In a classical tragedy the central character is of noble or royal birth, but the protagonist of ‘The Crucible’, John Proctor, is a common farmer. In the dictionary ‘noble’ has two meanings: the first being a person of noble/illustrious birth, this cannot be applied to Proctor as he is a simple farmer with negligible birth and rank. But the second definition of ‘noble’ is more apt: showing greatness of character, morally elevated, admirable.
Proctor certainly shows greatness of character in ‘The Crucible’ when admitting his crime of lechery to all, in an attempt to save his wife and neighbours from the court’s ‘justice’, even though in the period in which the play was set lechery was viewed very seriously, being one of the ‘Seven Sins’. In the court John attempts to remove the court’s faith in Abigail Williams by naming her a whore, saying that he has had sex with her, he pleads for the court to believe him saying why would he throw away his own good name if he did not speak true, ‘A man will not cast away his good name. You surely know that.’ Here Proctor shows admirable strength of character, destroying his own name and reputation to expose Abigail’s lies and save his wife and neighbours.
Proctor also shows himself to be morally elevated and admirable at the end of the novel when he hangs, not only saving his own name and that of his wife and children but that of the other innocents who are to be hung, by hanging himself he does not name them liars, ‘They think to go like saints, I like not to spoil their names’. Proctor was willing to name himself a witch in front of wife, judge and a priest but when told his confession will be nailed to the church door he would rather hang than sign it as it will blacken the names of his children and friends. He protests that if he declares himself a witch the day other innocents hang, people will believe them guilty too, ‘I blacken all of them when this is nailed to the to the church the very day they hang for silence’.
Arthur Miller, author of the play describes it as a tragedy of the common man but although John Proctor may not be noble by blood or wealth it can be argued that he is noble in another sense.
Another feature of a classical tragedy is that the fate of the tragic hero changes the fates of those about him and reveals essential truths about humanity. At the end of the play when John Proctor about to be hung he realises he cannot save himself at the expense of the honour of his friends and as a result they are able to die as saints, by not confessing himself to witchcraft he does not damage the integrity of his friends. Before he finally destroys his confession Proctor protests: ‘ I blacken them all when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence.’
As a result of Proctor’s death, as a well respected member of the community, the faith of the people of Salem in the hangings, the court and the church faltered, the epilogue states that after the hanging of such respected and admired people the beliefs of the townspeople changed, ‘the fever died’, ‘Parris was voted from office’ and most importantly, ‘the power of theocracy in Massachusetts was broken’. Parris realises the consequences of the deaths of such people and protested at the hangings, ‘You cannot hang this sort. There is danger for me. I dare not step outside at night!’ Judge Danforth though proceeded with these hangings and, as a result, destroyed the belief of the people in his judgment. The fate of John Proctor, the tragic hero caused Reverend Hale to lose conviction in the court, he quit proceedings, when Proctor was arrested he declared, ‘I denounce these proceedings!’ and then announced he would no longer work enforcing the kings justice, ‘I quit this court’.
After Proctor is condemned Abigail loses conviction in her power over the people in the town and flees aboard a ship. And Elizabeth Proctor, John’s wife, towards the end of the play changes her attitude towards John realizing that she has her own faults and admitting that she could be the cause of John’s adultery, ‘It needs a cold wife to prompt lechery’, and also she has no power to judge John. ‘I cannot judge you John’ she replies when he asks her whether he should confess or not. The downfall of the protagonist in ‘The Crucible’ caused many changes to the lives of those about him, and essential truths were revealed to the community. The ‘fever’ and the power of theocracy were broken and John and Elizabeth’s love and passion were rekindled.
In a classical tragedy an evil influence can be seen throughout the play. In ‘The Crucible’ it can be said that Abigail Williams acts as the human embodiment of evil; she exploits the town’s belief in Satan to try and achieve the death of Elizabeth Proctor, she thinks that by attaining this she will gain the love of John Proctor. Abigail threatens the other children and leads them to causing the imprisonment and murder of many people.
Abigail had an affair with John Proctor while working for him and his wife, after Proctor ended the affair and Elizabeth expelled Abigail from her service Abigail was not willing to let the affair end and believed she had cause to hope for its continuance. At the beginning of the play the village girls danced around a fire in the woods, in the Puritan society in which this play was set this was forbidden and badly viewed. Tituba, Parris’ slave who ‘conjured spirits’ in the woods says it was Abigail who led her to do so, ‘You beg me to conjure! She beg me make charm’. In the forest Abigail drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor, thinking that by eliminating his wife she would gain Proctor’s love. The other girls in the play are frightened of Abigail, she is clearly the leader of their peer group, Betty accuses Abigail of drinking blood and wishing the death of Elizabeth, ‘You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!’ in response to this Abigail ‘smashes’ the child across the face.
