Christian man Essay

Miller re-defined what a hero is 1949. He did this because up until this point it was Aristotle’s definition that writers followed when writing a tragic drama. Aristotle wrote that it was only a character with nobility from birth could become a hero. This means that only a character that is a King or a nobleman could become a hero. Aristotle also said that a hero is a character that overcomes a conflict with a higher power, usually the Gods. However Miller wrote in 1949 that a hero could be any character that ‘to secure one thing – his sense of personal dignity. ‘ This shows us that Miller thought that any character could be a hero as long as he had the willingness to become one. Miller also seemed to think that rather then a hero fighting a higher power he could fight against his own society (which may include fighting a higher power) to ‘gain his ‘rightful’ position in his society. ‘ Miller argued that the common man could become a hero. He said that he â€Å"believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as Kings were. † This basically meant that commoners were as suited to be heroes as Kings were. This completely re-defined who heroes were and who they could be. This opened up the range of different characters that writers could introduce in a tragic play and therefore led to more of this type of plays being written. Miller also defined a hero as a flawed character who is broken down to his raw core and then he is built back up again (in the eyes of the audience) through his heroic actions. This new definition shows us that Proctor is the ideal character for a hero in the play. He is an honest, working man and he has sinned but he is ready to end his sinning and become a true Christian man. We can see this by the way he is ashamed of his sin with Abigail and the way that he tells her that it is over. The audience can now see that he is trying to regain his dignity and pride. The audience can also see, by the end of Act 1, that Proctor is the main individual that may become a hero throughout the play. This leads the audience to forge assumptions of Proctor’s future actions and reactions. After the conversation between Proctor and Abigail, in Act 1, of their relationship and previous affair the audience has preconceived ideas of Elizabeth and her relationship with Proctor. The first we hear of Elizabeth is at the beginning of Act 1 when Abigail is talking to Parris. She says that Goody Proctor is a ‘bitter woman, lying, cold, sniveling, woman. ‘ This is all brought about because Goody Proctor dismissed Abigail from her services, secretly for her affair with John, however Abigail says it is because she would not be a slave for Goody Proctor. This is the first the audience hears of Elizabeth and at this point they do not know of the affair between Proctor and Abigail so they have no reason to question Abigail’s information of Elizabeth. Also up until this point in the play Abigail has been admitting to her misdeeds. Again this gives the audience no reason to question what Abigail says. The opinion of Elizabeth given to Parris from Abigail suggests that Elizabeth is mean as she was spreading rumors of Abigail. The audience knows that at the time in which the play was set young girls had many rules of conduct that they had to follow, shown in the way that the girls will be punished for dancing. If Abigail hates a woman so much that she talks of her in such a ruthless manner to an adult then the audience may conclude that Elizabeth is an evil character. This depends on the audience’s thoughts of Abigail. I think that they would perceive Abigail as a bad character. I think this because of what has been revealed about Abigail. At this point we know of her affair (‘I know how you clutched my back behind your house’ and ‘I know you, John’) and of the potion she drank to kill Goody Proctor (‘You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor’). Both of these facts give the audience the idea that Abigail is a troubled, evil character. ‘Evil character’ is supported by the way that Abigail threatened the other Girls in Act 1, ‘I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you’ she said. When the audience learn of the affair between Proctor and Abigail they assume that the relationship that Elizabeth and Proctor is not a loving one. They would argue that if it were a loving relationship then Proctor would not have engaged in an affair. When Abigail and Proctor are arguing over Elizabeth Abigail says ‘you bend to her John. ‘ This makes the audience think that Elizabeth is threatening and has great power over John, this is seen as a very bad quality. In the 17th century the man in a marriage was the boss and the threatening character, to see a woman being portrayed like this is quite shocking to the audience. Elizabeth is expected to be an unloving and gossiping character by the audience. These two characteristics are shown by the way that John had an affair and when Abigail says that Elizabeth is ‘blackening her name. ‘ Both of these traits would have been frowned on in the 17th Century, Elizabeth was expected to be quite, loving and obeying as a wife