Portfolio Crucible Act Two

Literary Term
Irony: a sentence that has a literal meaning and an implied meaning that is opposite to the literal meaning.

"Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor s goods, nor make unto thee any graven image. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain; thou shalt have no other gods before me. With some hesitation: Thou shalt remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. Pause. Then: Thou shalt honor thy father and mother. Thou shalt not bear false witness. He is stuck. He counts back on his fingers, knowing one is missing. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" (Miller 1277).
This quote is a demonstration of irony, as Proctor is trying to prove he is a good Christian by listing his commandments, but is unable to list the commandment about adultery. This is ironic because Proctor previously cheated on his wife Elizabeth with Abigail.

Quotation
"Why, Abigail Williams charge her" (Miller 1281). This quote solidifies Abigail's position as the antagonist and turns John Proctor into the protagonist.
This is because Abigail is now trying to get Elizabeth hanged and has succeeded in getting her arrested. John Proctor is now in the position of trying to save her life and expose Abigail for fraud. This develops the plot because a clear conflict is presented, with Abigail against Proctor. This has thematic significance as one of the themes of the crucible is reputation, and Proctor must now clear his wife's reputation, and is struggling with his own reputation being tarnished by cheating with Abigail. Also he must expose Abigail and destroy her reputation as a righteous person who is cleansing the village of evil.

Character
Abigail Williams
Description: Jealous, vindictive, manipulative, young, beautiful.
Purpose: She is the antagonist of the story, using the hysteria over witches to try to get Elizabeth Proctor hanged so she can be with John.
Outcome: Elizabeth Proctor gets arrested for witchcraft.