Furthermore, tension is developed because Proctor is trying to make amends for his affair, yet Elizabeth is still unhappy with him. “It’s winter in here yet,” appears to illustrate Proctor’s awareness of the situation. The awkward pauses between the couple highlight a sense of their emotional separation. This aspect is reinforced by the stage directions saying of Elizabeth “she would speak but cannot,” dramatizing the power of her conflicting emotions, through the stilted pace of the scene. This produces powerful and involving drama, capturing the audience.
Act Two is also dramatically significant, because it contrasts clearly with Proctor’s meeting with Abigail in Act One. The strength in the exchange between Proctor and Abigail is still the most powerful feeling the audience has seen Proctor display. Therefore, although Abigail is not physically present when Proctor returns home to his wife in Scene One of Act Two, her emotional presence is as strong and haunting as ever to the couple. Thus, it is almost like there are three characters present, despite the audience only being able to see two. Such a sensation may explain why many directors portray Elizabeth and Proctor as having a great physical distance between them on stage at this time because it is like the silent yet powerful Abigail separates them. This scene would, however, contrast with later in the play when the Proctors unite against Abigail and may be shown as physically close in production. The likely barren stage setting of the Proctors’ home in Act Two adds to the emotionally barren dialogue between them.
Elizabeth Proctor is intensely suspicious of her husband, worrying when he arrives at home late for dinner and adopting a patronizing tone when her husband admits that he was momentarily alone with Abigail Williams. This is one of the major themes in the act; ambiguity of evidence, as Elizabeth interprets John's late arrival at home as possible evidence that he may have been with Abigail. This also creates good drama.
Elizabeth does not feel she can trust Proctor, and is continually checking up on him, “if it were Abigail that you must go to hurt, would you falter now?” Both Proctor and his wife are frustrated. Proctor is frustrated because he is trying his hardest to appear faithful, yet Elizabeth is continually suspicious, and is frustrated because of his affair and her doubts about their present relationship. Proctor states, “Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer!” She believes he might still have feelings for Abigail. Due to these worries and doubts she cannot relax. Which is aptly shown when Proctor states, “you forget nothin’ and forgive nothin’.” Furthermore John is still feeling guilty and regrets his affair. The intensity of his inner turmoil continues to create dramatic impact
Proctor’s sense of guilt begins to eat away at him. He knows that he can bring down Abigail and end her reign of terror, but he initially fears for his good name if his previously hidden sin of adultery is revealed. The pressing knowledge of his own guilt makes him feel judged, but Elizabeth is correct when she points out that the judge who pursues him so mercilessly is himself. Proctor has a great loathing for hypocrisy, and, he judges his own hypocrisy no less harshly than that of others. Elizabeth states this, saying, “I do not judge you. The magistrate that sits in your heart judges you.” The Act also reveals the impact of the Witch hunt and the unrest that has been created in Salem; this highlights how easily a society could be influenced by hysteria. Furthermore, drama is created when Elizabeth updates John on the trials, telling him what will happen later on “the court has the power to hang them, too.” This increases the drama and tension in the scene, shocking the audience.
Abigail and the other girls have achieved an extremely unusual level of power and authority for young, unmarried girls in a Puritan community. Their new social power is highlighted when Mary Warren says, “Four judges and the King’s deputy sat to dinner with us but an hour ago.” They can destroy the lives of others with a mere accusation, and even the wealthy and influential are not safe. The extremity of their power is dramatic and unsettling for an audience, because it renders those who are ‘good’ powerless, and makes the day’s conclusion difficult to predict due to the continual lack of democracy. The social hierarchy within Salem has become unsettled and this is especially shown to the audience when Mary Warren, the Proctors’ servant, is so confident of her new found power that she defies the Proctors’ authority over her, going out to the court despite Elizabeth forbidding her to do so. This action further increases the drama of the scene because the girls’ power is reaching its height and the audience feel as futile as the Proctors, because it is hard to see how the girls’ ‘reign’ will end. When Mary arrives back from the court, she gives Elizabeth a doll that she sewed in court, saying that it is a gift. She reports that thirty-nine people now stand accused, describing what “weighty work” she does. However as expected Proctor becomes infuriated, as does the audience, that Mary can continue to condemn innocent people. He threatens to whip her, saying, “I’ll whip the Devil out of you!” this is an incredibly moving act, because Proctor is venting his vast amount of anger on Mary, while simultaneously Elizabeth is trying to calm him down, and Mary, despite being terrified, is still striving for newfound authority, “I would have you speak civilly to me,” claiming that the trials are just. This creates drama which captures the audience’s attention, moving them significantly, while continually building tension and increasing the audience’s sense of injustice in the girls’ actions, and their support for the Proctors. Suddenly, Proctor is not the guilty party, but the girls are, and it is he who becomes the only one who can save the community from the turmoil it has been thrown into. The audience now unites with a character, who may not initially seem sympathetic due to his adulterous past, and puts their faith in him because there is no other option. Fortunately, this faith, is, ultimately founded.
