Recently, my client Tituba has been accused of performing the demonic act of witchcraft, more specifically- singing and dancing in her traditional Barbados ways. The accuser? Why, none other than Abigail Williams herself.
May I remind you, that this whole mess of witchery nonsense started many nights ago when Williams and her friends were caught dancing naked in the woods to the very hymns she’s calling witchcraft on today. Abigail even went so far as to claim, it was Tituba who put her up to it. It was Tituba that made her sing and dance. Why is this? Because Abigail is afraid. She is afraid of being publicly whipped as punishment for the dancing. She is afraid of losing her “clean” name… her reputation. And that is why she did the only thing she could think of to get herself out of this mess… lie. Abigail lied stating Tituba made her dance! Lied declaring Tituba a witch! In fact we have
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Dishonesty in the court is against that law, and Abigail has lied to the court on numerous occasions, purposefully wrongly accusing her neighbors of witchcraft, leading to the unprecedented and unruly death of countless innocent townspeople, that she has known her whole life. And for what reason? What… Excuse? … Now I say to you, backed by irrefutable evidence, Abigail Williams is trying once more to deceive the judicature and betray her neighbors by denouncing my client Tituba with the act of witchery, on no actual proof. Are you, the court, the highest, most indestructible and incorruptible being in these parts, going to let a young, sinful, confused girl dishonor your name? … Negatively influence your decisions? … And rob you of your credibility and righteousness with her deliberately distorted concocted claims?! You must not allow this child to enjoy the power she has had over you again! I say Tituba has not ever interfered or rendered with witchery, and Abigail Williams is a perjurer to say anything of it! What say
Daughter of the reverend, no one expected witchcraft, until rumors started to brew. Reverend Parris confirmed some suspicions when he claimed to see Abigail Williams and several other girls, including his maid, Tituba, in the forest dancing at night.
In this excerpt from the book, the reader is able to learn the true intentions and motives behind Abigail’s actions. Throughout the book one is able to see how Abigail is repeatedly trying to protect herself by creating false accusations against innocent people. Abigail tries to protect her reputation by creating a hostile atmosphere; forcing others into agreeing on lying about what actually happened in the woods. What sets this quote aside from others, is how Abigail uses threats of violence and, the belief that the she might know some form of witchcraft. Abigail uses these threats in order to try to save herself and her reputation throughout the book.
In order to avoid charges, Abigail deflects the blame onto Tituba, the family servant, by saying that she forced her to drink blood. After realizing that the town might hang her for her crimes, Tituba confesses to witchcraft and accuses the low-class women of Salem, hoping that it might lighten her punishment. The town quickly breaks into hysteria as Mary is pulled into the center of the drama and the authorities ask her to testify against the accused. Realizing that her life is still under threat of Abigail if she doesn't do what Abigail asks of her, Mary lies on stand, ensuring her safety, as well as the death of two innocent women. Overwhelmed with culpability, Mary attempts to justify her
One night in the minute New England town of Salem, Massachusetts, three young girls and a slave from Barbados were caught dancing naked in the forest around an immense kettle. This wasn't something that girls normally did in the 1600s and was also socially unacceptable. These girls, Abigail Williams, Betty Parris, Mercy Lewis, and Tituba were immediately accused of being witches just because they were dancing. To get themselves off the hook, the girls pointed their fingers at other women in the town of practicing witchcraft. They indicted some women because their names popped into their heads, but one particular girl, Abigail Williams, accused a woman named Elizabeth Proctor because she had lust for her husband, John Proctor. Abigail Williams and John Proctor had already had an affair. However, unlike Abigail, John wanted to leave that horrible mistake in the past and forget about her. Abigail also did not like other women in Salem because they called her names. They knew of her lust for men, so Abigail took the initiative and they were also charged.
In the Town of Salem Massachusetts, 1692, a group of adolescents are caught dancing in the forest. Among the adolescents in The Crucible, Abigail Williams and Mary Warren. The girls are horrified that they have been caught dancing, a sinful act, therefore they devise a story to evade punishment: they claim to have been bewitched. The first person who they accuse of witchcraft is a the black maid, Tituba. This results in her jail sentence as well as fearful suspicion throughout the town.
