Devil’s man Essay

This scene is also very captivating as there are so many different storylines and agendas going on in it, on the surface you have Elizabeth Proctor lying for her husband which results in them having a dire consequence, and Hales dramatic change of opinion. Underneath you have Abigail pushing Mary to join her by getting herself and her ‘tools’ (other girls from Salem) to act as if they are being possessed by Mary and Mary has transfigured herself into a yellow bird â€Å"Oh Mary this is a black art to change your shape.† Abigail knows she has to win Mary over to her side so all are ganged up against John Proctor as he has started violently accusing Abigail â€Å"Give me a whip, I’ll stop it† and Abigail realises these accusations have to stop. Abigail knows it will not take long for Mary to cave in, and this is what makes Abigail such an alluring character, as in this scene I cannot help but quite like her as she is so over the top and melodramatic, from a modern day reader of the play the ridiculousness but intelligence of her ideas provide a lot of the appealing aspects of the play and especially this scene. It would be a mistake to say Abigail is totally evil as in the same way it would be a mistake to say Proctor is totally good as although in the end of the play he dies a ‘martyr’ as he refuses to confess to witch-craft we cannot forget he did commit adultery and has had more than a few feuds with other members of Salem (most notably Parris). Abigail also witnessed her parent’s deaths and therefore was bought up with no family around her. She also is totally in love with John Proctor and would do anything to wed him and by accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft all she is doing is trying to get closer to John. Another engaging aspect of this scene is the fact that the audience watching the play experiences so many emotions. There is the anxiety and suspense felt when Elizabeth has to say if her husband was a lecher, and then there is the tragic, saddened emotion when you realise what is going to happen to John Proctor as Elizabeth said he had had no affair. There is the excitement when Abigail fakes Mary’s possession of her, and also the shock of Hales remarkable change in character. I believe what makes this play so popular, and what is particularly represented in this scene is all the characters are so human, their personalities so deep and structured. I feel this is for many reasons although predominately because Miller wrote the characters from ‘The Crucible’ from historic evidence in Salem town records- many of the characters names appear in the records and even Proctors affair is recorded. Also what makes these characters so realistic is there are no characters who are purely ‘good’ or purely ‘bad’ and what makes them so enthralling is they all have their little faults for example (Proctor to Elizabeth) â€Å"You ought to bring some flowers in the house. Oh I forgot! I will tomorrow.† This shows us Elizabeth can at times be forgetful which makes the audience able to relate to her and the rest of the characters as everyone has their own imperfections. John Proctor is an extremely enchanting character, however at times personally I felt he became a little tiresome especially during the end when he keeps on at Elizabeth whether she will forgive him if he confesses to witchcraft – and lies to God â€Å"I would have your forgiveness, Elizabeth.† In this scene though Proctor has an unnerving desperation about him pleading for his wife’s and his own lives. It only hit me when I had just finished the book the similarities between John Proctor and Arthur Miller himself as they were both persecuted and punished for things out of their control (Miller for not being anti-communist) and John Proctor (for being accused of trafficking with the Devil). They also both refused to confess as neither of them felt they were guilty of a crime and therefore were in effect Martyrs although Miller did not die. Principally, however the main reason I like this scene so much is from a dramatic point of view. It would be fantastic to perform as there is so much going on and the characters are so well formed by Miller. There is also a vast contrast of characters to play in the scene. What also makes it appealing from a theatrical aspect is the ‘roller coaster’ of emotions and changes of emotions, which happen so quickly. This passage is also a prime example of why Miller wrote the play, which is a further reason I admire the scene so much. This scene shows not only the persecution of a man who is innocent like the persecution of the communists, but also shows the power of religion, and how when the majority of people in a community believe something so passionately in this instance God and Christianity, arguing against it will do far more harm than good. It shows the dangers of living in a theocratic society where everything is kept behind closed doors, and when it is exposed the consequences can be literally in Salem in the seventeenth century, fatal. This scene is strengthened by the 17th century language, which adds a certain harsh quality to the way the line sounds. The ending of the scene is my favourite part of the passage, this is because the is when Mary sees Danforth is believing Abigail more and more and she knows that she will be hanged if she does not join Abigail. Therefore she admits to speaking with the Devil, but says to the court â€Å"(Mary pointing at Proctor) You are the Devil’s man!† This surprises everyone probably even Mary herself as she didn’t think she was strong enough to do it, but she realises fighting against Abigail was fighting a losing battle. Throughout the play there are many interesting and dramatic scenes, which captivated my imagination, however this scene stood out above all others largely because of the acting potential and the tremendous depth to the characters although the reasons above also played a part in why I enjoyed the scene. Recently Arthur miller was stated saying, â€Å"At least the play is still living† I believe it certainly is.