Abigail also intimidates the rest of the girls, she threatens to stab them during the night should they dare to break their silence concerning the events of the night in the woods, ‘I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.’ Later in the play when Proctor wishes Mary Warren to accuse Abigail of being a liar Mary is terrified and believes that Abigail will murder her, ‘She’ll kill me for saying that!’ Abigail is unscrupulous, willing to go to any lengths and cause numerous deaths to try and win John Proctor, she exploits her domination of the girls leading them to cry witchcraft, the large number of deaths at her hands do not cause her to falter, she even leads the girls to cry witchcraft at one of their own peers to protect herself, ‘Oh, Mary, this is a black art to change your shape.’
Throughout the novel Abigail tries tempt John into recommencing his affair with her, believing that he still has feelings for her. With John, Abigail reveals a completely different side to her nature, though violent and domineering when interacting with the other girls, with John Abigail is sweet, a woman in love, ‘John – I am waitin’ for you every night’. Abigail believes she has reason to hope John will come for her, ‘I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you do now!’ But John is deeply repentant of his sins and still clearly loves his wife. When Abigail’s plans go awry and John Proctor is accused of witchcraft Abigail is too craven to save him by admitting her lies and instead steals thirty-one pounds from her uncle and flees Salem aboard a ship.
I believe that Abigail is the evil influence in ‘The Crucible’, from the start of the play she wished Elizabeth Proctor dead, she drank blood, a charm to kill Goody Proctor and in the social period in which Abigail lived she would have believed that this would work. Abigail led the other children to cry witchcraft and cause the death or imprisonment of a great number of Salem’s people. Throughout the play Abigail attempted to lead Proctor into committing lechery. But, although Abigail did wish Elizabeth Proctor dead I do not believe she wished to cause the death of so many other people, she did not initiate the fear of witchcraft in Salem and only began accusing others to escape from blame herself. Abigail’s initial explanation for the events in the woods was common dancing, it was only after Hale accused Abigail of calling the devil after hearing of the dancing that Abigail began accusing others. Hale asked Abigail if she compacted with the devil, ‘Did you call the devil last night?’ frightened for herself Abigail responded, ‘I never called him! Tituba, Tituba …’ this led to Tituba being accused and she, terrified for her life confessed herself to witchcraft, ‘(terrified, falls to her knees): No, no don’t hang Tituba! I tell him I don’t desire to work for him’. Tituba is asked to name others in league with the devil and seeing a chance to save herself she does so. Abigail sees Tituba confess and be forgiven, ‘You have confessed yourself to witchcraft, and that speaks a wish to come to heaven’s side. And we will bless you, Tituba’, seeing her chanced to be viewed as pure and innocent again Abigail begins accusing others of witchcraft, Betty follows suit, a snowball effect follows and mass hysteria captures Salem. Abigail saw that she had to damn others to save herself and once she had begun pretending it was too late to back out.
Another influence in ‘The Crucible’ is the church. The church perceives the conviction of the ‘witches’ as a chance to strengthen its power in the town. Parris the ministering Salem is greedy, constantly complaining about money, ‘ Parris came and for twenty week he preach nothin’ but golden candlesticks until he had them’. At the commence of the play Abigail wishes Parris to speak with the people and tell them that witchcraft is not the cause of Betty’s ailment, ‘Uncle, the rumour of witchcraft is all about; I think you best go down and deny it yourself’, ‘they’re speaking of witchcraft. Betty’s not witched.’ Parris is terrified that the people will believe in tales of witchcraft when his own nieces danced and one is unconscious, but as soon as Betty has recovered and Abigail has cleared her name Parris is eager to fall in with the tales of witchcraft to further his own position and power in Salem.
Abigail is the evil influence in Salem, and the church, the main influence in people’s lives in the 1600s is eager to use her evil lies to further its own ends. Although Parris knows the events in the woods were not linked to witchcraft he does nothing to stop the belief of this in the town and even supports the belief, excommunicating the accused from the church. When John Proctor tries to bring the truth in front of the court Parris attempts to prevent the court from listening to what he has to say, protesting that Proctor is not a man to be believed, ‘Beware this man, Your excellency, this man is mischief’. Parris knows the accusations of witchcraft to be lies and is frightened for his own life and position when Proctor tries to expose the lies, ‘(in a sweat): Excellence, you surely cannot think to let so vile a lie be spread in open court’. Parris wishes the hangings to occur as this way he can get rid of his enemies and increase his power simultaneously, as minister of the church he is incorruptible, ‘The man’s ordained, therefore the light of God is in him’ and so in times of strife the people of Salem would turn to him for God’s light.
