Twentieth Century Drama Essays

Twentieth Century Drama Essays Twentieth Century Drama Essay Twentieth Century Drama Essay Proctor obviously has a significant love for Elizabeth and is willing to surrender his good name in order to protect her. But this has a major reverse effect: This woman will never lie But Elizabeth does lie. She is trying to protect her husband and in doing so does the opposite. She puts Proctor under pressure and jeopardises the lives of the people on trial. I think in act three John Proctor has found his true self, even though he may not know it; he has come out of his guilt-ridden shell and is fighting for justice. Proctor is livid when Danforth accuses him of witchcraft; he feels that even though the he has spoken the truth, no one is listening. It is conveyed to the audience that Proctor cannot believe the sheer ignorance of this man, he is so angry at Danforth and the injustice of the situation that he says things he may later regret: I say I say God is dead! Miller suggests that Proctor does not truly mean what he is saying, but says it to finally get someone to listen and to tell Danforth that the way the court is being run, is not what God wants. This does not exactly help Proctors case against the allegations of witchcraft; it could be used as evidence that Proctor believes God is dead and therefore is working with the devil. Especially for the 1690s, this is seen as very powerful language, because religion is incredibly important and anyone that goes against it is perceived as wrong. Reverend Hale only wants the best for Proctor and is willing to persuade him to save his life by confessing, even though Hale knows that Proctor is innocent. Proctor has to make a decision and is torn between choosing his wife and children, or to leave the world with at least some dignity left: I want you living, John. Thats sure. Even though Proctor may have lost faith in himself, he still knows that he loves his wife and always will. At this point Proctor appears, to the audience, to be full of guilt and believes there is no good left in him, but from the audiences point of view Proctor is a good man, he may have sinned in the past, but has tried hard to be a worthy husband to Elizabeth. There is a certain level of irony conveyed during the play; John Proctor may be guilty of adultery, but he is certainly not guilty of committing witchcraft, which is what he is being accused of. Proctor could take inspiration from Giles a strong, gallantry man who barely spoke in order to save his land for his children as a way of helping make his decision. When Proctor decides to confess to save his life it is clear to the audience that he is full of doubt, he feels like a fraud and not as good as Elizabeth: I am no saint Let Rebecca go like a saint; for me it is fraud! Even though he has agreed to confess, he does not believe in what he is saying, which is not the true John Proctor. He is angry that it has come to this, either he confesses for a crime he did not commit or he is killed for telling the truth. But when Proctor is asked to give the names of others who are guilty of witchcraft he will not. He may have given his soul away, but he is not willing to take away the innocent lives of others. This shows that Proctor still has some sincerity left, even under the circumstances of life or death. To some extent the audience could say that Arthur Miller is trying to get an important point across through the character of John Proctor, which may reflect Millers own life: John Proctor the sinner might overturn his paralysing personal guilt and become the most forthright voice against the madness around him was a reassurance to me, and, I suppose, an inspiration. In some respects Millers own life is similar to the situation of the character of John Proctor; Arthur Miller had an affair in 1951 and, in 1957 was found guilty of a crime. But, unlike John Proctor, his conviction was overturned, ruling that Miller was misled by the chairman. During the first three acts of the play, John Proctor is conveyed through the text, body language and stage directions to be a guilt-ridden individual struggling to find his true self. But as the play develops into act 4, the audience can really see John Proctors true self emerge from his guilt ridden casing. The true John Proctor is kind hearted, caring and considerate to others. If he feels something should be said, he will not be afraid to say it. His true character demonstrates bravery and solemnity; this is conveyed to the audience mostly in the act 4 through his strong words and his bold actions. This is shown when Proctor rips the signed papers, because his morals and principles get the better of him, he will not have his dignity taken away from him. He is a good man.