Proctor accuses Danforth of being afraid to reveal the truth. Danforth acts more to keep the reputation of the court rather than for justice. Reverend Hale now sees the evil in the court and denounces the proceedings. Proctor is arrested.
The fourth act takes places several months later in the autumn at the Salem jail cell. Marshal Herrick arrives at the cell drunk and wakes up Sarah Good and Tituba, who talk about how the devil will take them to Barbados soon. Danforth arrives with Hathorne, and they discuss whether it is wise to allow Parris to meet with the prisoners, for Parris now has a mad look. Cheever details how the town is in shambles because so many people are in jail. Hale has been begging Rebecca Nurse to admit to witchcraft. Parris arrives and tells Danforth how Abigail has vanished with Mercy Lewis and stolen his money. Parris worries about the rumours of rebellion against the witchcraft proceedings in Andover, but Hathorne reminds Parris how there has only been great satisfaction in all of the Salem executions. Parris reminds him that Rebecca Nurse is no immoral woman such as the others executed and there will thus be less satisfaction, and claims that he worries for his safety, having found a dagger outside his doorway. Still, Danforth refuses to postpone any of the executions. Danforth calls for Elizabeth Proctor, and Hale tells her that he does not want Proctor to die, for he would feel responsible for the murder. He tells Elizabeth that God may damn a liar less than a person who throws one's life away, but Elizabeth claims that this may be the Devil's argument. Finally, Elizabeth agrees to speak with Proctor, who is brought in bearded and filthy. Proctor and Elizabeth discuss their children, and Elizabeth tells him how Giles Corey died: when he refused to answer yes or no to his indictment, and was thus pressed with stones until he would answer. He only gave the words "more weight" before they crushed him. Proctor says that he cannot mount the gibbet as a saint, for it would be a fraud to claim that he has never lied. Elizabeth says that she has her own sins, for only a cold wife would prompt lechery. Finally, Proctor decides that he will confess himself, although he does ask whether what he does is evil. When Proctor agrees to save himself by admitting to witchcraft, Danforth demands a written confession and, to prove the purity of his soul to others, he demands that Proctor accuse others. Hale suggests that it is sufficient for Proctor to confess to God, but Danforth still requires a written statement. Proctor refuses, because he wishes only to keep his good name for the respectability of his children. Danforth refuses to accept his confession, and orders that he be hanged. Hale begs Elizabeth to plead with Proctor to sign a confession, but Elizabeth claims that Proctor now has his goodness, and nobody should take it away from him.
Write about the relevance of and importance of the title to what happens in the play.
Arthur Miller uses the title of his The Crucible as a constantly throughout the text. A crucible is a container used to heat metals at a high temperature so the metal can be cast, often using intense pressure to do so. Crucibles are often also used to remove impurities from a substance, so that only the pure matter remains. The relevance of the title is apparent in many of the themes and issues of the play, and is demonstrated through striking imagery and the actions of characters that Miller portrays to us.
The relevance of the play’s title becomes evident during the first act, as we gradually piece together the information concerning the girls dancing. The kettle viewed by Reverend Parris, an argumentative and unreasonable man in his middle forties, mirrors a crucible. We are told that the girls had made a brew that contained a little frog and blood. This concoction was viewed by the characters involved as a potent, fearsome mixture and this signifies the beginning of the Salem tragedy. It seems that from this ‘brew’ a more sinister force is released, or metaphorically speaking, the impurities are released due to the aid of a crucible.
The dancing and the contents of the little pot seem to fuel the rumours, lies and tragedy of Salem. Suspicion soon engulfs the community and the little privacy that once existed suddenly shatters. Privacy was quickly interpreted to mean that people had some terrible fault to hide and there was an intense pressure for neighbours to reveal each other’s sins. Here is evidence of how the play’s title is reflected in the actions and words of the characters.
In fact, Reverend Parris makes an ironic comment that is closely linked with the The Crucible:
REVEREND PARRIS: ‘Why, Rebecca, we may open up the boil of all our troubles today because in the end the witchcraft investigation provokes the burning down and destruction of the community.’
Here The Crucible is once again used metaphorically to illustrate characters beliefs. The use of such words as ‘boil’ and ‘burning down’ are directly linked with the image of a crucible at work.
