The Crucible Comparison Essay

Compare the presentation of female characters in The Crucible, Othello and Enduring Love

Arthur Millers The Crucible is a play set in Puritanical New England, 1692. Miller wrote the play as an allegorical statement against McCarthyism in the US. Abigail, one of the central female characters, was the previous mistress of John Proctor; the plays protagonist, portrayed as a tragic, noble hero and therefore Abigail, who was his mistress who he no longer has feelings for, and causes him trouble, is bound to be seen in an inverted light to the one John Proctor is seen in. Certainly Arthur Miller goes to great length to use Abigail as the anti-hero to John Proctors noble, almost incorruptible (if it werent for his affair) figure. Miller takes the woman scorned approach to his character of Abigail. Abigails assertiveness is observed early when she tells her uncle the rumour of witchcraft is all about; I think you'd best go down and deny it yourself,". This remark, within the confines of a deeply hierarchical and patriarchal society, shows her to have knowledge of social situations and also that she does not conform to the Puritan society, which has already been evidenced by her affair with John Proctor. She is spiteful which helps to build the classic woman scorned role which Miller moulds her into: Oh, I marvel how such a strong man can be with such a sickly wife. This air of superiority helps to reinforce an assertive but snobbish character.

As a result of these stronger facets of her character it is hard to get to grips with her mainly innocent love for John Proctor, John Proctor...took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart!", which then leads her to become manipulative. After all, it would be fair to say that in this affair that John Proctor is as guilty as Abigail, probably more so because he is the one betraying a partner not Abigail. Nonetheless it is Abigail who is presented as the crazed and guilty one. Miller cannot claim to be merely presenting the female character as she would be thought of in Puritanical society, he calls her himself a strikingly beautiful girl with an endless capacity for destruction.

John Proctor himself proclaims Abigial whore,whore! and echoes the sentiment of the rest of the Salem community towards her. Maybe Arthur Miller has done this as well. He certainly doesnt make me think he is a feminist after reading The Crucible. Remember, Abigail is just 17, and we are to believe that she is the instigator of the affair, the seducer. John Proctor is supposed to be an imperfect hero but it is certainly Abigail is presented as the manipulator in the affair because throughout the play John is an honest character who gives his life and Abigail is snobbish and snide.

The women that are present in the forest at the start of the play are all young girls who would be considered to be adolescents/late teens and are seriously repressed by Puritan society. Abigail in response to this uses the hysteria which develops from the witch trials for her own ends. Those being the pursuit of John Proctor. This is because without a husband women in the Salem community do not count for much. Abigail shows she is somewhat autonomous from this social structure when she says I will not be ordered to bed no more, Mr Proctor! I am eighteen and a woman however single. A similar rallying call is made by Emilia in Othello Let husbands know that their wives have sense like them; they see and smell. She goes on to say that men and women have the same desires for sport and frailty. The phrase a woman however single proves the importance marriage is to the Salem community, similarly the case in Othello. There is much to discuss about those two societies but first I think it would be wise to look at the two main female dissenters of the Crucible and Othello. Both Emilia and Abigial are looked down upon in their community. Abigail says she cannot bear peoples lewd looks no more whilst Iago objectifies Emilia referring to her as my seat. This is universal of all the women in these two communities/societies but what makes them stand apart from the other women is their social consciousness.

Miller presents the constraints of patriarchal society effectively in evidencing the competition for men that women have to endure but in doing so does not present the women of Salem as anything more than caricatures and objects who are undeserving of John Proctors love. Elizabeth is described as frigid and submissive. She doesnt want to interfere as the stage directions show. Abigail calls her a cold , snivelling woman to which Reverend Parris replies she may be. Certainly it is not a case of Abigail and Elizabeth being portrayed in equally negative and positive lights rather a general rejection of these women being adequate for our hero John.

There are but three female characters in the Shakespeare play Othello. Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca. Othello was written within a highly hierarchical age, just like the setting of The Crucible. Whilst Miller indirectly confronts male domination it is not the major concern of his play, the main conceit of the Crucible is concerned with a wider commentary on the whole of that community, Shakespeare more directly confronts patriarchy. Shakespeares time: late sixteenth century England was one of a strict class system where birth mattered almost absolutely. Women tended to be married off in their teens to husbands they did not choose themselves (similar to the Salem community). It was a property transaction, a political tool as well as a spiritual, emotional union. The English were aware that Italian society was even more restrictive to women than their own society. Travellers commented on the freedom young people in England had to meet members of the opposite sex.

Women in Othello are often treated as commodities. Othello lobbies Brabantio for Desdemona to accompany him to Cyprus. He assigns Iago to his conveyance I assign my wife. Implying she should be guarded like a possession and transported. Brabantio goes on to wish Othello well and hopes he will use Desdemona well. Use could refer to looking after Desdemona but within the wider context of Venetian society it also refers to the expectation of women to be subservient to their husbands and to do their bidding. When Othello describes marriage he calls it a purchase. Further enforcing the notion that it is a transaction and agreement as well as an emotional union.