in this time period. This shows us how what others say can affect the audiences opinions. This is very important. If Elizabeth and Proctor had an unloving relationship when John dies at the end of the play the audience would be not quite as attached to him. If he had an unloving and hard time in his home life some may see him dying as a blessing. When Elizabeth is introduced in Act 2 for the first time she is singing to her boys. This suggests that she is a caring mother, she is singing which is a loving trait. She is introduced as a calm, caring mother making the audience take notice because they immediately think that their perceived idea of her is completely wrong. Her singing shocks the audience because they may have expected her to be shouting and ruling the house as Abigail’s comments had suggested in the previous scene. However there is still some credibility in the suggestion that the character is unfeeling as she has not spoken to Proctor. Her first line to Proctor is an accusation ‘What keeps you so late? ‘ This keeps alive the idea that though she may not be evil she still seems cold. It will be thought by the audience that if the Proctors had a strong, loving relationship Elizabeth may have welcomed Proctor, kissed or hugged him. In the first snippet of their long conversation at the beginning of Act 2 there are many more accusations made between the couple, and even if the inquiry is not made an answer is provided. For example when Proctor comments on the stew ‘It is well seasoned. ‘ Just before Proctor sits down to dinner with Elizabeth he re-seasons the stew without her knowing. This symbolizes many different things about the Proctors. Firstly I think the seasoning of the stew symbolises the couple marriage. I think it shows the audience the lack of heat, passion and ‘seasoning’ that the couple seems to have between them. Also, I think that John seasoning the stew shows his love for Elizabeth and wanting to please her. I think that he seasons the stew so that he can make an honest compliment to her later about it; he knows that the compliment will please her. The audience may feel that when Proctor is eating the stew the atmosphere is uneasy. Proctor’s comment of the stew may suggest that Elizabeth is asking for his acceptance. Though when Proctor kisses her after his meal it says in the stage directions that she accepts it but he is left disappointed. This suggests that though she wants his approval she does not wish for his tenderness. This shows the audience that though Elizabeth is a fragile character (she needs Proctor’s acknowledgment and approval of her cooking) she is not necessarily a loving, affectionate character. Elizabeth shows how fragile she is throughout Act 2; for example when John questions her over letting Mary go into Salem – she says Mary ‘frightened all of her strength away. ‘ The kiss in Act 2 leaves the audience with speculation over the couples relationship. However it has a much more important role later in the play. In Act 4 when Proctor dies there is another kiss shared between the Proctors. The audience can compare this to the kiss in Act 2 to confirm any variation in the relationship between the couple. If it is even less affectionate the audience will feel that if Proctor dies he is not leaving a lover behind and there will be less hope that he will not die. However if it is more passionate the audience will think that the couple are much closer and the relationship has blossomed in that last 3months. They will be seen as a much bigger tragedy for Proctor and Elizabeth to lose the new stronger relationship that they have obviously not had for a very long time. This shows us how important the kiss in Act 2 is. At the end of Act 2 Elizabeth is accused of being a witch and is taken to the jail. Proctor promises to get her out of jail and bring her back home. This is where the hysteria that the play accelerates. Act 3 starts with the court hearing of another woman who has been accused like Elizabeth. The hearing is very biased and the judge seems convinced in his verdict from the beginning giving the impression that the court hearing is simply for show and that it is realistically impossible for the ruling to be in favour of the defendant. This makes the audience worry that Elizabeth will have an unfair trial and she will hang for her ‘sins. ‘ We see the first accusation made in the scene quite early on. It is made from Judge Hathorne to Martha Corey (the defendant) ‘I am innocent to a witch. I know not what a witch is. ‘ ‘How do you know then, that you are not a witch? ‘ Here we see how a witch is prosecuted, this makes us think of fragile Elizabeth and wonder of how she will cope under the strain of court. Here we also see the power used by Hathorne. He uses accusations to make him seem in control and that he holds the power. Proctor and his friend storm into the court and the judge sends them out but then goes to talk to them for disturbing his courtroom. Proctor tries to use Mary Warren’s confession to lying to the court to free Elizabeth but soon realises that the only chance of saving his wife’s life is to prove that Abigail is lying. The