The Crucible Group

Question:

gner8r
gner8r
Student
High School - 12th Grade

In "The Crucible", what are the consequences of Elizabeth and John Proctor as husband and wife?

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Posted by gner8r on Monday April 6, 2009 at 5:06 AM and tagged with characters, elizabeth, proctor, the crucible.

Answers:

  1. dneshan
    dneshan Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    There are two major consequences that John and Elizabeth Proctor were forced to face due to the fact that they are husband and wife.  The first of these consequences is that the cold personality of Elizabeth Proctor forced John to have an affair with Abigail.  This is mentioned first by Abigail in Act 1 of the play when she says,

    “I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men!”  (Act 1)

    At the end of the play, in Act 4, Elizabeth makes a similar comment about herself when she says,

    “I have sins of my own to count.  It needs a cold wife to prompt lechery … I never knew how I should say my love. It were a cold house I kept.”  (Act 4)

    The second consequence to their marriage is that if John and Elizabeth had not been married, Abigail would never have charged Elizabeth with being a witch, nor would John have been accused and hanged for being a witch.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/crucible/

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    Posted by dneshan on Monday April 6, 2009 at 11:35 AM