Thursday, 19 December 2013

In The Crucible, what are Elizabeth Proctor's internal and external conflicts?

In Act Two, we see
Elizabeth's conflict with her husband, John.  He asks if she is sad again, and
"she doesn't want friction, yet she must" say,


You come so late I thought you'd gone to Salem this
afternoon.

She seems to still suspect him of having
ulterior motives for going to Salem.  Elizabeth is somewhat justified in her suspicion since
John shortly reveals that he spoke with Abigail, his former lover, alone, when he'd led
Elizabeth to believe that he was never alone with the girl.  

We also see
evidence of Elizabeth's conflict with her employee, Mary Warren, in Act Two.  Even though John
has forbidden Mary to go into the courts in Salem anymore, Elizabeth feels she could not stop
her.  She says,

I couldn't stop her [....].  She
frightened all my strength away.

Despite their age
difference, and the fact that Mary is employed by the Proctors, Elizabeth still felt overpowered
by Mary, especially given how powerful the court has become in town.  Mary claims to be an
official of the court, and Elizabeth is afraid to interfere, it seems, though she's also trying
to obey her husband.

Then, in Act Four, we see evidence of Elizabeth's
internal conflict, a conflict she's had much time to mull over during her three months in jail
for witchcraft.  When John asks her forgiveness again, she says,


I have read my heart this three month, John.  I have sins of my own to count.  It needs
a cold wife to prompt lechery [....].  John, I counted myself so plain, so poorly made, no
honest love could come to me!  Suspicion kissed you when I did; I never knew how I should say my
love.  It were a cold house I kept!

Elizabeth has felt
conflicted by her love for John and her simultaneous distrust of that love.  It sounds like low
self-esteem has caused her to doubt his love since its beginning, and she blames herself and her
behavior for John's infidelity.  Only now can she really put that conflict into
words.

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