The climax of this scene is reached as Proctor is seconds away from brutally whipping a sobbing Mary when she reveals that she saved Goody Proctor’s life that day. Immediately the mood of the play and of the Proctors is one of shock, with Elizabeth repeating softly, as though in utter disbelief, “I am accused?” At this moment the audience is also in a state of shock, because Elizabeth is one of the most morally upright and respectable women in Salem. Elizabeth’s name was mentioned in the accusations. Mary will not name the accuser, but she spoke out in Elizabeth’s defence.
Proctor instructs Mary to go to bed, but she demands that he stop ordering her around, using her newfound authority against him, “I’ll not be ordered to bed anymore, Mr Proctor!” When Mary exits, there is another build-up of tension, with Proctor and Elizabeth arguing once more, because Elizabeth is convinced that it is Abigail who has accused her of witchcraft, and that she wishes to “take her place in John’s bed”. As Elizabeth’s hatred towards Abigail increases, so does the audience’s. Furthermore, Elizabeth considers Proctor’s reluctance to denounce Abigail. Elizabeth reiterates her claim that Proctor may still have feelings for Abigail, “she has an arrow in you yet,” and “you know it well.”
At the climax of this heated argument between Proctor and Elizabeth, Hale, the potential enemy or ally of both of them, unexpectedly arrives, increasing the current tension in the scene. Proctor’s intense dilemma over whether to expose his own sin to bring down Abigail is complicated by Hale’s decision to visit everyone whose name is even remotely associated with the accusations of witchcraft. Hale wants to determine the character of each accused individual by measuring it against Christian standards. His invasion of the home space in the name of God reveals the essential nature of the trials, to discover hidden sins and expose them. Hale’s revelation that Rebecca Nurse has been mentioned in the current accusations horrifies both Proctor and Elizabeth as well as the audience and makes Proctor’s quandary all the more intense. Moreover, the audience realises that Proctor is the only one who can help the innocent.
Hale proceeds to ask questions about the Christian character of the Proctor home. He notes that the Proctors have not often attended church recently, and that their youngest son is not yet baptized. Proctor explains that he does not like particular theology, “for twenty week he preach nothin’ but golden candlesticks until he had them.” The tone of Hale’s questioning is probing and accusative, suggesting that he is trying to work out whether he can trust Proctor. As displayed by the first scene between the Proctors, Proctor is a character an audience would easily relate to, a sentiment added to as he becomes more courageous throughout the play. These traits arouse empathy in an audience. Therefore, the audience are on Proctor’s side; they are more aware of his emotions, constantly supporting him, especially when he is being questioned.
After his initial questions, Hale asks Proctor to recite the Ten Commandments. Drama is produced here when Proctor recites nine of the commandments, and then hesitates, trying to remember the tenth. At this point the audience are intensely supporting Proctor, urging him to say the last commandment. Moreover, the tension is rising at the same time, enhancing dramatic impact. However John does not recite the last commandment, with Elizabeth offering him a sharp reminder that it is adultery. In forgetting to name adultery, however, just as he “forgot” it during his affair with Abigail, Proctor not only exposes the deficiency of his Christian morality but also the possibility that his entire household has succumbed to the evil influence of the devil and witchcraft. Hales states, “Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small.”
