Better Students Ask More Questions.
In The Crucible, how does Proctor feel about the court?
1 Answer | add yours
High School Teacher
The feelings of John Proctor concerning the court change dramatically as the play develops. Fistly, Proctor feels that the court is an institution that has power and is to be respected, and it is for this reason that he takes his case against Abigail Williams and the girls to court in Act III: he believes that the court is the proper place to argue such matters and is a legitimate repository of authority that should be respected. However, it is clear that by the end of Act III, his opinion of the court has changed dramatically, when he has given everything within him to prove his case against Abigail and yet Danforth remains unmoved. Note what he says in his powerful tirade at the end of this scene:
For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud--God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!
Proctor feels that that the court, far from being a place that exposes deceit and stands up for the truth, actually keeps men in "ignorance" and supports "fraud" and lies. He therefore acknowledges that the court actually becomes complicit with Abigail Williams and the evil and lies that are behind the witch trials in Salem. Justice is definitely not to be found in the court, as Proctor discovers.
Posted by accessteacher on April 14, 2013 at 8:07 AM (Answer #1)
Related QuestionsSee all »
Join to answer this question
Join a community of thousands of dedicated teachers and students.