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Choose a play in which a central character experiences conflict.Explain the nature of the conflict and discuss how this is important in terms of character development and/or dramatic impact.A play in which a central character experiences conflict is “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. This essay will explain the nature of the conflict that John Proctor experiences – both inner conflict, as well as conflict with others, namely his wife Elizabeth – and discuss which is more important in terms of the development of his character as well as dramatic impact.“The Crucible” is set in Puritan Massachusetts and documents the infamous Salem witch trials. John Proctor, the play’s tragic hero, a confident and well respect man, finds his self-belief shaken after an extramarital affair, which threatens his marriage, his reputation and ultimately his life. Proctor’s inner conflict stems from his affair with Abigail. In Miller’s commentary, we learn that, before the events of the play, Proctor was a strong, confident individual who was unafraid of criticising those he deems hypocritical. Miller notes that Proctor is “marked for calumny”, meaning that others are prone to gossiping maliciously about him; clearly, his willingness to criticise his peers has been prevalent enough to make him enemies.However, the commentary also refers to a secret shame of Proctor’s, and reveals that for the first time in his life he views himself a hypocrite. In the first Act, it becomes clear that Proctor has had an affair with Abigail, the minister’s teenage niece. Their dialogue in this Act is flirtatious and playful, suggesting that despite ending their affair, Proctor is still attracted to Abigail. Certainly, Elizabeth believes this as she tells Proctor in Act Two:“She has an arrow in you yet, John Proctor, and you know it well.”suggesting that Abigail still has a sexual hold over the farmer. Despite this, as soon as Abigail criticises John’s wife and tries to recommence their affair, he becomes angry. He adamantly denies still caring for her and insists that their affair is over. His feelings for her, then, add to his inner conflict – though he is still physically attracted to her, making his fatal flaw of lust clear to the audience, he no longer wants to be intimate with her.The reason for this becomes apparent in Act Two, which is set in the Proctor family home. This Act also reveals Proctor’s conflict with another character, Elizabeth, which also stems from the affair with Abigail and Proctor’s inability to move on from it. Their marriage is clearly troubled. Their dialogue is stilted and Proctor’s small lie about their dinner being well seasoned – with the stage directions having depicted him furtively adding flavour to the food – represent the bigger, more destructive lies in their marriage. He even tells Elizabeth:“It’s winter in here yet.”Both the literal and metaphorical meanings of this sentiment are important. Literally, this points out the conflict between John and Elizabeth’s characters – he appreciates aesthetic beauty, whereas it would never occur to her to decorate their home; furthermore, metaphorically, this hints at the coldness in their marriage. Miller also makes Proctor’s inner conflict apparent in his interactions with his wife; on one hand he insists that:“I mean to please you, Elizabeth.”suggesting that he knows he has done wrong and wants her to know that he is trying to make amends. On the other hand, he resents her lack of trust and feels constantly judged – he says he regrets having confessed to the affair because of this reason. Elizabeth, however, points out:“I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you.”Though Proctor denies this, Miller is making it clear that Proctor’s harshest critic is himself – he is unable to reconcile his sin of adultery with the good, honest man that he wants to be. This is reinforced when Proctor cannot recall the commandment about adultery – he has tried to force it from his mind.Proctor’s inner conflict evolves from his own personal guilt and becomes a conflict between the importance of reputation and honesty as tensions in Salem become more fraught. His need to protect his reputation is apparent in Act Three. Having exhausted all other means of proving Elizabeth’s innocence, Proctor confesses to the affair with Abigail, in the hope that he will discredit her in the eyes of the court. His marital conflict is apparent again when Elizabeth lies to protect his reputation. As Proctor points out:“She only thought to save my name!”which is obviously an indication of the love and respect Elizabeth still has for her husband; however, the fact that she goes against his expectations at this most crucial moment suggests the conflict and lack of understanding that exists between them still.When Elizabeth is led back to jail, Miller establishes a new conflict between Proctor and Danforth, the Deputy-Governor and head judge of the trials. Proctor loses his temper and tells Danforth:“God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!”Whereas Danforth wishes only to protect his own reputation and the reputation of the church, Proctor has now become determined to expose the truth. Though it is clear that Proctor resents Danforth for failing to unearth the true, Proctor also blames himself for failing to act faster – the conflict between his desire to protect his reputation and his integrity is made clear by his anger and anguish at his procrastination. In the final Act, Proctor is torn between his integrity and desire for the truth, and his desire to live. His inner conflict reaches a new level of pathos when he struggles to decide whether to falsely confess to witchcraft in order to save his life. His conflict with Elizabeth has evolved too. Though they speak fondly to each other and are clearly in love again – ironically, by trying to split them up, Abigail’s lies and machinations bring them closer together – they are conflicted still as she wishes him to confess and stay alive, which he is reluctant to do. Believing his soul to be tainted anyway, and wishing to go home with his wife, he does confess in another turning point. However, almost immediately after he changes his mind – he admits that he cannot sign a confession that is not true because:“it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies!”Proctor at last reconciles his reputation and his sense of truth – throughout the play, he has lied about his affair to retain his good reputation; here, at the play’s climax, he realises that to continue to lie is to tarnish his reputation forever. However, through this act of bravery – refusing to lie to save his life – Proctor regains his self-respect. In the play’s denouement he tells his wife:“I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs.” Here, Proctor’s inner conflict is resolved – he has confessed to his sin, exposed the truth, regained some sense of his reputation and goes to death believing that he is a good man. The final stage directions, referring to the “new sun” which bathes the stage in light, contribute to the sense that Proctor is content and no longer conflicted.Thus, though he experiences conflict with a number of characters, including his wife Elizabeth, the ministers Parris and Hale, and the Deputy Governor Danforth, it is John Proctor’s inner conflict which is most important in terms of character development and dramatic impact. His inner conflict about his affair with Abigail reveals his fatal flaw of lust and establishes his need to regain his self-respect; his conflict about whether to expose her lies illustrates the importance that he places in truth and reputation; and his conflict at the end about whether to confess or not makes leads to his realisation that to continue to lie would be to destroy his self-respect completely. It also alters in his character – before the play he was clearly a respected and important figure, but by the final Act he has become “a changed man” – the decisions he has made due to his conflicting feelings about integrity and reputation have worn him down. His inner conflict also drives the conflict with the other characters – it threatens his relationship with Elizabeth and causes tension about the importance of truth with others, namely Danforth and Hale. It also prompts the important turning points in the play, causes a number of dramatic, passionate declarations from Proctor and climaxes in his anguished final speech.In conclusion, “The Crucible” is a play in which a central character experiences not only inner conflict but also conflict with other characters. This essay has explained the nature of John Proctor’s inner conflict, as well as the conflict he experiences with his wife Elizabeth, the minister Hale and the Deputy-Governor Danforth. Ultimately it is Proctor’s inner conflict which drives the action of the play. ................
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