In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the town of Salem, Massachusetts is in hysteria over the so-called “witches.” A young girl by the name of Abigail Williams is the first to accuse another townsperson of witchcraft, and from then on the situation only got worse. Abigail, however, did not actually believe these people were “witches,” instead she was just accusing to get closer to keep herself out of trouble, and to get closer to John Proctor. However, not everyone was so affected by the town hysteria. Elizabeth Proctor, wife of John, is a prime example of a character who kept themselves calm, cool, and collected during the time.
Elizabeth is not a huge part of the story at first, because the entire first act is Miller introducing …show more content…
They both confess and try to make peace with each other before the hanging. Elizabeth takes some responsibility for their marital problems and reassures John she does not judge him and supports his decisions. Her support of John is evident after the hanging when she says, “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it away from him” (1334). This line is also a representation of the change in Elizabeth throughout the story. When we are first introduced to John and Elizabeth there is an evident awkward tension, caused by the affair, between them, but as the story goes on their dying love for each other becomes more prominent. At the beginning it is obvious Elizabeth is unsupportive and judgmental of John’s choices, but after she says that it is clear her opinions on John have changed. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a story full of lies, love, and hysteria. The character of Elizabeth Proctor helps develop love as a theme, as well as providing the story with a level-header character to implement honesty, yet still show the consequences of lying. The changes in Elizabeth throughout the story exhibits her dynamic nature, which is a crucial part of the story. Elizabeth Proctor herself played a major role in developing The Crucible to what it is, and the themes it