Contrast Between Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor

Shakespeare's audiences would have undoubtedly believed in witches, yet his portrayal of the hallu... ... middle of paper ... ...ical this tragedy is. The small drop of doubt left in the audience's minds as to whether the witches are real or not enables Shakespeare to combine a vivid external presentation of the forces of evil with a profound exploration of their psychological sources and effects in the human mind. 'Hover through the fog and filthy air' is delivered in a slow, ominous moan. The gypsies are meant to disappear into thin air as directed in the text, but I feel it is much better to leave it up to the audience to decide if these women have supernatural powers. In order to allow this, the oil drum fire sputters wildly and, with another chilling bell chime, fades out in the torrential rain.

In contrast to the Roman Catholic Church, Protestant world-view possessed a more distinct boundary between the celestial, the infernal, and the terrestrial. To Protestants, the fight against magic and the Roman Catholic Church was necessary because both “epitomized this mistaken understanding of the sacred," (Roper, 2004, p. 39) Three) Chapter 2: According to Roper, bodies were the site of truth about witchcraft and Satan, and "extreme physical and emotional states were part of the routine of witch-hunting" (p. 54). Using examples from the text, explain what she means by that. Roper is addressing an array of complex emotional reactions that accused witches exhibited during the interrogation process. The physical threat of torture, the social repercussions of the examination, and the various responses of the accused all contributed to the “extreme physical and emotional states” that comprised the examination and interrogation

Macbeth is a Shakespearean tragedy play that was set up in a socio political context when people greatly believed in witches and witch craft. In essence, the audience’s perception of witches’ nature was seen to manipulate and deceive. This essay will attempt to highlight on major themes that influenced Macbeth’s choices within the events of the play that lead him to his demise. The points that will be covered in this essay is firstly; Ambition vs Moral constraints. Secondly, the role of gender in society and how it is depicted in the play and thirdly, versions of reality.

Miller uses dramatic techniques to maintain the audiences’ interest the message that Miller conveys is to learn from your mistakes and not to jump to conclusions. Abigail changes the way she acts when interrogated by Hale. Abigail has previously been perceived as a dynamic and powerful individual however when... ... middle of paper ... ...nly a precursor of the climax in act three. In “The Crucible” the playwright Arthur Miller uses many techniques to attract and maintain the audiences’ interest. These consist of dramatic irony, which is used since the audience know that Abigail is only accusing members of Salem of been witches in order to save herself.

To be in a 17th centaury audience and have witches appear on stage would be terrifying and cause a genial reaction of shock and disgust. Also the king of the time James the first had an interest in witchcraft specifically the torture of witches. He even wrote a book demonology which listed all the horrible means in which to torture a confession out of them. So adding this to the play may have been Shakespeare's way to please the king. Act 1 scene 1 gives a dramatic start to the play arousing our curiosity over the mysterious identities of the three witches and creating a puzzling spectacle.

Lydia Velishek Mr. Stensrud Honors: US Literature & Composition 10 October 2017 Title Here It is clear that Abigail Williams is portrayed as the antagonist in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, taking place in the late 1600s in Salem, Massachusetts and based on the witch-trials therein. She serves as a catalyst for the witch trials by falsely accusing innocent townspeople with the intent of maintaining the position of power she gains from them. Due to the transparency of her actions, Abigail’s ulterior motives are also distinguishable. Certain effeminate stereotypes are presented throughout the course of the play. One of which, being that of the immoral, husbandless woman, Abigail embodies.

By beginning the play with this scene Shakespeare indicates the importance of the witches in the play and of the supernatural evil that they represent. Generally speaking most plays introduce the main characters first, to set the stage.However in this case the hero Macbeth would normally be introduced but it is the three weird sisters, thereby assigning more importance to them, as is obvious in the play. The reccuring chant "fair is foul, and foul is fair" is used to show us that the three witches can conjure up spells and magical potions, which later climax in the decline of Macbeth. The clever use of language, 'fair is foul, and foul is fair', is vey effective because the use of irony here confuses the listener into assuming that this statement is true when it is in fact what they are stating i... ... middle of paper ... ...short and powerful play, presenting a great nature corrupted by ambition and an unscruptulous wife. As Macbeth becomes more involved with the supernatural his state of mind changes.

The last line of the scene is immensely important, for when the witches say that “fair is foul, and foul is fair”, the reader Komery later understands that this is the main theme of the play. This implies that appearances can be deceiving. What appears to be good can be bad, and this ... ... middle of paper ... ...me will to have the throne, even at the cost of her own offspring. Similar to the witches, after Lady Macbeth states her desires to become male, Macbeth enters her room, and a discussion about the murder of King Duncan ensues. The dramatic effect that the witches and Lady Macbeth bring to the play is great.

The Salem witch trials created many innocent deaths. In his play, Arthur Miller shows the two main themes on why the Salem witch trials caused so many deaths. Puritanism and Persecution are the two main themes in The Crucible. Puritanism is a main theme in the crucible. Arthur Miller shows how Puritanism gave the people of Salem a pessimistic view.

When Christianity was established, the works of the devil became associated with witches. Therefore it was important to Shakespeare to introduce the witches at an early stage in the play, as they immediately contrast Macbeth's character as being a good upstanding individual to the audience. The witches are the physical manifestation of evil itself, and they bring temptation, malice and disaster with their visit upon hapless morta... ... middle of paper ... ... strength to kill the king. Lady Macbeth completely ignores the first influence of loyalty to Duncan, her influence is completely self motivated and originated in her own mind. She takes advantage of Macbeths's original motivation, his ambition, and uses that to decide what he must do.