In a Classical tragedy the tragic hero suffers greatly and as a result is able to see himself and the world more clearly. John Proctor suffers his town going mad around him, he is falsely accused of witchcraft by a girl who works in his own house, is convicted, imprisoned and tortured then sentenced to death. ‘You have been tortured’, ‘Aye. They come for my life now’.
Throughout the play John Proctor sees himself as blackened by his sins, he has committed lechery and does not forgive himself. When asked to sign a confession to witchcraft Proctor is at first inclined to sign it as he believes he is already going to hell, ‘My honesty is broke Elizabeth, I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before’. However, at the end of the play Proctor realises he cannot sign away what remains of his good name and reputation, through his suffering he has realised that that there is some goodness in himself, and he will see it saved. Proctor destroys his confession, he has found a way to forgive himself and stand up straight again, ‘(Proctor tears the paper and crumples it, and he is weeping in fury and erect’. ‘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’. Elizabeth cannot be persuaded to make John falsely confess when she hears this, she believes he is saving his soul, more important than his life, and will not take it away from him, ‘He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!’
Another feature of a Classical tragedy is that the hero finds some degree of release when facing death, John Proctor finds in death the way to retrieve his goodness and save his soul. The events of the play lead to John forgiving himself, without the events that occurred Proctor would have continued living, but he would have continued seeing himself as rotten, destined for hell, he would have never earned his own forgiveness or that of his wife. As a result of his suffering he was able to see himself and the world more clearly and, found release when facing death.
A further feature of a classical tragedy is that the central characters contain a tragic flaw; a fatal weakness which leads to their destruction. This point can certainly be applied to John Proctor, he is a lecher, it was his affair with Abigail Williams that led to her beginning the accusations as she aimed to kill Elizabeth Proctor and so gain Proctor for herself. ‘She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave’, Proctor’s flaw led him to lose belief in himself and so he almost gave the court a false confession, but in the he did not save his own life and so his flaw led to his destruction.
Finally, in a classical tragedy the play deals with universal and serious themes. ‘The Crucible’ discusses several. Hysteria, the people of Salem are taken over by fear and vengeance and so become willing to believe any accusations brought against their friends and neighbours. What begins as dancing in the woods leads to Abigail and Tituba being accused of dealing with the devil, which snowballs into mass accusations of witchcraft. Hysteria can also be seen in the group of young girls when their pretence builds up to such an extent they are able to cause themselves to collapse. When Mary Warren is asked to faint of her own will, she is unable to do so without the hysteria of the courtroom and the presence of the other girls. ‘I heard the other girls screaming, and you, Your honour, you seemed to believe them, and I – it were only sport in the beginning, sir, but the whole world cried spirits, spirits’.
Conscience is another universal theme, which can be seen in ‘The Crucible’, Proctor’s sin weighs heavily on his conscience throughout the play and it is his conscience which, at the end of the play leaves Proctor unable to give the court their false confession. Reverend Hale spends the latter part of the play, as does Parris pleading with the convicted to confess, as they feel that if the victims die the blood will be on their hands, Hale begs that Danforth delay the hangings as he believes that they are unjust, ‘There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head?’ In comparison the young girls in the play excepting Mary Warren seem to be completely exempt of conscience willing to cause the deaths of innocent people for no purpose.
Other strong themes seen in ‘The Crucible’ are the responsibility of each individual to other people. Most of the characters in the play completely neglect this but John Proctor, Giles Corey and Francis Nurse are willing to put themselves in jeopardy to try and save their wives and neighbours. Self-knowledge and self-realization can be seen in the character of John Proctor as previously discussed. Finally ‘The Crucible’ is intensely concerned with those who are vulnerable to and led astray by false values, John Proctor see not saving himself as pointless as his soul is already corrupted, ‘I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man’. Also Danforth refuses to save the convicted who are going to hang even though he now doubts their guilt, as he believes it is better to stick by what he as said, ‘the names of these seven are given out, and the village expects to see them die this morning. Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part’.
