The Crucible is not a play that wants for unique characters that call for an ability to bring nuance to the role. Many characters fit the ideas we may have of what a person living in the late 1600s would be like but they are given additional qualities that make some of their actions understandable to the modern reader. I doubt that I would be able to capture the manipulative energy Abigail gives off though I might fit her profile based solely on some of my appearance. And while I would certainly be able to make a wonderful John Proctor, it is more likely that I would be cast instead as the less adulterous of the Proctors.
Elizabeth remains reserved throughout the play and isn’t required to have violent outbursts. She is not often an overly friendly character but with good reason. Her husband had an affair with a girl likely a good bit younger than her despite Elizabeth already having had several children with him. She acts as one of the more reasonable characters and tries to do what will be best for her family. Elizabeth is also capable of recognizing the potential severity of the trials before John does. She knows that
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On top of that, for the role of Elizabeth or that of any of the female characters, someone cast in the play should read up on the laws surrounding the rights that women of the time had. Understanding that gives a better idea of the motivations behind certain actions. An example would be that Elizabeth needed to stay with John even after she learned that he had had the affair because, even if she had desperately wished to be away from him, leaving him would paint her as the person in the wrong and would strip her of her belongings, in addition to the comfort of having a home and family. There was no way for her to come out on top in any part of the