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Prior to the play Miller clearly establishes what the Salem community would have been like in 1692: The children were anything but thankful for being permitted to walk straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at the sides, and mouths shut until bidden to speak This shows us that life in Salem in 1692 was very strict and religious. There was a very rigid regime to follow and everyone should be thankful to god for being allowed to follow it. It was as if it was so rigid someone would soon burst out and rebel against it. The crucible describes Salem in 1692 when madness took over when accusation by a bunch of girls started flying around the village that there were witches: I saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil!
The girls who made these accusations snapped because of the harsh strict conditions they lived in and started making accusation about half the women in Salem being witches. This is also very similar to Millers own experiences. He fell to the hands of a very paranoid committee called the House Un-American Activities Committee who had the power to investigate people who were seen as a threat to the state. The chairman of it was Senator Joseph McCarthy. This committee wanted to stop the spreading of communist at a very delicate time and it was know as McCarthyism. It stopped and arrested anyone who they thought might have been a communist.
Miller was one of these people; he was brought before the caught because he signed a petition because he was scared of fascism. This made Miller think of the parallels between McCarthyism and the cries of witchcraft in Salem 1692. A crucible is a container in which metals are heated to extract the pure element from impurities. In the play many characters go through there own personal crucibles where there impurities are extracted and they become better people.
Elizabeth Proctor is married to John proctor who have 3 children and are very religious: There be no love for satin in this house. Elizabeth and John Proctor are good people who are religious and believe that satin does not reside in there house even if it does in the rest of Salem as they try their best to be Christians whilst still looking after each other and their farm. In act one we hear Abigail describe Elizabeth as a cold snivelling woman yet this contradicts with stage directions, which describe Elizabeth as singing to the children. This suggests that Elizabeth is really a good person who loves her children and that Abigail is very resentful because Elizabeth is married to John Proctor, who had relationships with Abigail. When Elizabeth found out about this she threw Abigail out on the street. In the stage directions Miller describes the Proctors house as low, dark and rather long.
Also in the stage directions John Proctor is described tasting the food in the pot and He is not quite pleased. Both these stage directions reflect the state of John and Elizabeth proctors house. There relationship is going through a bad patch and it is very dark because and John is not satisfied and wants to change it. When John and Elizabeth are talking it become apparent to the audience through the stage directions that John is uncomfortable: As gently as he can He has to be very careful around Elizabeth as not to say anything that may get her upset and this causes him great stress as he knows anything he says may result in the end of their relationship. Elizabeth is very cold towards John after she realises he was alone with Abigail and when they are talking about their relationship she replies with very short answers: It must be Elizabeth has still not forgiven John for his relationship with Abigail and does not trust him. She still feels that she cannot trust and forgive John for breaking one of the commandments and she is like Abigail described her.
Mary Warren, their new housekeeper, enters and this stops their arguing and they learn about the terrible days events in Salem: Goody Osburn will hang! This fear of being accused of witches and the shock of such a terrible thing brings the Proctors together and Elizabeth starts talking to John, as he was a real human being. Reverend Hale comes and visits the Proctors house and John Proctor is asked to recite the 10 commandments but when he gets stuck his wife helps him: Adultery, John This shows that although she has not forgiven John for what he did but she still loves him really and does not want to see him hanged for witchcraft. It is thought that Abigail had been stabbed by Elizabeth's spirit and her house is searched and a poppet, which Mary gave to her, was found. Elizabeth denies sending the spirit to stab Abigail and John Proctor heavily defends his wife from the questioning and states: My life will never lie This shows that John still loves Elizabeth and does not want her to be taken away and that he believes that all these accusations of witchcraft are false.
But John Proctor insisting that his wife is not a liar has serious consequences later on in the play. To try and prove that Abigail and the others girls are lying he admits to his adultery with Abigail and calls her a whore. He explains the situation with Abigail and explains that is why she was removed from their household. Abigail says that it is untrue so John Proctor instructs the court to ask his wife who will confirm that they in fact have had a relationship. Because Elizabeth's previous behaviour and Johns persistence that she would not lie in act 2 it is presumed that Elizabeth would not break a commandment and tell the truth but we are shocked to hear what she has to say: I came to think he fancied her. And so one night I lost my wits, I think, and put her out on the highroad.
It is a big surprise that she denies this because she is a very religious person and we have heard that she does not lie. It also shows that Elizabeth trusts John and would break a commandment for the sake of his name. In conclusion Elizabeth goes through a big personality in the play in which she remove her impurities and goes through her personal crucible. Her personality changes vastly during the play and her emotions towards her husband greatly changed. At the beginning of the play Elizabeth was very cold and unresponsive towards her husband and has not forgiven him for his relationship with Abigail.
No matter how hard proctor tries he cannot please Elizabeth not even when he tries to stop her being taken away. We find out Elizabeth's true feeling though when she is asked whether John did have an affair with Abigail and she lies to protect John and the dependence they have on each other. Elizabeth forgives John and shows this by protecting him by breaking one of the commandments. This is Elizabeth's crucible.
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Research essay sample on The Crucible Elizabeth Personal
