The Crucible Characters

John Proctor
1. "respected, even feared in Salem" - backed up by Abigail's reaction "(leaps in fright)"
2. Presentation of Miller's rebellion to authority
  1. Miller also refused to name anybody else. His name being displayed = blacklisting. Shows how Miller felt.
3. Realistic and logical, wants to reject the system but is aware of the consequences
4. At the onset of the play, John Proctor is concerned with having an honorable name in the community, just as most Puritans are. As a dynamic character John Proctor undergoes a great deal of transformation throughout the course of the play.
  1. However, even after said transformation, Proctor is unwilling to attach his good name to something he doesn't believe in.
5. On many occasions John Proctor demonstrates great strength of character by standing up for what he believes in. He is often met with great opposition and one point even the threat of execution, but he does not back down.
6. He strives to do right, but in a moment of weakness, he breaks one of the most taboo commandments of all.
7. Proctor is considered an upstanding member of the community. John Proctor is a hardworking middle aged farmer, husband, and father. He values honesty and has a great disdain for hypocrisy.
  1. Ironically, John is hiding a secret of his own.
8. He believes his affair with Abigail irreparably damaged him in the eyes of God, his wife Elizabeth, and himself
  1. Cannot forgive himself
9. He dreads revealing his sin because guilt and regret already overwhelm him. Proctor believes a public display of his wrongdoing only intensifies the extent of his sin, thereby multiplying his guilt.
10. Proctor's decision to tell the court about his affair ironically demonstrates his goodness.
  1. Sacrifices his good name to protect his wife.
11. Values his good name. Doesn't want to base his life on a lie. Realizes this, and gains Elizabeth's forgiveness so finds peace in himself
12. "my name" is a metaphor for his integrity
  1. By the end - values his integrity and love over moral opinion
Abigail Williams
1. Unmarried orphan - low down in society
2. Encourages all hysteria
3. Abigail shifts the focus away from herself by accusing others of witchcraft.
  1. This desperate act of self-preservation soon becomes Abigail's avenue of power.
4. The Trials empower her - previously she has been powerless. Similar to McCarthy
5. Abigail is the exact opposite of Elizabeth. Abigail represents the repressed desires — sexual and material — that all of the Puritans possess
  1. Abigail does not suppress her desires, attracted to a married man and unafraid to act upon it.
  2. According to the Puritanical mindset, Abigail's attraction to Proctor is a sin, but one that she could repent of and refuse to acknowledge. Abigail does the opposite. She pursues Proctor and eventually seduces him.
6. Abigail's willingness to discard Puritan social restrictions sets her apart from the other characters, and also leads to her downfall
  1. She believes she has only to eliminate Elizabeth so that she and Proctor can marry and fulfill her fantasy.
    1. Childlike
7. Miller - "strikingly beautiful girl" Parris - "not entirely white" - contrast leads audience to believe she is a guilty/mysterious character
Elizabeth Proctor
1. Represents ideal Christian woman - victim of the theocratic society
2. Values love over honesty. Despite being a devout Christian she will lie to save her husband.
  1. Contradiction with earlier in the play - "never will i lie, never sir never"
3. She transforms from a puritan stereotype into a flawed and more personable character.
4. Elizabeth Proctor was true to her husband, family and God. This, however, led to the downfall of what she held closest to her: reputation and marriage.
5. At the beginning of the story, she and her husband John Proctor were known as the best judges of character, hypocrisy and sin.
  1. As the plot unfolds, she and her family become resounding examples of their judgments.
6. Elizabeth is cold, emotionless and a detached woman. Elizabeth is naïve about the situation and wants to still believe she is living a perfect life.
  1. In the eyes of God
  2. "My husband is a good and righteous man"
7. Elizabeth blames herself for the affair and starts to understand John's actions.
  1. Not until she is alone in the prison cell does she notice her flaws and realise forgiveness.

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The Crucible Characters

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	Created by natalie firth almost 8 years ago