If you were acting in a Production of “The Crucible,” Which character would you choose to play and why?
If you were acting in a Production of "The Crucible," Which character would you choose to play and why?
If I were acting in a production of the Crucible, I would choose to play John Proctor, a wealthy farmer. This is because the play evolves around his life. I also like Giles Corey because of his honesty and the way that he was persecuted for his honourable beliefs. One thing that makes Proctor such a good man is the way that he discovers his true inner-self at the end but still chooses to be hanged rather than to live a life of lower value. He is honest with himself and others; he would rather live honourably than to live a life of dishonour, he knows his own faults. At the start of the play he is uneasy with his betrayal to his wife and tries to justify himself by feeling that she is, "cold". At the end of the play he has gained integrity and he loves Elizabeth more than ever, this is based on his honesty. On the surface he has strong principles but right from the start we know that he had an affair with a much younger girl called Abigail. He tells his wife about the affair so this shows that he is more than sorry about it. I suspect although we are never told, that Elizabeth becomes cold to Proctor before the affair, but even more so after it. We know that she is "cold" after the affair due to her actions, Miller describes one of her "cold" actions,
'He gets up, goes to her, kisses her. She receives it. With a certain disappointment, he returns to the table.'
Proctor cheated because of her coldness, he is a young, fit and outgoing man, so we assume he lusted after Abigail because she tempted him. Elizabeth could have been cold to him because she was ill and had a very low sex drive. On the surface Proctor had strong principles but his lust and Abigail's tempting made him go against his morals and the morals of the time.
"The Crucible" is set in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. It was a time when the thought of witchcraft was credible. Due to their lack of knowledge people blamed uncontrollable problems on the Devil. The people of Salem did not allow vain enjoyment e.g. such as theatre or reading. Holidays meant more time to concentrate on their prayers and they didn't celebrate Christmas. It was the law to go to church on Sunday and they had a two-man patrol to make sure that everyone did. To the West of Salem was the huge American continent from which Indians would occasionally burst out of, to kill or to steal. The community is hard working but very insecure in its geographical position and social position. The Reverend Parris had parishioners who had lost relatives to these heathen. This makes him very protective and paranoid, he is always watching his back.
John is a wealthy farmer who owns a lot of land, with a good standing and reputation within the community. He works very hard as he tells Elizabeth,
"This farm's a continent when you go foot by foot dropping seeds in it." (P.42 Heinemann Edition)
This quotation shows his wealth and how he is prepared to work hard on it. This is a typical example of the way Miller uses powerful and evocative language when Proctor speaks. This is powerful and evocative because Proctor feels that it is his land and he can do as he ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
John is a wealthy farmer who owns a lot of land, with a good standing and reputation within the community. He works very hard as he tells Elizabeth,
"This farm's a continent when you go foot by foot dropping seeds in it." (P.42 Heinemann Edition)
This quotation shows his wealth and how he is prepared to work hard on it. This is a typical example of the way Miller uses powerful and evocative language when Proctor speaks. This is powerful and evocative because Proctor feels that it is his land and he can do as he pleases with it. He seems a strong, self-confident man. However as Miller informs us,
'A sinner, a sinner not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against his own vision of decent conduct.' (P.16)
This quotation shows us the struggle for good and evil in Proctor. In the village he is respected by many and feared by some because of his direct speech and strong opinions. This is shown when he goes to Salem to find Mary Warren, his servant. He had told her not to go to the witchcraft trials. When she sees him she barely manages to say,
"Oh! I'm just going home, Mr. Proctor." (P.16)
She is scared and embarrassed, we know this because Miller has written in a stage direction,
'Mary Warren his servant can barely speak for embarrassment and fear.' (P.16)
I think that Miller would want Proctor to be played as a strong caring man, with a mind of his own. I think this because he is a prominent figure in society and he is persecuted for his honesty. This proves that he is a strong man and has a mind of his own. He tells us that Proctor is a strong man, which he must be in mind and matter. This is because as a farmer, he must do a lot of manual work, which would build up his muscles. Also by choosing the hanging rather than living and lying, he shows his great strength of mind. We realise that he isn't frightened of what society thinks of him, when he admits to being a lecher in an effort to save the lives of those accused of witchcraft. He is bothered by it but he realises that he has to face up to his own sin and take the consequences. When he confessed to being associated with the Devil, Danforth asked him,
"Did you ever see anyone with the Devil?" (P.112)
Proctor is forced to face up to his sins and to take the consequences but he is determined to not get anyone else convicted or suspected. He says,
"They like to go like saints. I like not to spoil their names." (P.113)
This shows his strength in the fact that he only wants to convict himself. He will not testify which may help bring others down with him. Also Abigail said to him in the parlour of Parris's house,
"Gah! I'd almost forgot how strong you are, John Proctor." (P.16)
There are a few other similar references to his strength in his conversation with Abigail, but she means it in a different way, she is referring to their affair.
Arthur Miller has written the play in the dialect of the time to distance the play from modern times. This is because he wants us to see parallel to it, to be able to compare it to today. This is to give the audience a feel for the time, an understanding and realisation of when the play was set. Also the accent would come naturally to the actor when you read the script because of the way that Miller has written the play. The script is written in colloquial language and semi-imposes an accent due to the double negatives and the dialect. The accent is like the British ones of the time.
