Wednesday, December 17, 2014

In The Crucible, what ideas could I put in a monologue as Elizabeth Proctor?

Elizabeth Proctor initially refuses to forgive John for his past transgressions, particularly his affair with Abigail Williams. In act 2, Elizabeth Proctor's monologue would probably concern her feelings of distrust towards John and grief surrounding her husband's affair. It is also significant to note that Elizabeth Proctor is an ill, pregnant woman whose health has negatively affected her relationship with her husband. Elizabeth's monologue could shed more light on her illness and allow the audience to sympathize with her character.
Towards the end of act 2, clerks and attendants of Salem's court arrive at John's home and arrest Elizabeth. It would be interesting for the audience to listen to a monologue concerning Elizabeth's thoughts, fears, and concerns regarding her arrest. She would more than likely discuss Abigail's motives, whether she has faith John can save her, and her own fears about addressing the corrupt court. The best place for a monologue from Elizabeth addressing these matters would take place at the beginning of act 3.


If Elizabeth Proctor were to deliver a monologue, I think that she would talk either about her ambivalence toward her husband in Act II or about her own guilt in Act IV. In Act II, Elizabeth seems to want to move beyond her distrust of her husband John, distrust that was formed as a result of his extramarital affair with Abigail Williams. She is eager to please him, as we see with the stew she's carefully prepared, but she is also struggling to forgive him; when he kisses her, she merely "receives it," discouraging him a great deal. Elizabeth seems to feel emotionally torn, and so this would likely appear in such a monologue.
Further, in Act IV, Elizabeth admits to John that she feels some guilt, some responsibility for the affair he had. 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." One can imagine Elizabeth, in her prison cell, reflecting on her own role in John's affair, and so this information would likely come up in a monologue as well.

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