It is certain that ‘The Crucible’ deals with serious and universal themes. The persecution of innocents in the play can not only be applied to the people who were hung in Salem in the 1600s because they were accused of witchcraft, but also the persecution of Communists in the 1950s under Joseph McCarthy and numerous other groups throughout history.
It can be said that ‘The Crucible’ is a classical tragedy, to a great extent fitting perfectly to every feature of the Classical tragedy: The tragic hero’s fate changes the lives of those about him, the influence of evil can be seen in the play, the tragic hero suffers greatly and as a result is able to see himself and the world more clearly and finds a degree of release when facing death, the central character contains a fatal flaw and the play deals with universal and serious themes. The only criterion that ‘The Crucible’ does not fit is that John Proctor is neither royal nor noble in the classical sense of the word. Therefore, ‘The Crucible’ can be said to be not completely a classical tragedy but ‘A tragedy of the common man’, though one who at heart is noble, if not by blood.
To further investigate the characters in ‘The Crucible’, I worked with a group of other students to devise and perform a shortened version of ‘The Crucible’. We decided to centre our performance on the characters of John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor and the relationships between these characters whilst also giving an overview of the events of the play. We decided to use an older Elizabeth character to explain to the audience the events of our ‘Complete Crucible’, reading a prologue and epilogue and linking the scenes. The first scene of our play was a portrayal of the events in the woods; we portrayed Abigail as the instigator leading the other, reluctant girls to follow her. The next scene, which we chose to enact, was Tituba being accused of witchcraft and then Abigail, Betty and the other girls accusing numerous people of witchcraft. We then showed the relationship between Elizabeth and John before he is accused of witchcraft in the scene where Elizabeth cooks dinner for John. The scene was played with low dynamics with implied tension between the two. The following scene was the court scene where John is Elizabeth is found guilty of being a liar and a witch. The final scene we chose from the text was the scene where john tells Elizabeth he has seen the worth in himself and will not give the court a false confession; in this scene the change in the relationship between John and Elizabeth was clearly demonstrated. Finally the older Elizabeth character told of the events after John’s death before she finally passed away.
In our ‘Complete Crucible’ I played the part of Judge Danforth and also one of the girls in Abigail group of friends. I think that our interpretation of ‘The Crucible’ came together well giving an audience a clear idea of the story outline and also of the changing relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor. Through devising and performing this adaptation of the play I gained a better understanding of the text and a clear view on the central characters.
I also viewed another adaptation of ‘The Crucible’, the film starring Winnona Ryder and Daniel Day-Lewis. The film made several adaptations to the text to give a different angle to the story, adding several extra scenes with Abigail Williams. At the beginning of the film the scene where the girls dance in the woods is included, this scene is not shown directly in the text but is commented on frequently throughout the play. This opening scene is very sinister with the girls dancing frenziedly and Abigail herself smashing a chicken on the floor and then smearing her face with its blood until she appears almost demonic. Also included in this scene is that Mary Warren though present at the dancing does not herself participate in the dancing and is horrified at the actions of the other girls. Also before Elizabeth is accused of causing harm to Abigail by stabbing a poppet the film shows Abigail running in on the judges while they dine with a needle stuck into her stomach, the judges clearly believe that a spirit has caused this. By showing this the scene is made more dramatic and it also contrasts with a further adaptation to the text when Abigail goes to the judges claiming that she has been attacked by the spirit of a ministers wife, in this instance the judges do not believe her and send her away saying that she must be mistaken. This added scene gives a different interpretation of the judges than given in the text as here they show hypocrisy. Another adaptation to the text is that in the court scene when John Proctor names Abigail a whore and the girls start screaming in supposed fear of Mary Warren’s spirit the girls rush outside and into the sea as if in attempt to drown themselves. This makes this scene more dramatic and the girls more believable to the judge. Before leaving aboard ship another addition to the text is that Abigail visits John in his prison cell and offers to bribe his guards if she will flee with him on a ship, john tells Abigail that it is not on a ship that they will meet again but in hell. This scene shows Abigail to be strongly in love with John as she would risk her life by attempting to bribe the guard for if they turned out honest she would be arrested whereas in the text Abigail appears cowardly fleeing Salem leaving the one who she is madly in love with to die. A final difference to the text is that the hanging of John Proctor is shown at the end of the film, he dies midway through saying the Lord’s Prayer. Including the death of Proctor makes the ending more emotional for the audience and by showing John dying with prayer on his lips the film portrays him as the soul of goodness, dying like a saint.