Her accusations were the reason why the entire witch hunt in Salem came to be. “She comes to me while I sleep; she 's always making me dream corruptions!” This quote from Abigail falsely accusing Tituba of witchcraft is the main reason for the messed up justice in the town of Salem. The good and the innocent start to be accused and convicted by those without integrity. The audience starts to realize the deep problems in Salem. Eventually later on in the book, Abigail comes to realize the power she possesses over the people. She realized that she had the power and control to run the entire town and get what she wanted. This same situation is seen with Corporate America after 9/11. After the attack of 9/11 they saw that people were very paranoid when it came to wanting safety which is why the Bush administration took advantage of Americans by getting them to believe certain laws they wanted were necessary for their safety. Also, the Bush administration tried to get more control of the people by passing a bunch of unneeded laws to Congress. They lied to get what they wanted. The same scenario is shown by Abigail’s followers as they helped lie for her
Abigail is wicked and confident and is not afraid to take control of situations. This is shown when she is with Parris, Abigail is respectful on the surface but she hides her resentment and disrespect. She talks back to defend her name and in Act One, she suggests to Parris," Uncle, the rumour of witchcraft is all about; I think you'd best go down and deny it yourself." She is also aggressive and forceful, the other girls are afraid of her. When Mary Warren suggested that they should confess to dancing in the woods. Abigail threatens them,."..I have seen some reddish work done at night and i can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!"
Tituba was blamed for the girls dancing in the forest. When Tituba is confronted it creates an argument between her and Abigail. In act 1 of The Crucible page 1109, Abigail claims, “ She comes to me every night to go and drink blood!”. Tituba responds, “ You beg me to conjure! She beg me make charm -” ( pg. 1109). Others will say Tituba is the cause of the commotion. She is stirring up the pot of pandemonium. Abigail, Parris, and Reverend Hale are yelling at her making it more chaotic. Tituba says “... And then he come one stormy night to me, and he say, ‘Look! i have white people belong to me’ And I look-and there was Goody Good”(pg. 1110). This leads to a total of about 10 girls accused of being witches which makes the situation longer. The point of view seems convincing at the first but Abigail Williams is most responsible. What this argument fails to consider is Abigail got Tituba involved in the situation. Abigail was responsible for Tituba being accused. Tituba then went on to cause a boisterous situation but without Abigail she would have never had to flip out. Abigail accused more girls after Tituba accused more making the situation worst. Tituba would not have been able to cause commotion without Abigail. In act 1 of The Crucible, Abigail Williams was the person who was most responsible for the boisterous witchcraft situation in Salem because she
Although she was a smart girl, Abigail was only out for herself and her own reputation. Abigail Williams didn't only lie about witchcraft, but she forced others to join in. She was Reverend Parris's niece and believed she could get away with whatever she wanted. Abigail did not want to have to damage her reputation by having a different testimony as all the other girls, so she forced them to lie as well. While alone with the girls she said, "let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know I can do it..." (Miller 1044). Abigail also stuck a needle in herself because she knew Goody Proctor had a poppet at her home with a needle in it. While talking to John Proctor about Abigail, Cheever remarked, "...and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, she draw a needle out. And demandin' of her how she come to be so stabbed, she testify it were your wife's familiar spirit pushed it in," (Miller 1077). Abigail may have been the most prominent person to lay the blame on, but other people were guilty as well.
Tituba, Abigail's slave who would do anything for her, was asked by Abigail to summon spirits to attempt to kill Elizabeth Proctor. When this came out in court Abigail had no regret blaming it completely on Tituba saying, “She comes to me every night to go and drink blood!” (Act 1.) To make sure she didn’t get in trouble herself, Abigail continued to lie to the court saying, “She comes to me while I sleep; she's always making me dream corruptions!” (Act 1.) This resulted in Tituba being accused of witchcraft and later hanged.
