Tension And Conflict Between John And Elizabeth Proctor In Arthur Miller's The Crucible

Improved Essays
Register to read the introduction… Flowers may show readers the meaning of intimacy, but miller tries …show more content…
John shows some sensitivity to ease the mood, when he asks Elizabeth if she is sad. Miller cleverly shows Elizabeth. Elizabeth's continuing mistrust of both john and Abigail. Elizabeth and john show us that they are appearing both worried about events in Salem, but for different reasons.

More conflict grows when miller allows john to become angry and find fault in Elizabeth. The tension is page 43 seems to calm down abit when Elizabeth and john discuss the fact that they are 14 people in jail awaiting trial. Also, that the governor says that these people will hang if they don't confess. Elizabeth and john begin to discuss Abigail's power in the court. Elizabeth the suggests to john that he must go to Salem and expose Abigail as a fraud. She says john should reveal what Abigail told him about 'dancing in the wood'.

Conflict is shown greatly in page 44 when Elizabethcatches john out with the lie, as john reveals that he had a meeting with Abigail in a room on their own.

Accusation, denial and suspicion arise as john tries to cover it up
…show more content…
The language used in this section of scene 2 cleverly hints at the court scene to come. It seems as though john's private life will be mirrored in the next act.

Page 46 shows that 39 are now up for trial, some clearly innocent. John loses his temper with Mary Warren who has returned from court. As we know Mary warren gives a puppet/doll to Elizabeth. The audience suspect the doll will somehow implicate things for Elizabethin tee arrests. Tension is created because we sense that if Elizabeth is arrested the pressure will be enormous on john to tell the truth to save her.

Miller shows a different feeling in age 50 as Mary warren tells Elizabeth and john that Elizabeth has been mention in court, Elizabeth tells john she thinks Abigail wants her dead, she speaks with increasing sarcasm as I think Elizabeth is still jealous of john and Abigail. John agrees to go to Salem.

The tension then increases when john is naïve to think than Abigail would be so manipulative, he is shocked and starts to realise what Abigail has done, to his marriage. End of page 51 and Miller shows

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    John admits to adultery after waiting all of court to do so. John voices to the court, ). This shows how John was never going to tell the truth about having relations with Abigail but was forced to at court. If he was an honorable man he would have said he committed adultery at the beginning of court. Tarnishing his name further with the continuous lying.…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This made Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor’s wife, a prime target for Abigail Williams. John and Abigail had an affair in the past, but now he rejects her and is trying his best to prove to his wife that he only wants her. Once Abigail accuses Elizabeth, she is arrested by the court just like everyone else who has been accused. John Proctor does his best to save her, but he ends up by himself in jail and eventually being taken to the gallows. All at the same time, Elizabeth has been released from jail because she is pregnant and Abigail has…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She told it to me in a room alone-I have no proof for it” (51) John here is telling his wife, Elizabeth, that he has proof that Abigail is making all this witchcraft accusations up but he does not know how he will be able to prove it. He is going against his best judgment in order to keep his reputation clean and not having to deal with all the questioning on why he was alone with Abigail. He did not want his affair to be uncovered in the town and his reputation ruined so he kept quiet in this moment. Further on into the play, John came into court to ultimately save his wife who was accused of witchcraft but his plan backfired. Instead, he was accused of witchcraft by his servant, put in jail, and will be hanged unless he confesses.…

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    This shows that Abigail is not capable of facing the consequences for what she did but instead must lie about it. As the story continues it was easy to tell that Abigail was jealous of John and Elizabeth. John spends time with Abigail which causes Elizabeth to lose faith in him and this is just what Abigail wants,…

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    She tells him that she stands in her window waiting for him and watching him and watching him in his loneliness. She says to him don’t you ever look up at my window thinking he misses her as much as she misses him. Abigail misses John and wants him back. She wants him to leave his wife for her, but he won’t, so she tries to get him to cheat on her again. She tells him how much she misses him, and turns arounds and asks him don’t you miss me as much as I miss you John and tries to get in his head.…

