The Final Act of The Crucible :: The Crucible Arthur Miller Essays

The Final Act of The Crucible The final act in the play, act four, fits into the plot three months later, after the court case and all the hangings of the condemned have taken place. It is a scene full of tragedy, defeat, misjudgement and misery. The audience should be left finding themselves asking questions, as 'The Crucible' is a reminder of how evil can be committed by everyday people. This final act shows all the journeys the characters have travelled, in some cases from beginning to end. The way in which some of the characters act reflects the society they live in where in some cases the characters will be of principles and in others they will not. This is evident in the play with two of the main characters, hale and parries who both prefer life to personal integrity. Hale sees this moral error and speaks to Elizabeth of it , 'Life women, life is god's most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it' parris does not see this error and mistakes principle for self protection of his life his authority and of those whom he suspects of despising him. Looking at the complete opposite, showing the different priorities within this society and community are the people that lose their lives as they realise the importance of their own principles and integrity. This is evident with the proctors when the play reaches its climax in act four with two of the main characters, john and Elizabeth proctor. John is deciding whether to confess to an accusation he didn't commit, or to deny it and die. John realises the importance of his own integrity and becomes a different man who would rather not lie but tell the truth and be executed. This shows strength and how he is a man of great principle. 'is it fraud.am I not that man.my honesty is broke,Elizabeth ;I am no good man.nothings spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before' with some strong advice from his wife he chooses honestly and goes to his death with a few others who also refused to confess. The audience will see that this shows commitment and dedication when a man would die rather than confess to a false accusation. In modern day life most societies would not behave like this because people would not be put in this life/death situation. In general I belive most people would rather tell the truth rather than lie and get a bad name for themselves. Elizabeth ends the play with a scene of tragedy. The stage directions have a ray of light fall upon her.