John Proctor – John is an honest, blunt-spoken, good man with a temper. His affair with Miss Williams, creates her jealousy of his wife, which causes the whole witch hysteria. Proctor realises he can stop Abigail but only if he confesses to his adultery. Confessing to this would ruin his good name, he is a proud man who puts great emphasis on his reputation. Eventually he makes an attempt, through Mary Warren’s testimony, to name Abigail as a fraud without revealing crucial information about the affair.
Although his wife, Elizabeth Proctor is nice enough that can forgive his sin, John Proctor has his mind set that he will not confess to anyone else, in fear of running his good name. The affair between John and Abigail causes the start of chaotic witchery and accusation. Abigail became very jealous of Elizabeth Proctor. John realizes there is only way to stop all the witch hysteria in Salem, and that would be to confess adultery. He knows what he should do, but he continues to deny, until his wife is put into jail.
Each outburst of dance involving the characters gives the audience an insight into their real personalities but also the strain of their current situations. In Maggie’s monologue, the audience become aware of how beautiful dance is but it can be misunderstood. “They were just so beautiful together.” This point Maggie is making strengthens the aspect of a connection between two people through the means of dance. Dancing acts as a means of escaping social boundaries and also a way of self-expression. It is only through dancing that the Munday sisters feel satisfaction and take pleasure in their lives.
He had a chance to tell the town, and the court, that Abigail’s claims were false. Nevertheless, Proctor did not open his mouth. He feared that revealing the truth would put him down on the social ladder; innocent people had to pay, for his flaw, with their life. Proctor was a proud man who values his good name. He would do anything to keep his name.
1. Don John begins making trouble by saying that Don Pedro wooed Leonato’s daughter for himself and not for Claudio but the problem was resolved as Claudio and Don Pedro had a conversation about it. So when Don John realized that his first plan didn’t worked, he was planning on ruining Claudio’s wedding with Hero. 2. We know that Don John and Borachio are aware of the possible consequences of their planned deception because whenever they talk of their treachery they isolate themselves from the outside and they talk about the act with no one else because they know that this person could denounce them.
Dancing at Lughnasa Introductory assignment – ‘The dance’ The lead in to this scene is Maggie’s account of a dancing competition which involves Maggie, Bernie O’Donnell and their partners. From this we see how going to dances has been such an important part of the cultural context for the sisters. In the scene when the sisters are planning to go to the harvest dance, they all break into dance when the radio starts to work. The dancing in this scene shows more than just their background, it shows their inner selves and characters; as well as a desire for happiness - Maggie is described as having or putting on “a crude mask of happiness when she “stands still, listening, absorbing the rhythm”. “At first we are aware of the beat only.
Arthur Miller shows how being put on the spot can scare people and make them accuse others. Abigail was put on the spot and she didn’t want people to think she was acting like a witch, even though she was, so she put the blame on Tituba. In Act III, Mary Warren was going to help Elizabeth Proctor get out of trouble with the court. Elizabeth was accused by Abigail in Act II because Abigail wanted to be with John Proctor who is Elizabeth’s husband. Mary Warren was forced by John Proctor to speak the church about confessing/lying so Elizabeth could be back home with John.
Salem, Massachusetts in the late 17th century was full of hysteria about witches casting spells, spirits being conjured, and the devil influencing the townspeople. Accusations of witchcraft, for personal vengeance, hurled fellow citizens into jail for eventual execution. The greedy were taking neighbors land once their innocent blood was spilled for crimes of witchery. John Proctor disliked the court’s lack of justice, and thought that the spreaders of the lies only did it to get what they wanted. All he wanted was for fair trials to be conducted and evidence to be looked for, because he was a very just individual and when a debate of who had authority he said “we vote by name in this society, not by acreage” (1.
He is dancing and twirling his small son who seems both excited and fearful at the same time. The Mother seems annoyed that she will have to be the one who cleans the mess that is being made. The ending of the dance leaves you wondering “Is this more than a dance?” Roethke uses Imagery, Rhyme, and Similes to pull you into the scene of “My Papa’s Waltz.” Initially, we see the use of Imagery of Olfactory when Roethke states “The Whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy;” you immediately relate to the father being drunk, and can almost smell the alcohol. The rest of the Imagery In the poem is visual; he paints the picture of the dance with the Mother standing by with a frown and the Dad’s holding the small little boy tightly by the wrist. “The hand that held my wrist was battered on one knuckle” can give the image that maybe the father is forcing the boy to dance with him.
He is looking for a way to obtain revenge more than he is to find out the truth. The only proof Othello thinks he has is the handkerchief he believes Desdemona gave to Cassio. He is ready to kill his wife by pure jealousy. As he says in Act III, Scene 3, he could have forgive anything to Desdemona but not an affair. And assumptions are enough for him to kill her.