The Crucible.Marriage

The evolution of John and Elizabeth Proctor's relationship.

In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, John and Elizabeth Proctor are introduced as a young, married couple whose relationship had a tense undercurrent. Their actions and reactions towards one another prove that they are at odds with each other. John and Elizabeth seem to be trying to smooth out the bumps in their relationship, but for the most part they only succeed in driving themselves further apart. Now at a time when communication is crucial, John and Elizabeth learn the mistake they made in not getting to know each other better.

After months in jail, Elizabeth Proctor was called into the courtroom to answer a series of questions that could determine the fate of her husband, herself, and Abigail Williams. Elizabeth Proctor was asked to accuse her husband of lechery. The hesitation in Elizabeth's response to this question was not a surprise. She was fighting a battle inside of herself that only she knew the depth of. It was up to her to make a decision that she know would change her life and the lives of others. To the question of lechery put before her, Elizabeth Proctor chose to answer "no".

Elizabeth answered "no" for a number of reasons. The biggest was the respect she had for her husband. She wanted John to reveal his sin on his own. She felt it wasn't her place to reveal the wrong in his life. Elizabeth also believed that she was part of the reason John chose to have an affair with Abigail. Before John was to sign his confession, Elizabeth asked him to forgive her for being a cold wife. Elizabeth truly believed she was the reason behind John's affair with Abigail. This proves that Elizabeth really did love John although there were times hen it wasn't evident in her words and actions. She respected and trusted him to such an extent that she allowed him to decide when