The witch trials are also metaphorically a crucible for people’s grudges, and their seeking of revenge. The play shows us also how people can give into their fear and superstition. Salem quickly turns into a melting pot of suspicion and vengeance with nearly everyone trying to pull power out of the pot. The witch trials provided an avenue to bring hostilities out into the open in a theocratic society that had little opportunity for speaking out.
The trials are not really about witchcraft. Abigail Williams, a strikingly pretty seventeen-year-old orphan, admits to John Proctor, a well-respected farmer in his mid thirties, how the witchery is a hoax:
ABIGAIL: ‘We were dancing in the woods last night and my uncle leaped out on us. She took fright, is all’.
Furthermore, the relationship between Abigail and Proctor is highlighted using imagery connected to the concept of a crucible. The relationship, based more on lust than love, is one that Proctor dearly regrets and that constantly plays on his conscience. Heat and fire can be used as symbols that are strongly connected with a crucible, and Miller uses this symbolism cleverly:
ABIGAIL: ‘… you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I came near!’ In addition, later,
ABIGAIL: ‘I have a sense for heat, John … and I have seen you … burning in your loneliness.’
The relationship can be likened to the concept of a crucible because it represents the high temperatures and reactions that take place in a crucible. The relationship between Abigail and John is shown in great contrast with his wife Elizabeth, a cold and unforgiving woman. The relationship between John and Elizabeth is cold, distant and tense, with no passion or fire. However, despite his feelings of passion for Abigail, Proctor realises that he must not succumb to them again. This decision effectively ends their relationship and extinguishes the heat between them.
Fire and heat is used as a symbol once again in Act Three. The Crucible metaphor is illustrated in the play when Judge Danforth, a strict judge with a strong belief in authority, says to Proctor,
DANFORTH: ‘We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment’.
The court scenes were times of tension, intensity, pressure and conflicts between powerful authorities refusing to realise they have signed away innocent lives on the strength of a lie. In addition, things are permanently and physically changed in a crucible, when they are turned from one thing into another. This is reflected in the play by the fact that many characters in the play are exposed to high pressures during the trial. This pushes many characters to the limits of reason and changes them mentally, physically and spiritually.
Another parallel between the word crucible and the play is the fact that a meaning of the word crucible is a severe test or trial. When John Proctor is convicted of witchery he wrestles with his conscience about whether he should confess or be hanged. His internal conflict between the opportunity to protect himself at the expense of others weighs heavily on his mind, but he chooses the ultimate sacrifice – his life. He asks his wife towards the end of The Crucible:
PROCTOR: ‘would you give them such as lie? You would not; if tongs of fire were singeing you, you would not’
This makes it evident that Proctor recognises his own shortcomings and once again conjures the image of fire that is closely related to a crucible, Miller also uses the text to make connections between Salem and Hell.
PROCTOR: ‘A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! …. And we will burn, we will burn together!’
Here Miller makes the ultimate connection between the play’s title The Crucible and the society he is portraying. The intense heat and pressure of Hell is also present in a crucible, and both can be associated with the hysteria and suspicion of the people in Salem during the witch trials.
The obvious relevance of The Crucible can be found at the very core of the text. A crucible can be used to separate and discard impurities the in a substance – in effect, that was the essence of the Salem witch trials. In an attempt to separate the ‘good from the bad’, many respectable and virtuous people were hung due to the mass hysteria and pressure caused by ‘The Crucible’ of the times.
By reflecting his play’s powerful and effective title throughout the text, Miller prompts his audience to apply his metaphor to other situations in history. It was most certainly Miller’s own experiences during the ‘communist hunt’ of the 1950’s that provoked him to write this play. Miller saw the parallels between the McCarthy era and the Salem witch hunts for what they really were – a crucible. Severe trials held in an attempt to separate the good from the evil, the pure from the tainted. Through his text, he shows the frailty and vulnerability of human nature by showing how hypocrisy and hysteria can lead to times of suspicion and instability.
Crucible is a word that mixes many feelings and emotions where most words tend to be more ambiguous. Because the word crucible has multiple meanings, Arthur Miller chose The Crucible as a title to try to express the subtleties of the play’s message.