    • 1925 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Suffering In The Crucible

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages

    It’s this event that causes Elizabeth to lose faith in John and is the main cause for the growing resentment in their relationship. This represents an emotional trial for Elizabeth as he tries to cope with John’s cheating she also has to think about what drove John to it. Cast a feeling mediocracy upon Elizabeth causing her to be slightly self conscious. Later on in Act III, Elizabeth must testify to John lechery in court in order to discredit Abigail’s testimony. In the attempt to protect John’s honor, Elizabeth lies to the court, and ultimately ends up contributing to Abigail’s victory.…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Comparatively, Elizabeth attempts to obtain more information from John. “You saw her with a crowd, you said” (Miller 55). In like manner, Elizabeth knows that if she has enough evidence to verify Abigail’s lies, the court will recognize their mistake in assuming her accusation. Thereupon, John’s familiarity with Elizabeth’s purpose to confess, will fundamentally provoke him to confess to the…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Because of his affair his home is filled with distrust, and he is no longer the unquestionable man of the house. In the second act Elizabeth, John’s wife, trails away from their conversation at the first mention of John and Abigail alone. John knows that his wife does not trust him, and the although she has every right to be suspicious, the accusations still drive him mad. “Woman. I’ll not have your suspicion anymore.…

    • 1285 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The only person who sees everything, is the lord. Sometimes one’s actions do not have to be approved by anyone, just from God. In the early years of Puritanism, chaos erupted through the village of Salem, Massachusetts. Throughout Salem, commoners and judges found there to be countless accusations of witchcraft. This led to trials in court and in extreme cases death.…

    • 1502 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Unresolved conflicts between two people can have tragic results because the affair between John and Abigail creates complications because it provides reasons for Abigail's accusation of Elizabeth and others. Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft because Abigail is jealous of Elizabeth’s relationship with John. The affair between John and Abigail ruins the Proctor’s marriage, it empowers Abigail, and it causes John to confess his adultery. To begin, the affair ruins the marriage between John and Elizabeth…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Moreover it shows how the affair not only was John’s fault but that she also feels guilty about it; this in itself displays even more flaws in their relationship. Though Elizabeth is far from the only one having issues in her relationship; Abigail has many of her own with John. Her relationship in contrast to Elizabeth’s might be even more problematic. For example, in the end of both the play and the movie after all her lies get John…

    • 1648 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Eventually, the court calls in Elizabeth to testify to John and Abigail’s affair. She lies to the court to save her husband’s life. In the end, when it is time for John’s execution, she lets her husband go, because she knows that he has finally found peace within himself. This is a very noble act of integrity and…

    • 1087 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In Act two the setting is set in the Proctor home where Elizabeth is singing to her two boys and John is coming in to wash up for dinner. They are both at the dinner table when there is a sense of silent remorse. John is trying to give Elizabeth affection and attention but she isn't allowing herself to receive it because she knows about him committing lechery. Elizabeth and John are having a conversation about him going into Salem and he says something about being alone with Abigail which makes Elizabeth skeptical due to her knowledge of the affair. John is becoming very irritated with her suspicions.…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “John, you are not open with me. You saw her with a crowd, you said. Now you-” (Miller 28). Due to his affair, Elizabeth is very wary to John and he spends the entirety of The Crucible feeling guilty about his sin and seeking her forgiveness.…

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While talking about Abigail being a fraud, Elizabeth accuses John that if it were anyone but Abigail, his past mistress, he would’ve already said something. In response John, in a solemn warning, almost scolding tone tells Elizabeth “You would not judge me more, Elizabeth. I have good reason to think before I charge fraud on Abigail, and I will think on it. Let you look to your own improvement before you go to judge your husband anymore,” (II, 52). Through their argument John continues to almost defend Abigail from his wife’s judgment.…

    • 1052 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics