There are many reasons why this scene fascinates me, as there is one main argument going on in this scene between Abigail and Mary I find it so interesting the contrast between these two girls, both the same age and growing up in Salem. Abigail is very clever we can see this as she manipulates the town of Salem against people, she is extremely strong and the power she has enables her to get out of many difficult situations;(Abigail) “I want to open myself! I want the light of God; I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced with the Devil….I saw Sarah Good with the Devil”. These sudden outbursts by Abigail make me speculate why she accuses all these people. Later on in the play we can see Abigail points the finger at people she has a problem with in Salem “Who accused her [Elizabeth Proctor]? Abigail…..” Abigail has a clear motive for accusing Elizabeth, as Abigail and John Proctor (Elizabeth’s husband) had had an affair and Abigail wanted John ‘all to herself’ and therefore had to get rid of Elizabeth. However at the beginning of the play Abigail’s accusations are completely haphazard and I am not completely sure why she blames them. Perhaps it is partly due to the fact that Abigail witnessed her parents getting killed by Indians so has been forced to be strong, but I believe not only is Abigail doing this for attention, but also personally I feel Abigail thinks it is amusing playing around with the court and the Salem public, and she also enjoys the power she receives. Mary is very timid and quiet and unlike Abigail likes no attention. Abigail has the ability to use girls like this in Salem as effectively her tools, and Mary knows this, this is why in this scene Mary is so fearful as she is not sure what Abigail has got up her sleeve.
This scene also intrigues me as we see a complete change in personality in Hale, who arrived in Salem eager to set law and order and abolish witchcraft and Devil worship, “When the Devil comes to you does he ever come with another person?” Although now Hale is pleading with the Danforth to let Elizabeth Proctor go “I beg you, stop now before another is condemned…..I believe him now.” This change in views was very sudden and very unexpected, and during this scene becomes totally behind John Proctor and even endangers himself by calling Abigail a liar; “This girl has always struck me false!” This is very unsafe because Abigail is in by far the higher status with Danforth supporting her as when Abigail pretends under oath that Mary has transformed herself into a bird Danforth totally believes Abigail is telling the truth “Mary Warren! Draw your spirit out of them.”
Although Elizabeth Proctor only appears once in this scene she is vital to it. Proctor has confessed to having slept with Abigail (whom was a servant at the Proctors’ household), Abigail denies all knowledge of it, Proctor to prove she is a liar calls on Elizabeth to tell the court about the affair. However, Elizabeth cannot look at John at all. All throughout the play Elizabeth is a very honest woman and prides herself on being so. The outcome of the play is resting on Elizabeth’s response to “Is your husband a lecher!” this is what makes this scene so dramatic from the start as the audience have totally no idea what Elizabeth is going to say, so the scene is full of tension. At first Elizabeth avoids answering the question and simply says, “My husband is a goodly man.” Then Elizabeth blames herself; “I came to think he fancied her. And one night I lost my wits and put her out on the highroad.” This shows a different side to Elizabeth as during the play she does not reveal much about her emotions right until the very end of the play, so here she is opening up and saying her jealousy is the cause of Abigail being sacked from the house. Eventually Elizabeth is forced to answer as Danforth is being very harsh on her and demands an answer. Of course now the suspense of the scene is great and in answer to Danforth’s question she states faintly “No, sir.” This shows how much Elizabeth loves John, as she was willing to give up her ‘name’ and lie under oath not only to the court but also to God. What makes this part of the scene so tragic is Elizabeth lied to all these people for the good of her husband, but all John Proctor wanted Elizabeth to do was to tell the truth about the affair.
This scene is also very captivating as there are so many different storylines and agendas going on in it, on the surface you have Elizabeth Proctor lying for her husband which results in them having a dire consequence, and Hales dramatic change of opinion. Underneath you have Abigail pushing Mary to join her by getting herself and her ‘tools’ (other girls from Salem) to act as if they are being possessed by Mary and Mary has transfigured herself into a yellow bird “Oh Mary this is a black art to change your shape.” Abigail knows she has to win Mary over to her side so all are ganged up against John Proctor as he has started violently accusing Abigail “Give me a whip, I’ll stop it” and Abigail realises these accusations have to stop. Abigail knows it will not take long for Mary to cave in, and this is what makes Abigail such an alluring character, as in this scene I cannot help but quite like her as she is so over the top and melodramatic, from a modern day reader of the play the ridiculousness but intelligence of her ideas provide a lot of the appealing aspects of the play and especially this scene. It would be a mistake to say Abigail is totally evil as in the same way it would be a mistake to say Proctor is totally good as although in the end of the play he dies a ‘martyr’ as he refuses to confess to witch-craft we cannot forget he did commit adultery and has had more than a few feuds with other members of Salem (most notably Parris). Abigail also witnessed her parent’s deaths and therefore was bought up with no family around her. She also is totally in love with John Proctor and would do anything to wed him and by accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft all she is doing is trying to get closer to John.
Another engaging aspect of this scene is the fact that the audience watching the play experiences so many emotions. There is the anxiety and suspense felt when Elizabeth has to say if her husband was a lecher, and then there is the tragic, saddened emotion when you realise what is going to happen to John Proctor as Elizabeth said he had had no affair. There is the excitement when Abigail fakes Mary’s possession of her, and also the shock of Hales remarkable change in character. I believe what makes this play so popular, and what is particularly represented in this scene is all the characters are so human, their personalities so deep and structured. I feel this is for many reasons although predominately because Miller wrote the characters from ‘The Crucible’ from historic evidence in Salem town records- many of the characters names appear in the records and even Proctors affair is recorded. Also what makes these characters so realistic is there are no characters who are purely ‘good’ or purely ‘bad’ and what makes them so enthralling is they all have their little faults for example (Proctor to Elizabeth) “You ought to bring some flowers in the house. Oh I forgot! I will tomorrow.” This shows us Elizabeth can at times be forgetful which makes the audience able to relate to her and the rest of the characters as everyone has their own imperfections.
John Proctor is an extremely enchanting character, however at times personally I felt he became a little tiresome especially during the end when he keeps on at Elizabeth whether she will forgive him if he confesses to witchcraft – and lies to God “I would have your forgiveness, Elizabeth.” In this scene though Proctor has an unnerving desperation about him pleading for his wife’s and his own lives. It only hit me when I had just finished the book the similarities between John Proctor and Arthur Miller himself as they were both persecuted and punished for things out of their control (Miller for not being anti-communist) and John Proctor (for being accused of trafficking with the Devil). They also both refused to confess as neither of them felt they were guilty of a crime and therefore were in effect Martyrs although Miller did not die.
Principally, however the main reason I like this scene so much is from a dramatic point of view. It would be fantastic to perform as there is so much going on and the characters are so well formed by Miller. There is also a vast contrast of characters to play in the scene. What also makes it appealing from a theatrical aspect is the ‘roller coaster’ of emotions and changes of emotions, which happen so quickly.
This passage is also a prime example of why Miller wrote the play, which is a further reason I admire the scene so much. This scene shows not only the persecution of a man who is innocent like the persecution of the communists, but also shows the power of religion, and how when the majority of people in a community believe something so passionately in this instance God and Christianity, arguing against it will do far more harm than good. It shows the dangers of living in a theocratic society where everything is kept behind closed doors, and when it is exposed the consequences can be literally in Salem in the seventeenth century, fatal.
This scene is strengthened by the 17th century language, which adds a certain harsh quality to the way the line sounds. The ending of the scene is my favourite part of the passage, this is because the is when Mary sees Danforth is believing Abigail more and more and she knows that she will be hanged if she does not join Abigail. Therefore she admits to speaking with the Devil, but says to the court “(Mary pointing at Proctor) You are the Devil’s man!” This surprises everyone probably even Mary herself as she didn’t think she was strong enough to do it, but she realises fighting against Abigail was fighting a losing battle.
Throughout the play there are many interesting and dramatic scenes, which captivated my imagination, however this scene stood out above all others largely because of the acting potential and the tremendous depth to the characters although the reasons above also played a part in why I enjoyed the scene. Recently Arthur miller was stated saying, “At least the play is still living” I believe it certainly is.