To what extent do you agree that the main characters in the drama undergo major changes? The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a non-Shakespearean drama that presents social issues that still plague humanity today. This play demonstrates the idea that main characters do not always undergo major changes; rather they reveal their true nature as the show progresses. The antagonist, Abigail Williams, proves this theory as during the hysteria of the Salem witch trials of 1692, it is her integrity that is tested and her true character that is revealed, rather than any catalyzed change. Salem in 1692 was a theocratic and puritanical society. . Church and State, moral laws and state laws were one and the same, “there was no path between them,” nor any compromise of faith. Society was strict and repressed with no tolerance for deviation from social expectations. Challenging the State meant challenging the Church and challenging God himself. To defy God was to align oneself with the Devil, a public concern and threat, and an action worthy of death. This 'black and white' view of society is echoed by Danforth in Act III, where “a person is either with this court or must be counted against it”; that you are either with God or with the Devil, that you have been a witch or a victim. In any case, the defendant was damned; keep quiet and be hanged for witchcraft or confess and be damned by God for all eternity. Salem had a social ladder, women were on the bottom rung until they married. Abigail Williams was lower than the other girls; she was an unmarried orphan and was censured by respectable society for her affair with John Proctor. Despite her social positioning, Abigail continued to dominate her peers thanks to her cunning and ability to... middle of paper... Through these two characters, we see how, instead of changing, these characters revealed their true nature for themselves and for the public. It is through the threat of punishment that Abigail reveals her betrayal and spite and flees; It is through the pressure of the court that John realizes true good reputation and dies to preserve his. The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a work of comparison that questions the very roots of human society. Through his portrayal of characters, we see the reality that human beings rarely change when put under duress. This does not mean that humans are incapable of changing, but rather, when we find ourselves in extreme circumstances, we realize it and fall back into the morals and values ​​we have upheld all our lives. It is this awareness that makes John Proctor heroic; as the Bible he lived by states, “the hour comes, the man comes.”