The Crucible

‘The crucible’
How does Arthur Miller create tension and conflict between john and Elizabeth at the start of act 2?
‘The crucible ‘was written by Arthur miller in the year 1953 and is set almost 300 years previously in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts. Miller has added elements of Greek tragedy. The play revolves around the lives a small group of protestant settlers who spent their time either ‘forced to fight the land like heroes’ or in deep worship. This relatively somber reality is completely shattered when the reverends daughter is taken ill and cannot move all after alleged witchcraft. These revelations come at the worst of time especially as the trust barrier between the reverend and his communion is bordering grey to none. It doesn’t take long before these small rumors turn into fully fledged allegations. Furthermore the entrance of one Abigail Williams acts as a catalyst when she accuses the wife of estranged lover John Procter of witchcraft. The play was written at a time of great desperation and deep rooted prejudice towards the Soviet Union. Furthermore these prejudices and accusations generally lacked correct if any evidence and also were largely based on suspicions and hearsay. This is widely known as McCarthyism and is what Arthur miller was subjected to at the time of the writing of the play.
Throughout the play we follow the lives of the characters of john and Elizabeth and the drastic progression of their marriage, and how the facade and act of a happily married couple turns out to be the complete opposite. This deteriation and volatile state is most clearly seen in act two yet. We are made able relate to some of the many contrastineg aspects within their relationship such as the arguments and the constant need to make the other happy. This is seen when john says to Elizabeth ‘I mean to please you, Elizabeth’ this shows that he still regards her happiness as a very important element within there marriage it also shows that he is trying to...