The Crucible
by Arthur Miller
Table of Contents
Elizabeth Proctor
Despite the tension in their marriage that lingers in the wake of her husband’s affair, Elizabeth and John Proctor have much in common. Like him, she is strongly individualistic, refusing to compromise her principles even as the anti-witch madness takes over the town, and refusing as well to betray those she loves. She speaks frankly and plainly in a way that sometimes gets her in trouble. Also like her husband, Elizabeth’s own guilt about the affair (she worries she may have pushed John away, and also struggles to fully forgive him) comes back to haunt her: If she had spoken openly about the affair when asked by Danforth why she dismissed Abigail, John might have been cleared of the charges against him. In the end, however, her unbending support for John, and the mutual forgiveness they finally come to, make it possible for him to face death without guilt and regret.
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