Proctor’s house is portrayed as a nice, comfortable, homey place ‘fireplace is at the left… Elizabeth is heard softly singing…’ but it has an underlying tone of tension hanging in the air ‘low, dark…room is empty’. There is a strong need between the couple to please each other a need to be appreciated by each other ‘…he swings a pot…not quite pleased…take a pinch of salt…tasting again…footsteps are heard…swings pot into fireplace…’
In the quote above, he has not committed a guilty act but the last phrase ‘swings pot into fireplace’ makes it seem guilty because of the way he acts. He in-avertedly tried to please her in order to please him because he knows, that is her intention. We see that it is important for Elizabeth to please Proctor and how important it is for her to feel appreciated ‘she sits and watches him taste it…blushing with pleasure: I took great care…’ the conversation between the couple at the start of the Act comes across to the audience as being awkward and idle, to fill in the silence. This is a reflection of the tension in the room. As their conversation moves along, it slowly becomes heated, due to the fact that his affair tarnished their relationship. Miller used ‘The Crucible’ as a metaphor for Elizabeth’s and John’s relationship. The pure element to be extracted is their love for one another leaving behind the impurities – lies and guilt.
The affair with Abigail puts up a wall between Proctor and his wife ‘a sense of their separation arises’. Mention of Abigail provokes arguments between the couple and because the guilt Proctor heaps upon himself is already a great burden, having Elizabeth’s judgement made it too much to bear ‘your justice would freeze beer’. Although Elizabeth is trying to repair the damage in her relationship wit John, her suspicion remains and she still hurts – this puts more strain on their relationship. John Proctor’s vivid awareness of this provokes his anger towards Elizabeth but more towards himself because of the immense guilt he feels for hurting someone he cares deeply about. The guilt takes an impact on his way of reasoning and the way he acts.
Having Elizabeth’s judgement is too painful for John ‘you will not judge me more’ this is because he knows he earned and deserves her judgement but this could be because he knows he will be judged by God; as this is puritan belief. He feels the judgement is too great. John Proctor is angry because Elizabeth will not forget his misdeeds and therefore he can forget it ‘you forget nothing’ and forgive nothing’. This makes him believe he doesn’t have her forgiveness but as an audience, her still being in that marriage signifies some shred of forgiveness, if not total.
The theme of vengeance comes into place when Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft. There is dramatic irony here because everyone in Salem has come to regard her as a saint while the audience knows the truth. I believe Abigail accused Elizabeth of witchcraft in hope of replacing her but more also to spite her and hurt John Proctor. Abigail holds the power of fear over the people of Salem. She holds this power over the judges because they fear the unknown and over the people because they fear for their lives which make them admit to a crime they are innocent of. The fear of dying leaves them no choice but to confess to witchcraft ‘and, why not, if they must hang for denying it?’ Here proctor sees through these confessions because he is aware of the truth. This can be linked to modern day because fear is a powerful weapon and can be used to force anyone to do almost anything.
When Elizabeth is charged with witchcraft, John sacrifices his pride in an attempt to save her – his pride which he held so dear, this shows the audience that he truly loves Elizabeth. Miller also portrays Elizabeth’s love for John by lying to try to protect him but this proved to be his undoing because John had told the court that his wife would never lie ‘your wife you say is an honest woman – in her life, sir, she never lied’. It is very ironic indeed that her first lie causes John’s downfall. This could have been a pivotal part in the play because had she told the truth, Abigail would have been ‘defeated’ but because of her lie, it spirals out of John’s control. The power of fear over Mary Warren caused her to accuse John of witchcraft when the other girls turned on her.
In Act 4 a while after John Proctor’s imprisonment, it is evident that it is a broken man ‘it is beyond sorrow…weak he sits’ ‘he is another man’. Miller uses excellent stage directions because with a few well chosen words he manages to destroy the image of proctor when he was a physically strong man. Elizabeth feels she has to be strong for both of them and will not let her weakness or sorrow show ‘catches a weakening in herself and drowns it…not let herself be drowned in the sea that threatens her’. Miller’s choice of words is very powerful because the word “sea” instead of tears portrays to the audience just how deep the sorrow she feels is which immediately makes the audience sympathize, if not empathize with the couple.
Through adversity, their relationship changes, it made them stronger even though they were separated. John Proctor is desperately in need of Elizabeth’s judgement and approval unlike in Act 2. Elizabeth is not quick to judge but instead she tries to share the blame for the breakdown in their relationship ‘it takes a cold wife to prompt lechery’. This is very magnanimous of her because none of the blame was hers to take. They have thorough honesty with each other. The word ‘The Crucible’ is a very good metaphor for this point in the play because as they forgive each other, they finally separate the impurities from their love.
Proctor’s confession comes to be important to the authorities because of his reputation ‘it is a weighty name; it will strike the village that proctor confess’. If John confesses others will follow suit and it will show the court as being fair. Proctor is momentarily prepared to give a confession because he wanted to live for Elizabeth and she wants him to live but isn’t prepared to tell him which way to go because she knew how important it was to John to see “goodness” in himself.
When Proctor is asked to give names of people he “saw” with the devil, he refuses to give names ‘I speak my own sins, I cannot judge another’ ‘(crying out with hatred) I have no tongue for it’. He feels he had no right to judge anyone when he himself isn’t pure. The hatred he feels is towards the judges for making him give the confession and also towards himself for giving into it. Proctor refuses to let them have his signed confession because it’s his name and his name is his pride. He knows if the village sees his singed confession, his name will be blackened and the respect he was has will be gone ‘how may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave my name!’ He knows he is singing to lies. He knows if his confession is nailed to the door he will be branded a liar, a witch and he will never be able to change it.
‘I think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor’ – he has finally forgiven himself, by not giving his name and he can leave with some dignity. He feels he has gotten back some of his integrity in front of God and he can be at peace with himself. The actions of the other characters and the raw emotions Miller shows through the stage directions heightens the climax of the end of the play ‘Parris: (in deadly fear)… (Rushes out to the door…to hold back his fate)’ Parris and Hale feel a sense of responsibility for the event unfolding before them ‘(he drops to his knees)…go to him take his shame away’.
‘The final drum roll crashes…and the new sun is pouring in upon her face’ – this signifies that as one thing ends, another begins. ‘The new sun’ signifies new beginnings and sun brings life and hope, this means there’s hope for Elizabeth and the rest of Salem.