I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name…My wife is innocent, except she knew a whore when she saw one!
– Arthur Miller
The Crucible, Act 3. In saying this to the court, Proctor confesses his illicit sexual affair with Abigail. He uses the ominous metaphor of a bell ringing his doom to describe how he is sacrificing pride and reputation to expose witchcraft accuser Abby as a whore. He is fighting to save the life of his innocent wife Elizabeth. When Proctor speaks of doom, he is foreshadowing his own eventual tragic fate.