The modern audience would find Proctor's real life affair with Abigail awful not only because he committed adultery but also because he did it with a twelve-year-old girl. Because times have changed, Miller made Abigail older to fit in with now, but still young enough for us to be shocked. We are to see it on parallel lines as, still quite shocking. He had the affair with Abigail due to lust, which was driven by Elizabeth's ill health and "coldness".
The extract that I have chosen is from page 110. It shows us Proctor's strength of character. Proctor is utterly confused as to whether he should give a false confession or to deny the accusation and be hung. He wants to take Elizabeth's sins with him but she doesn't let him. He feels great guilt for his actions and Elizabeth's sorrows.
"I would have your forgiveness, Elizabeth"(P.109)
We can tell from this quotation that Proctor desperately wants Elizabeth to forgive him, for his adultery and sins. She realises that he is a good man and tells him how he,
"Take my sins upon you, John..." (P.110)
Proctor denies this and Miller writes in a stage direction describing Proctor's reaction and feeling,
'In Agony.' (P.110)
In this conversation I would act as Miler instructs, "In agony". I would heave my chest and breathe deeply, loudly and heavily. I would roll my head in anguish and gulp down air. I would not be able to focus properly. I would do this because I think it shows suffering inside and a sense of urgency. His agony is related to his affair with Abigail and his misuse of Elizabeth, a woman he truly respects. We know that he respects her because he wretchedly strives for her forgiveness.
When Proctor tells Hathorne that he wants his life he is surprised at the way Hathorne rushes out of the door ands calls down the corridor. Proctor immediately feels guilty and once more shows "great pain." He realises his importance to the court, due to his good reputation and standing in the community so he feels that he should act more responsibly. He is torn by contrasting forces at this point and needs some reassurance so he asks Elizabeth,
"It is evil, is it not? It is evil." (P.110)
Proctor knows that it is evil but he wants to know Elizabeth's opinion because he believes that she is very honest and pure. When Elizabeth tells him that she cannot judge him he asks,
"Then who will judge me?" (P.110)
This seems like a pure question. He's coming to a very crucial decision and is still unsure of which way he should waive to. I would act with speed, searching and questioning, by looking up at the sky or anywhere, asking anything e.g. a chair. Miller instructs the actor,
'Suddenly clasping his hand'. (P.110)
It is as though Proctor is lost in thought, and then suddenly claps out of it. He inquiringly asks,
"God in heaven what is John Proctor, what is John Proctor?" (P.110)
He is looking for the truth; he is still searching within himself. When Elizabeth couldn't answer him he looks to God. This shows that he is a good Christian because he looks to God, not to the devil. Miller tells us
'He moves as an animal, and a fury is riding in him, a tantalised search.' (P.110)
Miller is instructing the actor to move quickly and crazed. Proctor is looking into his soul, 'A tantalised search'. He should be moving quickly. If I were acting as Proctor I would breathe deeply, loudly and heavily because I think it shows thinking and soul searching. I would change direction frequently and sharply to be like an animal because I think, that it helps to show thinking and soul searching. Proctor then exclaims,
"I think it is honest, I think so; I am no saint." (P.110)
Miller tells the actor using once again a stage direction,
'As though she had denied this he calls angrily at her.' (P.110)
"Let Rebecca go like a saint; for me it is fraud!" (P.110)
Proctor still thinks that he is a bad man because of his affair with Abigail. So he thinks that there is no point in denying the accusations of witchcraft because he is not the good man to die as a saint by being hung.
This whole extract seems to be as though it should be spoken with speed but punctuated by long pauses to show the thinking and then the saying. It is nearly dawn and proctor has to make his decision soon or he will hang so he should be a bit frantic.
I chose this extract because it shows that Proctor and Elizabeth do still love each other, also because it shows an important part of the play. It shows how Proctor, an extremely strong man is wavering at a crucial decision, which many weaker people had to make. I think that it shows how difficult it would have been for the others to take the honourable option. It also shows the abominable law system due to the two options that the defendants are faced with. This play makes me hate Danforth and the way of life, due to such obvious miscarriages of justice. I find the hangings very evil but this scene makes me especially angry because I know a brilliant man, John Proctor has died, at the hands of lesser men.
Proctor is a good man and he is unwilling to pass on any blame to others. We can see this when Danforth asks him who was with the Devil when he came to him. Proctor screams and cries as instructed by Miller,
"I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it." (P.113)
Proctor is a good man at heart. All of the people believe Proctor's innocence towards the end of the play even possibly the judges. Parris wants him to confess because it would alleviate him of his dangerous position among the angry and possibly rebellious townsfolk. Hale, I believe is a good man and dislikes the stern hand that Danforth administrates so he wants Proctor to confess because he realises his innocence. I think that Hale believed Proctor from the onset but couldn't say anything because he had already let good people die on what he now believed to be incorrect evidence. He was the only one who wanted to stop the hanging of Proctor and the others. Parris tells Danforth how he, "Has returned to bring Rebecca Nurse to God." This shows Hale's contempt with the court and his belief that they are innocent. The other judges could not allow themselves to be seen as having condemned twelve innocent people so they had to go on and show no signs of weakness.
Proctor's last words are very moving in his final evaluation of himself. He exclaims,
"I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs." (P.116)
He shows his hate and anger at the court by calling them, "such dogs". He finally expresses his disdain at them and bows out grandly and "erectly", as I would have imagined him to do so. For the whole of the play he has been thinking about his guilty conscience and what a bad man he is but he eventually realises at the end of his life that he is not a bad man, but indeed a good honourable man.
Luke Roberts 10S
Page 1
