True love can conquer all In the play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, which takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, many are being convicted of witchcraft. Those who are known for their good deeds and charities are being accused of the worst crimes imaginable. The person responsible for these outrageous, unfathomable accusations is not other than Abigail Williams, only a teenager and already responsible for the ruined reputations of many people in Salem. Now the person that is being accused of murder and witchcraft is Elizabeth proctor, Abigail’s worst nightmare.
Elizabeth proctor is known for never lying, so when accused it is very hard for many people to believe the accusations. Elizabeth is aware that the reason Abigail is accusing her of sending her spirit after her is because she is irrevocably in love with her husband, John proctor. She knows that if she is convicted and hanged, Abigail will dance on her grave along with proctor. Though she knows this, she is faithful in her husband and will not tell the court Abigail’s true intentions, for fear of ruining proctor’s reputation.
When arrested, proctor goes wild and realizes that he must save his wife, even if it means losing his good name and confronting Abigail in court about their affair. Proctor convinces Mary Warren to write her deposition accusing Abigail and her friends of lying and never seeing an evil and spirits. When in court, proctor confesses that Abigail wants his wife dead because they had an affair and his wife threw her on the high road for being a harlot. Once proctor has confessed his lechery, Danforth brings Elizabeth into the court and questions her motives for firing Abigail.
Elizabeth responds by saying “I came to think he fancied her. And so one night I lost my wits, I think, and put her out on the high road”(pg. 113). She admits to thinking proctor liked Abigail, got jealous and threw her out, but never specifically says he admitted lechery. Proctor then tells her that he confessed it all but it’s too late and Elizabeth has failed her crucible. In the end, Elizabeth is sparred her life for at least a year, for she claims she is pregnant, while proctor is arrested for contempt of court and said to hang. Elizabeth lied to save her husbands reputation and instead ended up hurting him more.