The usual and most widely used definition for crucible, according to the New Oxford Dictionary of English, is: “a pot or vessel made of a substance, such as porcelain, that will withstand extreme heat for the use of melting various materials.” This definition is easily connected to the play. First off, witches supposedly use cauldrons to brew their magic potions, and a synonym for cauldron is crucible. Not only do witches use cauldrons, but the word crucible also could have some meaning as a metaphor. The actions in Salem were like that in a brewing cauldron, there were many intense (heated) arguments, and people were being ‘stirred’ and ‘mixed’ around like a vile potion.
A severe test is another definition for crucible that is not quite as distinguished as the first mentioned. This definition is more greatly defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as: “a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change that produces something new.” The play can, without a doubt, be likened to this definition as well. If you look at the witch trials themselves, while the accused were in the courtroom, they were enduring a test of their character and moral values. The charged had a very hard time getting people to even listen to their point of view, if not even consider it. In addition, courtroom attendees who believed the accused had not really committed any crimes had to suffer through the wild accusations and horrific consequences that arose because of the judgment that was passed.
When mixed, these definitions can undoubtedly be translated into the play. Through the whole ordeal of the Salem Witch Trials, the whole town was morphing and transforming. Salem was a melting pot of different paradigms and diverse opinions of who wasn’t a witch, who was a witch, and what a witch was.
In the actual book “the crucible”, it says the following about the title and I quote “a crucible is a container in which metals are heated to extract the pure element from dross or impurities. In the play, John Proctor is tested in a life threatening ordeal and his death at the end rather than betrayal of his conscience shows us that he to has come through the fire to be purified.
Write about the parallels between the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials and McCarthyism in the 1940’s and 1950’s.
McCarthyism in the crucible written by Arthur Miller the madness of the Salem witch trials is explored in detail. There is more to the play than the Salem witch trials. The crucible was composed during a time when a similar hysteria was sweeping through America.
In Arthur Miller’s play the crucible; there is evidence of parallels between the Salem of 1692 and America of the 1950’s. Both show misuse of power and misguided justice. If you opposed the McCarthy investigations, you were accused of being a communist and if you opposed the Salem witch trials, you were accused of being a witch. McCarthyism and The Salem Witch trials are very common for many reasons. They both started up because of the selfishness of others. If Joseph McCarthy was not so selfish then the people that he accused would have had a job, and they would not have been shunned by the community. If the two girls were not so selfish then 19 people would have their lives back. This shows how McCarthyism and The Salem Witch Trials started off as somebody trying to get out of trouble, or somebody trying to get a higher seat in public but ended up as two of the most horribly looked upon events in American history.
The Salem Witch Trials did not have a very good court system.
In the play, The Crucible, many parallels can be found in reference to the 1950 Communist trials led by Joe McCarthy. In this work by Arthur Miller, the events of the 1692 Salem witch trials parallel those of the McCarthy trials, in that, both events were not only based on insubstantial evidence but caused mass hysteria that destroyed the lives and reputations of those involved. In the Salem witch trials, insubstantial evidence was present in each of the events. People trying to save themselves from being prosecuted created the evidence from the witch trials. The parallel of the McCarthy trials was that people would falsely accuse other people of being a member of the Communist party. One of the lines of the play quotes John Proctor, ”… as I have quailed, and as you that this be fraud — God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together”. The mass hysteria of the witch trials was contrived by pointing the blame at each other. From, The Crucible, the girls, led by Abigail Williams, turned the town hysterical, and blamed other people to cover their sin. In the McCarthy trials, Joe McCarthy did not cover his sin, but he feared that there were Communists within the government. McCarthy and his suspicions ruined many peoples’ lives. Jobs were lost, families torn apart, reputations not only bruised, but also scarred, and lives ruined. In the play, the same things happened, not only to the poor, but also to the well off, including reverends. One of the lives ruined in the play was John Proctor’s and his family’s, but in the end, almost everything was better. The Crucible, showed that insubstantial evidence, and insignificant people being blamed not only causes lives, jobs, reputations, and families to be ruined, but also mass hysteria takes over the town, or even the country, and upsets people to an unbelievable extent.
In The Crucible, hysteria and hidden agendas break down the social structure and then everyone must protect themselves from the people that they thought were their friends. The church, the legal system, and the togetherness of the community died so that the girls and their families social status might be protected. The fact that Salem was a Puritan community did not help matters either. Puritans were a strict religious group that tolerated no devious behaviour. Being isolated from any other group of people with different beliefs created a church led Puritan society that was not able to accept a lot of change. Anyone who was not in good standing with the church was not even allowed in the community They believed God elected those who were to go to Heaven by the same token though they believed the Devil could choose his disciples also. Puritans deemed anything pleasurable was motivated by and came directly from the Devil. When The Crucible was written, the American society was threatened by communism much as Salem was threatened by witchcraft.
Write about what you see as the strengths and weaknesses of Proctor and Elizabeth.
Throughout the play, John Proctor changes from being a troubled, self-exiled, sinner to becoming a person of high moral standards. Proctor exemplifies the importance of a strong name through his actions and choices throughout the play; most significantly the fourth act when he chose death over disgracing his name. John proctor is a tragic hero; he does not allow another soul to suffer for his mistake. Proctor will go to the extreme, even if it means punishment by death, in order to save his wife.
Proctor thinks for himself and stands up for his values and what he believes in against all odds. To see how Arthur Miller does this we have to analyse the character of John Proctor in the play. John Proctor is a complex character. He is respected in the town of Salem when he signs his confession Parris says
'It is a weighty name; it will strike the village that Procter confess'
This shows that the people of Salem see him as a good citizen.
Although Proctor is seen as a good man he is racked with guilt after having an affair with his wife's servant, Abigail .He is very remorseful and wishes to do right by his wife from now on although he is still tempted
'Abigail I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched Abby.'
His emotional scene with Elizabeth shows how he tries to do the best by her but fails:
'I'll not have your suspicion any more' Elizabeth: ‘then let you earn it'
He was persistent, honest, and full of integrity. He was simply, a man with pride. In The Crucible, a prime example of a person with integrity is Elizabeth
Proctor. Elizabeth shows her personal purity when she refuses to persuade
her husband to confess to crimes of witchcraft. She refuses because she
believes that he is good now in God's light. God, to her, will show her
the right way, and she believes that by following God's moral code she
Will be right and just.
John Proctor, Elizabeth’s husband, also shows
his integrity when he refuses to confess to crimes of witchcraft. Even
though confessing would save his life, he won't confess to a crime he
didn't commit. He knows that being dishonest isn't being loyal to his
beliefs.
Proctor redeems himself and provides a final denunciation of the witch trials in his final act. Offered the opportunity to make a public confession of his guilt and live, he almost succumbs, even signing a written confession. His immense pride and fear of public opinion compelled him to withhold his adultery from the court, but by the end of the play, he is more concerned with his personal integrity than his public reputation. He still wants to save his name, but for personal and religious, rather than public, reasons. Proctor believes that such integrity will bring him to heaven.
Elizabeth’s strength and weakness is her husband. I know this because she is upset that he has committed adultery but she forgave him in the end.
Write about the sort of “trial” that is going on in their marriage.
The trial going on in the marriage is due to the lack of trust between Elizabeth and her husband John.
The main reason for this is due to the fact that John had an affair with a seventeen year old girl called Abigail, therefore Elizabeth finds it hard to trust him as he has previously committed adultery. For example in act 2 she says “what keeps you so late” he replies “ I were planting far out to the forest edge” Elizabeth then goes on to say “oh your done then” john then says “aye the farm is seeded. The boys asleep?”
At the beginning of this short dialogue extract it seems to me that she is suspicious of his whereabouts and at the end of the passage it also seems to me that he changes the subject to the children as he asks if they are asleep or not.
Relationships are based on trust, and without trust, a relationship will struggle to survive. If there is no trust little incidents can turn into big arguments because none of the two people in the couple will believe what the other says.