The audience perceive Hale as trying to administer justice fairly. He does not get himself involved in the rivalry of Salem’s other residents. Furthermore, both Proctor and the audience know that Hale is suspicious solely due to Proctor’s lesser Christian morality. Although at first Hale disapproves of Proctor, he knows he is a man of integrity and honesty. Initially there is tension between them, which is evident to the audience due to both characters adopting oddly formal tones when speaking to one another. Procter’s less religious ways undermine Hale’s view of him; Hale is a deeply devout Christian. Hale continues his scrutiny of the Proctors’ Christian morality by asking them if they believe in witches. Proctor replies that he does not believe that there are witches in Salem, while Elizabeth say she does not believe in them at all; it goes against her religious upbringing.
Proctor reveals that Abigail admitted she was lying, and that “the children’s sickness had naught to do with Witchcraft.” This encourages Hale to examine his own faith and behaviour. He begins to realise that he may have condemned innocent people to death. This change in Hale is further influenced by the arrivals of two characters, who are both men of integrity; Giles Corey and Francis Nurse. They reveal that both their wives, who are considered highly spiritual Christian women and are deeply respected, have been arrested on suspicion of witchcraft. Their arrival creates a pause in the tension, allowing the audience to digest the scene, yet the tension is once more heightened as both the characters and the audience realise the severe impact of these arrests.
The witch trials have become even more appalling, reaching a climax when Elizabeth is taken away by court officials. Ezekiel Cheever enters the Proctors’ household, inducing a shocked silence, at this moment the sense of foreboding among the audience is realised because he presents a warrant for Elizabeth’s arrest. At this moment the drama is incredibly powerful; the audience are horrified and begin to worry for Elizabeth’s innocent life. As Elizabeth is questioned and then eventually taken away, Proctor’s anger continually increases, until he has to be forcibly restrained, vociferously calling Hale, “Pontius Pilate” and saying “I will fall like an ocean on that court.” Proctor’s fervent promise of revealing Abigail as a fraud and his angry outbursts are moving and create powerful drama, with the audience moving strongly against Elizabeth’s arrest. Elizabeth’s purity shines through as she is taken away, “when the children wake speak nothing of witchcraft- it will frighten them.”
The audience has a sense of helplessness as the drama unfolds. The characters seem bound by the inept laws of the Court; a significant social comment in Miller’s play. Miller raises the question of how laws can control people if laws can be corrupt. However, an audience would also realise that a lawless society would be equally if not more corrupt. Therefore, the Crucible highlights a social dilemma. Perhaps it is not sufficient to blindly follow laws or rules as says, “laws are for the guidance of the wise, and for fools to follow.”
Abigail’s scheme to win Proctor is made clear to both Proctor and Elizabeth; Cheever relates that Abigail had a fit at dinner in house that evening. Parris found a needle in her abdomen, and Abigail accused Elizabeth of witchcraft. The accusation demonstrates that Abigail’s villainy runs deeper than an audience might have imagined. In Act One she behaves solely out of self-interest. She is wiling to harm others to save herself. However, in this instance she purposely frames Elizabeth for revenge, planting the poppet as a means to engineer Elizabeth's death sentence. This event even serves to break the calm exterior of Elizabeth Proctor, who deems that Abigail must be "ripped out of the world." An audience’s sympathy to Elizabeth increases their apathy Abigail. Additionally, this scene justifies Elizabeth’s jealousy and her being ill-at-ease concerning Abigail and Proctor’s previous relationship. This revelation is important to the play because the audience already know of this, yet this is the first time Elizabeth and Proctor realise and this realisation eventually begins to unite them, causing the audience to become closer to both of them and increasing the drama. Moreover, one understands where Proctor’s loyalty lies, even in the most extreme of situations.
Abigail uses Mary Warren against Elizabeth and builds deception. The extremes that Abigail is prepared to go to in order to undermine Elizabeth are evident; she even harms herself to accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft. Miller uses irony in the Act, a key tool in the play as a whole. The irony of Hale’s words when he states “it profit nothing you should lay the cause to the vengeance of a little girl” pierces an audience’s emotions because he is making Abigail sound so innocently childlike, and they know that the opposite is true. The Proctors and their allies can only rely on Mary Warren to save them from Abigail’s treachery. However, she is the weakest and most flexible character in The Crucible. She alone has the power to stop the hysteria of the witchcraft trials, but neither the strength nor resolve to effect this. Mary requires intense coercion from Proctor to even consider admitting to the falsehood in court.