only way he can do this is by proving that she has a reason for wanting Elizabeth dead, to take her place. Proctor confesses to lechery and Danforth says that if Elizabeth will confirm that Abigail and Proctor had an affair he will let all the accused go free. This will prove that Abigail had an evil aim that she was trying to accomplish by accusing women of witchcraft. Elizabeth is brought in and Miller makes this part of the play a semi-climax. There is a lot of tension because the audience are pleading for Elizabeth to claim lechery on John, knowing that it is one of the Ten Commandments. Miller makes this moment dramatic using stage directions. This is a part in the play where Miller is very particular about where each character is and how the stage must be set out. The first directions are give as dialogue from ‘(to Abigail) Turn your back. (To Proctor) Do likewise. Now let neither of you turn to face Goody Proctor. No one in this room is to speak one word, or raise a gesture aye or nay. ‘ This series of speech shows that seriousness of the court and also the power of Hathorne. Proctor has been told not to speak but the audience hope that he will do the exact opposite. At this point in the play the audience know that Proctor loves Elizabeth and that he would do anything for her, however they are not aware of the strength of Elizabeth’s affections towards her husband. If Elizabeth’s morals come above her love for Proctor she could tell the court that he committed lechery and in this bizarre sequence of events this could save her life. This moment in the play may be seen as a build up to the confession and execution of John Proctor. These moments may be seen as similar because it is at both these points in the play where the audience is wishing for the Proctors to not follow their morals and confess to a crime. Tension is built up at both of these points, however there is a considerable amount more of strain in Act 4, this is because the consequences are clear. In this scene the consequences are clear if Elizabeth prompts lechery upon her husband, she will save not only her and her husbands lives but she will put an end to the witch trials. Firstly tension is caused here by the pure fact that Elizabeth can not rely on her husband to give her answers, after all it was his crime and she may fear that if she tells the truth he will suffer for it. This is shown by the many attempts that she makes to look at Proctor for guidance. Each time Danforth stops her until she sees that it is impossible to receive an answer from her husband. Repeatedly Elizabeth strays from the subject to try and show how her husband is a good man but again she soon realises that she can no come to a faint conclusion. This is shown when Danforth asks her directly, after interrupting her many times, ‘Answer my question! Is your husband a lecher! ‘ This shocks the audience because up until this point Danforth has remained relatively calm because he is seen with such great power that no one dares deceive him. Elizabeth angers Danforth because she seems to be more concerned of the wellbeing of her husband then acting in the court. At this point Elizabeth sees no other option then to give an answer and the audience feel that should break her personal morals and say that Proctor did not commit the crime of lechery. The audience thinks this because so far Elizabeth has tried to defend Proctor with irrelevant information that he is not a drunkard and that he is not slovenly. This shows that in her mind she is debating of which answer to give and though the audience suspect that she will tell a lie they are pleading with the play that she does not. Millers directions of when she gives her answer to the enraged Danforth is ‘(faintly): No, sir. ‘ At this moment time seems to stop because all of a sudden there is uncertainty in the future of all of the characters; whether Danforth will reverse his demands and believe Proctor, whether Abigail will crumble under the pressure and what will happen to Proctor. At this point Miller restarts time quickly and it seems that in a matter of minutes Mary (a character that had been forgotten in this Act) crumbles under the increased pressure of Abigail and accuses Proctor of being involved with the devil. This is the very end of Act 3 and at this point Proctor breaks down and lets all of his thoughts and emotion run wild by screaming every words that he thinks for all to hear. This is all shown in his last lengthy speech of Act 3. ‘A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it’s my face, and yours, Danforth! ‘ This shocks the audience because like Danforth Proctor has kept himself quite controlled and also like Danforth he explodes with rage. It is very relevant when he likens himself and Danforth as being both images of the devil. Though they may seem complete opposites (Danforth is condemning people to death and Proctor is trying to save these people) their characters are very similar. They both fight extremely hard for what they believe to be right. This similarity gives the audience hope that Danforth may be lenient in Act 4 when Proctor has pain and difficulty in confessing.