Throughout the monologue with Proctor and Abigail, the attitude and mood soon changes because Proctor wants to leave the affair in the past, and wipe it out of mind, like it never happened. 'Wipe it out of mind'. However Abigail wants to carry on with the sexual desire to carry on the affair with Proctor. At the beginning of the monologue he tries to set her firmly out of his path, however later he gets angry and she can't believe it. Abigail soon gets quite angry as well, and this part of the play expresses the anger between both of them 'Abigail (With a flash of anger): How do you call me child!'
During Act 1, it seems as though Abigail wants John Proctor 'Abigail (grasping his hand before he can release her): John – I am waitin' for you every night', however as the John Proctor and her keep talking there is a change in her mood because he is not giving into her sexual desire for him. Now her mood changes into anger and jealousy 'Abigail (With a bitter anger): Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be-', here she becomes really jealous that he won't give into her due to the fact that he loves Elizabeth, and Elizabeth is his wife.
The stage directions that Arthur Miller uses in the play tell the reader a lot about the character. When Abigail is going on about the affair between her and Proctor the stage directions are beneficial. 'Abigail: (grasping his hand before he can release her): John - I am waitin' for you every night', this instantly helps the reader visualise the character and will aid the an actor that is performing the play, whilst playing the role to act more effectively.
Arthur Miller also uses the language as a benefit for the effective of the play, Miller uses language to effectively set the period and the tone for the play. The language brings an approach of something out of the King James Bible, but somehow makes it universal to modern day, and the stage directions being out an approach of making the play more effective to both the actors and the audience.
In court, Proctor has an outburst of truth and attack on Abigail. Abigail's reaction to this, is that he is lying about what he is saying, she tries to manipulate the court room into believing what she is saying. 'Abigail: Mr Danforth, he is lying!', later on, she then makes it up that she is seeing a bird up on the ceiling, and she gets the rest of the girls to go with her lying, to make it look as though there is witchcraft going on right before there eyes. 'Abigail, with a weird, chilling cry, screams up to the ceiling', 'Abigail (unperturbed, continuing to the 'bird'): Oh, Mary, this is a black art to change your shape. No, I cannot, I cannot stop my mouth; it's God's work I do.' Here is where she really starts to manipulate people, and lie.
The language that Proctor uses to describe himself is not like his prideful ways. He describes himself as a “sinner”. He has cheated on his wife, and he is very reluctant to admit the crime to anyone else. There are various moments when his anger and disgust towards himself burst forth, such as in the action moment when he exclaims to Judge Danforth: 'I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face!' And it is my face, and yours'.
Despite the fact that Proctor had a lustful affair with Abigail, he describes her in a nasty and harsh way. He describes her using language like 'Whore, and a lump of vanity', and exclaims 'How do you call Heaven! Whore! Whore!
In Act Three, both Proctor and Abigail react to Elizabeths lie. Proctor reacts to her lie by trying to tell her to tell Judge Danforth the truth, instead of trying to save his back. 'Proctor: Elizabeth, tell the truth!','Proctor: She only thought to save my name! At the moment where Hale says he believes Proctor 'Hale: I believe him! (Pointing to Abigail.) This girl has always struck me false', now Abigail makes the big dramatic drama of seeing birds on the roof, when she is lying. 'You will not! Begone! Begone, I say!', '(But Abigail, pointing with fear, is now raising up her frightened eyes, her awed face, towards the ceiling – The girls are doing the same – and now Hathorne, Hale, Putnam, Cheever, Herrick, and Danforth do the same)'.
Due to the fact that Elizabeth was noble to her husband, Elizabeth had chosen to lie to help save her husband, however perhaps express disapproval herself to hell for such a sin. As well as the scene indicating dramatic irony, there is a irony to Proctor's confession, because he knew that he had already confessed, and Elizabeth was unaware about the confession. The biggest irony is that Proctor commiting adultery with Abigail directly caused his his indirect approach caused his wifes allegation as a witch. Proctor himself starting the spark to Abigails intense revealing emotions towards him resulted in his own death.
Although Proctor and Abigail slowly turned into mortal enemies, their struggles and fate seem to be alomost identical. When Abigails fate comes upon her, and she realises that she cannot change the way the hierarchy of Salem is doing things, she goes crazy, and by this, he starts accusing everybody. This is shown when Proctor breaks some of the rules of Salem.
Like Abigail, Proctors biggest fate was when he dies, and this is similarly for Abigail. Not only was it fate that played the death of his life, he dies with honor and freedom. Part of his fate had caused him to confes his sinds and he was unable to forgive himself, however he found peace in knowing that he had never condemned his friends.
In my opinion, Abigail had to leave Salem because the things that they had done (commited perjury in the courtroom, made false accusations and lies) were not only crimes, but were also sins. Salem was quite a place with a system of governments, which meant that the punishments were severe, and permanent. 'Abigail (unpertubed, continuing to the 'bird'): Oh, Mary, this is a black art to change your shape. No, I cannot, I cannot stop my mouth' it's God's work I do.'
I think that Proctor revokes his confusion because too much has happened, he has cheated on the woman that he loves and the woman that loved him so much to put her name to save his back 'Proctor: She only thought to save my name'. So to put an end to his confusion there was only one thing to do to put an end to it. He chooses to end his life by not confessing to a lie even though it would mean that he would be hanged, he knows this, and this is a way that was easy to revoke his confusion.
When thinking about 'Because it is my name', I think it means that in the book, eventually Proctor meets his tragic death and this puts all the other characteristics of himself together to make a very tragic hero. Proctor was going to confess to witchcraft but when it came to loosing him name and sacrificing his friends for something he had not done, he refused to confess. Proctor decided not to confess a lie even though he was going to be hanged. This, in my opinion is done in act four when proctor says'..because I lie and I sign my name to lies. I cannot live without my name; I have given you my soul leave me my name.'