Abigail Williams is to blame for the witch trials because she had an affair with John Proctor. When John’s wife, Elizabeth, fell sick during the winter months, Abigail was called to their home. However, Abigail seduced John and was released shortly afterwards by Elizabeth. Following her release Abigail grew a very strong hatred for Elizabeth. Abigail even resorted to having Tituba perform a ritual. When the girls are caught the hysteria about witchcraft started. Abigail’s cousin Betty said “...you drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!” (Miller 144).
Abigail Williams is accused of witchcraft early on. In order to avoid conviction she confesses to witchcraft, accuses Tituba of forcing her to drink blood and do witchcraft, and accuses Elizabeth Proctor, Sarah Good, Goody Osburn, Bridget Bishop, Goody Sibber, Goody Hawkins, Goody Booth, and countless other innocent people in court. She throws herself down in the court and does other dramatic actions in order to convince the court that a person is in fact a witch. This leads to people being falsely accused of witchcraft and forced to accuse others in order to live. Because of Abigail's growing power in the court, people become fearful of her. One of the most important people who begins to fear her is Elizabeth Proctor. Elizabeth is afraid that Abigail will accuse her of witchcraft. She also gives more insight into Abigail's behavior in court. She states that Abigail will “scream and howl and fall to the floor” when the accused are brought forth (50). The people and the court begin to believe that Abigail can see who the witches are. Her words and actions become the deciding factors in a defendants fate.
Abigail Williams started the witch trials in Salem all because she and a group of her friends wanted some attention from their town. Abigail thinks she is superior to some people, specifically Tituba and has no problem accusing people she feels superior to. "They want slaves, not such as I. Let them send to Barbados for any of them!"(24). Abigail's first victim in her accusation spree was Tituba. Tituba was easy first target because she is a slave and practices voodoo, both things combined make her the easiest target in Salem. "Sometimes I wake and find myself standing in the open doorway and not a stitch on my body! I always hear her laughing in my sleep. I hear her singing her Barbados songs and tempting me with-"(27). Abigail targets Tituba first so she can gain so...
Firstly, when Abigail Williams panics and blames Tituba, the other girls involved in the woods follow by shouting out names of various townspeople. These people are then arrested and put on trial, with their accusers present. Some refuse to confess to witchcraft, bravely more concerned with how they view themselves rather than how the world does. Also, Abigail and her group resort to becoming possessed and tormented by a demon sent by the person who will not admit, forcing some to a point where they do end up lying and saying that they did traffick with the Devil. In one instance, Abigail claims to have been stabbed when Mary-Warren stuck a needle in the poppet she made, and Mary is helpless when it comes to defending herself. Hale states, “Abigail were stabbed tonight; a needle were found stuck into her belly” (Miller 72). Whether life-saving or life-threatening, lie after lie is told, causing the situation to become increasingly more ridiculous, yet deadly, because lives are being whisked away based on fraudulence. For example, in court, John Proctor attempts to prove that Abigail is lying about everything. He does so by revealing that he was sexually intimate with her in the past. The court does not feel he can prove this, so they call in Elizabeth, his wife, to vouch for him. John says, “In her life, sir, she have never lied...my wife
Abigail’s struggles come from many of her personal desires that are forbidden in her society, causing her to lie. However, this also creates further social problems, such as the initiation of the witch trials. After Betty is stuck in a coma, Reverend Parris questions Abigail about the night in the woods, because he is suspicious and she denies that it had anything to do with witchcraft. Abigail replies to Parris saying, “ We never conjured spirits” (24). Abigail lies to Parris, denies the statement that witchcraft ever occurred, and says that all they did was danced. Witchcraft and dancing both are sins in the society, and she knows that her reputation is at stake and finds the need to lie to look innocent. Parris wants to be sure and calls Reverend Hale to look further into the issue. Once Reverend Hale comes into town, he questions Abigail about the night, and she once again denies everything he asks her. Abigail is being questioned by Hale, and once Tituba enters she screams, “ She made me do it! She made Betty do it! She makes me drink blood!” (45). Abigail denies every...