The wife of John Proctor. She fires Abigail Williams as her servant when she discovers that the girl is having an affair with Proctor. Elizabeth is a good woman known for never telling a lie. She loves her husband deeply, but seems to have the sense that she doesn't deserve him, and therefore often responds coldly to him. His affair with Abigail has both shaken the trust she had in her husband and convinced her that she was right in her assumption that she didn't deserve him.
Elizabeth Proctor Quotes in The Crucible
The The Crucible quotes below are all either spoken by Elizabeth Proctor or refer to Elizabeth Proctor. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 2
Quotes
I'll plead no more! I see now your spirit twists around the single error of my life, and I will never tear it free!
Related Characters:
John Proctor (speaker), Elizabeth Proctor
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
I'll tell you what's walking Salem—vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law! This warrant's vengeance! I'll not give my wife to vengeance!
Related Characters:
John Proctor (speaker), Elizabeth Proctor
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3
Quotes
A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now. I beg you, sir, I beg you—see her what she is . . . She thinks to dance with me on my wife's grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore's vengeance.
Related Characters:
John Proctor (speaker), Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail Williams
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4
Quotes
It is mistaken law that leads you to sacrifice. Life, woman, life is God's most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it . . ..it may well be God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride.
Related Characters:
Reverend Hale (speaker), Elizabeth Proctor
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Elizabeth Proctor Character Timeline in The Crucible
The timeline below shows where the character Elizabeth Proctor appears in The Crucible. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1
Parris asks Abigail why Elizabeth Proctor dismissed her from her job as an assistant in the Proctor household six months...
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...But Betty says Abigail didn't tell that she drank blood as a charm to kill Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail smacks her across the face. She tells the other three girls that if...
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...some feelings for her, but says the affair is over. Abigail, hurt and angry, insults Elizabeth, infuriating Proctor.
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Act 2
Eight days later, John Proctor returns home late from planting the fields. He and Elizabeth talk about the coming crop as he eats the dinner she prepared for him. A...
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Elizabeth continues: Mary Warren is in town, as an official of the court. Proctor is astonished:...
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As Elizabeth continues to push Proctor to go to the judges, it comes out that he was...
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...not to go to town that day. Mary does not resist. Instead she goes to Elizabeth and gives her a poppet (a doll) that she sewed for her during the court...
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...town again. Mary refuses. When Proctor moves to whip her, Mary shouts that she saved Elizabeth's life: Elizabeth was accused of witchcraft, but Mary said she'd seen no sign of it...
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Proctor and Elizabeth know Abigail is behind the accusation. Elizabeth says Abigail wants to replace her as Proctor's...
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Suddenly Hale appears at the door, startling both Elizabeth and Proctor. Hale says that without the court's authority he's visiting each of the families...
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Just as Hale is about to leave, Elizabeth persuades Proctor to speak up about Abigail. The news shakes Hale, who points out that...
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Ezekiel Cheever and Marshal Herrick appear at the Proctors' door with an arrest warrant for Elizabeth. Cheever also asks Elizabeth to hand over any poppets (dolls) in the house. Elizabeth says...
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...Herrick to leave his house, but Herrick and Cheever have nine men outside and take Elizabeth.
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Hale assures Proctor that the court will recognize Elizabeth's innocence, and promises that he will testify in her favor. He insists, however, that recent...
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Act 3
After a brief conference with Hathorne, Danforth informs Proctor that Elizabeth is pregnant, and therefore can't be hanged. He asks if Proctor will now let the...
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...First, Proctor shows him a petition signed by 91 landowners declaring their good opinions of Elizabeth, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey.
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...them. Furious, Proctor calls Abigail a whore. Proctor admits his affair with Abigail and says Elizabeth dismissed her because of it. Abigail denies it, but Proctor says he would not soil...
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Danforth sends for Elizabeth, whom Proctor says will never lie. While they wait, Danforth instructs everyone to remain absolutely...
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Hale says he believes Proctor, and that Elizabeth was just trying to protect his reputation, but Danforth will not hear it.
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Act 4
Danforth does wonder, however, if they might be able to get Proctor to confess, since Elizabeth is now well along in her pregnancy. As Marshal Herrick goes to get Elizabeth, Danforth...
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Elizabeth enters. Hale tells her he will consider himself Proctor's murderer if Proctor is hanged. Hale...
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...from his cell and the others leave so he can spend some time alone with Elizabeth. She tells him that hundreds have confessed, though Rebecca has not. She also adds that...
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Proctor asks what Elizabeth would think if he confessed. Unlike Rebecca and Martha Corey, who refuse to lie and...
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...to pieces. Danforth orders Herrick to take Proctor to the gallows. Parris and Hale beg Elizabeth to speak to Proctor. But she says Proctor has his goodness back now, and refuses.
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