Iago treats his wife Emilia badly and shows contempt for the other women in the play as well. It is rumoured that Othello has slept with Emilia hes done my office. The offence not being the emotional betrayal that modern society would take from an affair but rather the seizure of his property. By using the term office and also saying in another part of the play leapt into my seat he commodifies Emilia just as Othello and Brabantio do to Emilia. Also, Emilia by obtaining the handkerchief is useful to Iago but in the grand scheme of things is secondary to his grand schemes. Evidenced by the contempt he shows for her throughout the play.

Desdemonas character is by in large subservient to her master Othello: I am obedient. This is towards the start of the play when their romantic love is in full swing. Later in the play when jealously engulfs Othello Desdemona maintains this attitude. After Othello has struck Desdemona in Act IV for no reason as far as she knows and the audience knows she has not done anything she remains submissive. Othello orders her to her room and she replies I will my lord. The fact she continues to call him my lord reinforces the idea of a deeply patriarchal society.

A similar act is seen in Bianca after she is rejected by Cassio. I must be circumstanced as in I must put up with this and accept this. Even Emilia the most independent of three female characters (she disobeys her master Iago in the final act unlike Bianca or Desdemona) says tis proper I obey him.

What we see that is the most fascinating aspect in Shakespeares presentation of women is their dissent which runs completely contrary to the expectations of Venetian society. Admittedly most of this dissent comes from Emilia but dissent at all would have been seriously frowned upon. The best example of this is a impassioned speech she makes in Act IV. Let husbands know that their wives have sense like them; they see and smell. She goes on to say that men and women have the same desires for sport and frailty. Emilia espouses equality in a time of hierarchical and patriarchal conformity would be expected of women. Emilia is conscious of her humanity and engages it.

Enduring Love is a modern novel set in the modern day which does not necessarily exist in the same world as the world of the Crucible or Othello. Certainly I dont think there is any discernible rigidity of the society McEwan creates. It is a very post modern novel. Clarissa is the only female character and for that reason there is the least chance for analysis when talking about female characters and their presentation. Nonetheless there are several aspects of the novel to be examined.

If we are to accept that McEwans intention is to present Jed Parry as Religion, Joe Rose as Science and Clarissa as the Arts it then makes it tough to couple this with a view of male/female binary. I think it is safe to say that McEwan takes a post modernist stance that each of these characters are individuals and should not be recognised in their male female terms because of the earnest he places on these three ideas.

McEwan uses Clarissa to ask questions of the protagonist and her thoughts and questions of Joes uncertainties echo the readers. She remarks that Jed Parrys handwriting is rather like yours to Joe. So at times we trust Joe in the novel and at times we err towards Clarissa. Despite this Joe is still the protagonist and it is remarked by him sometimes I wonder what she thought of the whole thing. We dont actually get to hear the story from a female perspective so in that case it could be said that the female character is sidelined to the main male character to some extent.

It also might be useful to assess the ideas they represent and the traditional connotations these have. Joe Rose has a good physics defree and a doctorate on quantum electrodynamics. This outlines his background and in early exchanges where he meets Clarissa we learn the way he analyses people at the airport, also speaking about Charles Darwin and evolution. A quote from this part of the book is really quite revealing and ties in with Joes conflict and contradiction he experiences later in the novel. in thirty five minutes I experienced over fifty happy endings, each one with the appearance of being slightly less well acted than the one before.. and suspected that even the children were being insincere. I was just wondering how convincing I myself could be in greeting Clarissa... immediately my detachment vanished and I called out her name with all the rest. As the novel continues there is evidence to suggest Joe begins to become emotionally involved and realises how his obsession has jeopardised their relationship. Just like the line in the quote his detachment vanishes, I see this as a departure from his stance at the beginning of the novel.

A contrast to Joes use of facts to emotionally distance himself can be found in Clarissas passion in John Keats. I feel McEwan chose Keats for a reason. Like other Romantic poets Keats was opposed to working out everything scientifically using facts. Keats features in the novel: mysterious doubts without any irritable reaching after fact and reason. It is a statement about the abstract that Clarissa adheres to. Certainly this conflicts with Joe completely. He speaks about truth, fact and reason and states about wanting to know and understand more. Clarissa thinks there are things we cannot understand and accepting this is important.

What can we ascertain from this? McEwan has the typical gender roles of male and women accordingly. The female character is emotional and the male character is rational to be very reductionist. I think McEwans message towards gender can be seen towards the end of the novel. Just as Emilia says Their wives have sense like them; they see and smell, And have their palates both for sweet and sour As husbands have McEwan sees women and men as capable of both evidenced by the changes the characters undergo; Joes emotional detachment lessens towards the end and Clarissa becomes more rational.