has a lot of pride in his name and therefore his confession must be true (189, l. 845-847). In addition, after confessing to witchcraft Proctor takes pride in his name and refuses to have his name nailed in the door of the church showing everyone that he confessed to witchcraft (207, l. 894-897). “You will not use me! I am no Sarah Good or Tituba, I am John Proctor! You will not use me!,” Proctor beliefs he is better than Sarah good and Tituba hence he would not sign his name (207, l. 899-701). Towards the end, Proctor thinks better of his action and rips the signed paper after declaring, “Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (207, l. 725-730). Proctor compares himself with the brave people that are about to hang and takes pride in his name by refusing to keep on lying and ripping the paper with his signature; he bravely accepted death with the thought that his name is not tainted by
Statements from Hale show that he has realized the error of his ways. He decides to “shut [his] conscience no more” (223) and quits the court. Hale can no longer suppress his beliefs about the court and in effect, like Pontius Palter, absolves himself from the court. Next, Hale’s Words are used to show the immense amount of guilt that rests on his shoulder. Hale walks the prisons of Salem and, in knowing that “there is blood on [his] head” (234), “counsels Christians they should belie themselves” (234) even though he is also belying his reputation as reverend by doing this.
... integrity are among the most important things. He also uses Proctor to demonstrate what an unjust system can do to an individual with good intents. The play is a parallel to the anti-Communist McCarthy era. Through John Proctor we see the ludicrous nature of mass hysteria that exists when society has gone awry.
There are many sides to John Proctor and they occur at different stages of the play, John is a complex character and is very well respected even though he has done wrong things. Arthur Miller was in the same situation as John Proctor in 1956-57 because he refused to give names of people he saw at communist meetings. There was the same trial system. If you confessed you would stay alive assuming you had turned from the communist meetings, however if you denied that you were seen at communist meeting you would have been hanged because there would be no evidence to show you weren’t there. You get the impression that the character of John Proctor was based on the real life character of Miller.
Throughout the whole play, John Proctor placed himself as a “servant” of God only and maintained that position regardless of what happened. He represented the image of a person that corresponded for God in Earth, and at the same time he acted consciously and knew what was happening in Salem. In an attempt to disengage from God, his principles, conscience, and morality acted upon him and brought him back to God. Elizabeth and his friends also affected his conscience, as the only reason why he went to the court was to try to release them. John Proctor can be considered the savior of Salem, he can be considered Jesus in that story. His name was important as it was the main reason why he decided to die with dignity instead of live for a lie; but what is the symbolism behind his name? What is conscience and why does John Proctor struggle with his?
Also important to the play is how Arthur Miller depicts how one selfish, evil person like Abigail Williams can bring others down and make others follow her to commit evil acts. These evil acts affect even the most honest people in the town like John and Elizabeth Proctor, and Rebecca Nurse who cannot fight the accusations made against them by those following Abigail. Those following Abigail are considered to be holy men that are full of honesty and justice, but the play shows that even those who are thought to be respectable and right, like people of government or community leaders can bring death to innocent people if they are driven by something wrong. II. Plot: The plot begins with the inciting incident where Rev. Parris finds his niece Abigail Williams and his daughter Betty along with his slave Tituba doing some dance in the forest.
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, various characters, whether it is from physical trials or unseen personal struggles, experience some kind of major conflict. There are those who spend every day in fear, wondering whether or not they will be falsely accused of witchcraft. There are others who struggle with more internal trials, such as forgiving those who have hurt them. The protagonist, John Proctor, was a man of strong moral constitution, and held himself to a high standard for the sake of his good name and family. As a result of this, he struggled with a major internal conflict throughout the play.
...g! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” The notion that reputation is the most important thing, that having a clean name is what matters most, that it is more important than even life itself, is given to the reader. The idea that John Proctor has given up his soul, his moral principles, his honesty, just to keep his good name is one that is hard to understand in our time but, by this speech, the reader realises the importance accorded to reputation and status.
Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (143). Proctor’s cry for the defense of his name, demonstrates his obsession with his good name. Early in the play, Proctor’s desire to protect his good name prevents him from testifying against Abigail. Now, he has come to a complete understanding that the meaning of a good reputation signifies the truth. As he realizes that the truth is more important, he “tears the paper and crumples it, as he is weeping in fury” (144). Proctor tearing the paper is significant as it is possibly the highest climactic point of this play. In order to save his integrity and the innocent, Proctor surrenders his physical body, the more materialistic element of himself. This reflects his desire not to dishonor his fellow prisoners, as he wouldn’t be able to live with himself knowing that others died while he quaked at death. The paper is also a symbol for higher, more powerful societies such as the Church and the courts; thereby ripping it signifies their
The main protagonist John Proctor exemplifies the quality of personal integrity. He portrays this in his sense of conviction, honesty and resolute in his belief. “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 whore's vengeance, and you must see it now.” (John Proctor, III.374-384) As he berates Danforth that Abigail is just out for revenge, he
The preeminent protagonist of the novel is John Proctor’s stand against social injustice, although not particularly prominent in the first two acts, developed immensely as the story progressed. As the third act begins, Proctor strides into court ready to defend his wife’s case. Bringing along with him Mary Warren to testify that the girls and her tricks were all fabricated, as well as Abigail’s own admission that there is no witchcraft. In additional attempts to unearth the wrongdoings brought upon them, Proctor confesses to adultery and lechery he committed with Abigail. He chooses to confess his sin, even if it taints his good name and reputation, believing that the court will rightfully resolve the matter. “But it is a whore’s vengeance,
Though many argue that John Proctor's ‘flaw’ is his adultery, his true fault exists as his inability to sacrifice something as seemingly small and insignificant as his name and honor in return for his life. The audience is therefore torn: our sympathies for Proctor would have him live, but our desire that he remain a virtuous man require that he not undermine his honor. The tragedy lies in the fact that Proctor’s good action, the only action he had the ability to undertake while remaining a good man, leads inevitably to his death. What defines Proctor's nobility and character isn't necessarily his purity of actions, but instead, his purity of mind and spirit. Outmaneuvered by a series of consequences beyond his control, Proctor advances towards the gallows a gallant man unwilling to compromise his ideals and, thus, he dies a hero’s death.