We are immediately made aware of the strained relationship between Proctor and Elizabeth. When the curtain opens, we can hear Elizabeth singing softly to her children this shows that she is a loving mother, a strong contrast to what Abby had earlier called her ‘a cold and snivelling Woman’. Proctor enters and goes over to the pot simmering on the fireplace, he tastes it and then finding that it is not to his liking he seasons it and then goes to wash his hands at a basin as Elizabeth enters. When Elizabeth serves Proctor the Stew, he compliments her on the seasoning of it even though he has done it himself. She wants to please him and is glad that he likes it she tells him that she took care of the seasoning ‘I took great care’, Proctor is also glad that he has been able to compliment Elizabeth on her cooking they each want to please each other but they still have a very strained relationship.
Proctor tells Elizabeth that he loves her and she finds it hard to say back, when Proctor kisses her she does not return his kiss and Proctor is disappointed but it is due to Proctor having the affair that Elizabeth finds it hard to be affectionate and why she reacts so coldly to his advances.
Following the discovery of the affair between John Proctor and Abigail, the relationship between the John and Elizabeth Proctor has changed. Elizabeth is no longer putting much effort in to the relationship. There is tension between Elizabeth and John since Elizabeth has not forgiven John for the affair. Elizabeth now questions Proctor's statements, as a result of him having lied to her and misleading her before with the affair with Abigail.
'John, you are not open with me.'
This quote shows that Elizabeth believes that her husband is still hiding something from her. Despite not directly being mentioned at this point, Abigail is the reason why Elizabeth is so furtive and suspicious of her husband. This shows that Abigail has power of Elizabeth's thoughts and actions especially ones to do with her husband.
Write about which one of them you feel most sympathy or admiration for.
I feel sympathy and admiration for both Elizabeth and John.
I feel sympathy for Elizabeth because her husband has cheated on her and she may feel hurt, unloved and unwanted by his actions. I admire her for having the strength to forgive him for his wrongs in the end.
I feel sympathy for John at times as he comes across extremely sorry, remorseful and ashamed for what he has done. I admire him for not giving into Abigail’s advances when she tries to seduce him but he doesn’t give in to the temptation. "I will cut off my hand before I'll ever reach for you again"
In a sense, The Crucible has the structure of a classical tragedy, with as the play's tragic hero. Honest, upright, and blunt-spoken, Proctor is a good man, but one with a secret, fatal flaw. His lust for Abigail Williams led to their affair (which occurs before the play begins), and created Abigail's jealousy of his wife, , which sets the entire witch hysteria in motion. Once the trials begin, Proctor realizes that he can stop Abigail's rampage through Salem but only if he confesses to his adultery. Such an admission would ruin his good name, and Proctor is, above all, a proud man who places great emphasis on his reputation. He eventually attempts, through 's testimony, to name Abigail as a fraud without revealing the crucial information. When this attempt fails, he finally bursts out with a confession, calling Abigail a "whore" and proclaiming his guilt publicly. Only then does he realize that it is too late, that matters have gone too far, and that not even the truth can break the powerful frenzy that he has allowed Abigail to whip up. Proctor's confession succeeds only in leading to his arrest and conviction as a witch.
Write about why Miller chose to place a relationship like this at the centre of the play?
I think that miller chose to place a relationship like this at the centre of the play because they are two of the main characters and their relationship is very eventful. E.g. John committing adultery. The relationship of the Proctors rather ties together the play. Firstly, because the hatred of Elizabeth towards Abigail stems from the fact that John and Abigail had an affair and Abigail then lost her job so she dislikes Elizabeth for this, this starts the accusations between them.
Write about what their marriage has to do with the other themes and issues of the play.
In the play John Proctor is tested in a life threatening ordeal and his death at the end rather than betrayal of his conscience shows us that he too has come through the fire to be purified. John stands up for what he believes in just like the others who were sentenced to death. In his marriage, he stands up to Abigail in the end because of his love for Elizabeth.
What is the signinifigance of act 2 on the play as a whole?
The significance of act 2 on the play as a whole is due to the way that the main plot outline of the story is based and focussed on in act 2.
In act 2 we see the proctors marriage problems exposed in detail, the court testimony’s etc.
Conclusion
As I have shown, Millers presentation of the marriage of the Proctors is important to
the structure of the play and the Proctor’s marriage is also relevant to theme of witchcraft.