The Crucible - Abigail Williams is to Blame In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, the main character Abigail Williams is to blame for the 1692 witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Abigail is a mean and vindictive person who always wants her way, no matter who she hurts. Through out the play her accusations and lies cause many people pain and suffering, but she seemed to never care for any of them except John Proctor, whom she had an affair with seven months prior to the beginning of the play. John
The Crucible – The Character of Abigail Abigail Williams the main character in The Crucible by Arthur Miller draws the interest of the reader as she is a wicked, confident girl who lies to get what she wants and defends her name and her life. Abigail is a defensive girl. She is always defending her reputation and herself to get out of trouble. Abigail was on orphan, her uncle Parris feeds and clothes her. She was also expelled from the house by Goody Proctor, therefore she has little standing
What is Abigail Williams' function and purpose in the plot of the play? Abigail Williams is like a ringleader among the girls, she is also there to spread hysteria and huge hype among the villagers. Abigail seems to be a very forceful and cunning character and straight away forms herself as leader in the midst of the girls. "Now look you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam's dead sisters. And that is all. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things"
Character of Abigail in The Crucible Abigail plays a very important role in The Crucible. In fact it is likely that without her the play would not exist. She is the source of everything that goes wrong in the play and her attempts to defend herself from the consequences of her own actions ruin many people's lives. Abigail has a relationship with John Proctor before the play begins. This relationship results in her being dismissed from her job as a servant and it explains why Abigail targets
dramatic masterpiece, The Crucible, people and motives often depict patters of Puritans struggling for life during a shaky time. Two main characters from both pieces of works share the traits of a struggling Puritan as adulators. Even tough Hester and Abigail have similar traits, their sins differ dramatically and were punished differently. Hester Prynne is a woman in Boston who is strong of her will. For example she had a daughter and refused to give out her father’s name. She says, “…my
Comparison of Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor in Miller's The Crucible The Crucible is play that helps to show human nature through a series of events linked through the Salem witch trials. In this play, a group of young teenagers would undermine the religious government and make a mockery of the Salem judicial system. Miller also shows human nature through the development of characters. Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor are foils of each other and have many differences; they would
villain in literature? The literary definition of a villain is a flat character that is “evil to the very marrow of their bones”. They should have no redeeming qualities. In the Crucible by Arthur Miller, many who read the book are quick to assume Abigail Williams is of that caliber. There is much evidence in the book to disprove this. She was in fact, a victim of the ignorant ideals of the Puritans. She first was pulled into a deceptive relationship by John Proctor, who took her innocence in an act of
has sinned, openly condemns the witch trials while hiding a secret that could discredit the main accuser, Abigail Williams. John Proctor is a man consumed by guilt, who draws on his contempt for Reverend Parris, his love for his wife, and his need to take responsibility for his actions to gain the strength of character it takes to publicly confess his sins, denounce Abigail Williams, and save his soul. As soon as Reverend Parris is appointed to the church in Salem John Proctor begins
the entire story. For instance, in "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller, we take an immediate interest in 17-year-old Abigail Williams. Miller portrays her as a vindictive, wicked and persuasive girl. Perhaps persuasive is too mild an adjective, but her evilness or malevolence is indoctrinating, and her manipulative capability leaves the other girls no choice but to follow her lead. Abigail psychologically forces the others to obey her, and is not reluctant to threaten them, or do them physical harm! She
Much of the action in Act III revolves around Mary’s testimony in court. She is a kind and basically honest girl who tries to do the right thing, saving her friends from harm. However, throughout Acts I and II, Mary is a follower who allows Abigail Williams to negatively influence her good judgment. To make matters worse, Mary is terrified of Abigail’s threats. Because of her weak will, the reader isn’t certain if Mary will maintain the courage to help John Proctor to win his court case in Act III
The Crucible deals with witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts which shows utter chaos and hysteria in the town. Many were accused of witchcraft and died because of lies. Elizabeth Proctor was one of many who were accused. She was accused by Abigail Williams, the person whom Elizabeth fired for cheating with her husband, John Proctor. John was a well respected farmer in Salem, who was outraged when Elizabeth was arrested for accusations of using witchcraft. John and Elizabeth were approached by Reverend
The purpose of my paper is to compare and contrast Arthur Miller’s The Crucible with the actual witch trials that took place in Salem in the 17th Century. Although many of the characters and events in the play were non-fictional, many details were changed by the playwright to add intrigue to the story. While there isn’t one specific cause or event that led to the Salem witch trials, it was a combination of events and factors that contributed to the birth and growth of the trials. Some of these
question! To help the reader understand the condition of Salem at the beginning of Act II, Kinsella explains that "Salem is in the grip of mounting hysteria" (1267). Kinsella is correct the town first starts out with Betty not waking up, then Abigail Williams acusing practically everyone in Salem about being witches and it moves up from there eventually leading to Proctors fait. When Reverend Hale has come to inquire at the Proctor house, John defends Rebecca Nurse by exclaiming, "It's hard to
cleverly constructed characters, Arthur Miller was able to capture the past and give us a glimpse of what it would have been like to live in the late 17th century. Among those characters include John and Elizabeth Proctor, spouse to one another, Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Reverend Thomas Hale. Through these five people and more, the customs and general aspects of the Salem community are represented. One way the town expressed itself was through the way its inhabits dressed. The clothing that
portrayed through Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctors wife. Pride eventually interfered with her decision making; an example of this is when they bring her into the court to be questioned about her husband. When she is asked about her husband and Abigail Williams, she thinks that she needs to cover for her husband’s affair, and tells the first lie of her life. Elizabeth also has pride when she is told that her husband is sentenced to be hanged that day. Unlike most women she does not cry; another symbol
think..” Abigail Williams is a 17 year old girl who lives with her uncle. In the past John Proctor and Abigail Williams had an affair while she was his servant. Now Abigail is obsessed with John and will do anything to get him to be her’s. Abigail and I are similar but only in a few ways like we both get jealous, were passionate , and we both are strong leaders. Abigail and I can both get jealous sometimes. Abigail and I both tend to get jealous about one thing, the ones we love. Abigail gets jealous
Abigail Williams, a girl most people believed to be against the devil’s work, but was really the one doing it. Most people saw her as a kind, wonderful young woman, but on the inside she was pure evil. The only people who knew her for who she really was were the people that was doing the devil's work also. As the play continued, the characters learned who Abigail really was, an evil, controlling, manipulative, selfish girl. One thing to know about Abigail Williams is that she is very manipulative
forward, seen as black and white. There is a distinct separation Bremmerman 2 between the two that has not been there before. The concentrated forces at the center of this change are the young girls led by Abigail Williams. The closeness of the girls is played out at the end of Act One. Abigail onsets the anarchy when she cries "I want to open myself! . . . I want the light of God . . . I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osbourne with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!"(48)
reputation. However, having a good name is irrelevant compared to the truth. How one perceives oneself, and how someone can stick to their moral codes is the most important virtue. Rebecca Nurse and Abigail Williams are polar opposite of each other in the play. Nurse is the embodiment of all goodness, while Williams is the exact “devil” Salem is trying to expel. Through these models of goodness and evil, the truth, while eliciting punishment, is better than preserving a “name” that is carries no substantial
book the fact that he has feelings for a Mrs. Abigail Williams is brought to light when Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth are having a conversation: “ Elizabeth, ‘reasonably’: John, have you ever shown her somewhat of contempt? She cannot pass you in the church but you will blush- Proctor: I may blush for my sin. Elizabeth: I think she sees another meaning in that blush (59).” Elizabeth knows that there may be something going on between Proctor and Abigail. But proctor feels like he has to keep honor