Throughout the entire play, it is made clear that Abigail has control over the younger girls in the village. In Act 1, it is right away noticed that her way of controlling them is through causing fear by making threats. While talking to Betty, Mary, and Mercy about being careful with what they say regarding the event that occurred in the woods, she says, “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word...and i will come to you in the black of some
Among those with good morals, lies those who have evil morals. Abigail Williams, the most sinful character in the play, contributes to the corruption of women in Salem. These acts of evil stem from the girls who danced in the woods. Abigail strikes out against those who wish to confess by saying “we’ll be whipped” scaring others. (Miller 1.18). Abigail from the beginning is rooted with evil and she still gets to hold hierarchy among others.Abigail is evil in her actions and serves as the “ringleader” for the group of children but, is not respected by John Proctor who calls her “with great sympathy but firmly: [a] child” (Miller 1.22). The most corrupt and evil character in Salem, is also the most juvenile, which Miller portrays through Abigail.
Abigail causes her friend Mary Warren to experience fear when Abby and the girls accuse her of witchery to the court. “Children, a very augur bit will now be turned into
Evil can come in many different shapes, sizes and colors. Most people believe that only the mean people are seen as evil. I on the other hand disagree because even the nicest looking people can have the darkest soul, such as Abigail Williams. I believe that she has got to be the most despicable and cruel person in “The Crucible”.
Upholding one’s reputation is a common theme in The Crucible. Abigail Williams and her uncle Reverend Parris seem to be exceptionally careful with what they do to keep the reputation they have. Abigail Williams does a lot so she does not jeopardize her own reputation, even though it puts other’s lives at risk. To begin, Abigail lies about the events that partake in the woods. At first, Abigail said her and the girls were just dancing, but the truth crawled its way out of Abigail eventually. Next, Abigail threatens the girls to keep quiet:
“All is fair in love and war” is a saying that has been present for centuries. It suggests that nothing is out of bounds when involving these two vital parts of a person’s mind, and in a war between love and hate, anything is acceptable or fair. The character Abigail Williams from Arthur Miller’s The Crucible gives a whole new meaning to the well-known phrase. By making Abigail a selfish yet mature character, she proves to be more complex, and therefore more developed than villains of past literature.
Abigail will admit to committing witchery in order to gain a higher position in the community. Abigail’s motivate is to frighten Mary Warren, Mercy Lewis, and Betty Parris; “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.” (1137) She wants to gain control over them.She does not want them telling the information about making potions or drinking blood- serious crimes of witchcraft. Abigail is a vengeful young lady, but not in the sense of seeking to harm someone in return for a perceived injury, but to just obtain power over the girls to save her secret from being revealed. Abigail is the troublemaker and bullies certain characters in order to get her way.On page 1140, Abigail tries to convince John that his wife is a troublemaker and tries to convince him to leave his wife;“She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! she is a cold, snivelling woman, and you bend to
The characters in The Crucible are often viewed as callous and ignorant to their surroundings but such quick judgements can lead a reader to overlook each character's importance and what message they try to convey. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible chaos ensues as accusations of witchcraft fly about turning neighbor upon neighbor and exposing the seedy underbelly of a Puritan New England town. The accusations are lead by a young girl and her devoted followers whose vengeance damns anyone that opposes them. Whether virtuous or wicked the women in The Crucible are strong influences within the community of Salem and the overall effect of the play.
Parris confronts Abigail about how he caught her and Betty dancing in the forest in front of a fire that Tituba seemed to be chanting in front of and Abigail concedes that they were dancing however, she denies that her and Betty were doing witchcraft. Parris warns his niece that she and the other girls would be punished for witchcraft and that if they were trafficking with the spirits that it would be known and could ruin his reputation. Abigail again denies that they were doing witchcraft and explains that they were dancing for fun while Tituba was singing near the fire and that Betty passed out because of embarrassment when she saw Parris in the forest. Parris brings up how Abigail was recently fired from a job at the Proctors and hints that Elizabeth Proctor has not been attending church. Abigail denies any wrongdoing and says that she was fired because Elizabeth dislikes her since she did not want to be her slave. Mr. and Mrs. Putnam enter the room and Mrs. Putnam asks Parris how Betty flew since it was rumored that Mr. Collins saw Betty magically flying over Ingersoll’s
Even though Abigail is a "strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling," she is still at the bottom of the social latter (Miller, 9). However, she gains power through the role of the accuser. Abigail is the primary person who uses fear to manipulate the other girls of the community. The narrator states that the witch-hunt was "not a mere repression…It was also a long overdue opportunity for everyone so inclined to express his guilt and sins publicly, under the cover of accusations against the victims" (Miller, 7). Abigail uses the witch trials as an opportunity to gain social power by playing the role of the accuser against anyone who opposes her. She abuses her power through the act of playing the victim. Abigail states, "[She] will come to [the girls] in the black of some terrible night and [she] will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder [them]" if the other girls of the community told the truth that they were all messing with magic (Miller, 19). At first, the children are depicted as innocent, and that the adults must protect them from the illusions of the devil, however, Abigail later appears only to be acting out of malicious pleasure. Ultimately, the adults acknowledge the fear created by the people of the village. The adults are the ones who use the trials to justify their violence in protecting the children. The violence resulted in the adults believing they had power over the devil that had come to
“I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men! And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I will not, I cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!”In the Crucible Abigail Williams is portrayed as a villain for the way she accused
The Crucible is a dramatized, and partially fictional story of the Salem witch trials, that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A twisted minded, controlling, teenage girl who is the cause of all of this. Abigail Williams, the minister's seventeen year old niece who accuses several local women of witchcraft. In the Crucible we experienced a lot of things the death of Mrs. Putnam's seven children, Abigail floundering with Mr. Proctor, and much more. Elizabeth Proctor is the wife of John Proctor. Elizabeth can be portrayed as a caring, loving, trustworthy and a forgiving character, that everyone would love to have in their lives. On the other hand, we have Abigail Williams which could be portrayed as a bully, a liar, and
Evil is an interesting thing. It misleads, difficult to grasp and changes form all the time confusing those who set out to defeat it. The same can be said for Arthur Miller’s The Crucible as evil in the colonial town of Salem changes form and shape to destroy the lives of those it hates. In a world where Church and State are one the forces of evil manipulate the lives of those who do good. Abigail Williams and her jealous possession of John Proctor, her troop of girls, the selfish men of Salem, and the corrupt magistrates at court are the true evils of Salem and all evil stems from their manipulations.
"I want to open myself! I want the light of God; I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand—I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Good Osburn with the devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!" (Miller, Act 1, Page 48). Mass hysteria is created from many of the accusations such as these. Abigail takes advantage of this and uses it against her gossiping enemies, but it doesn't always work out for her. “Mass hysteria is the most obvious theme in the story. Mass hysteria is represented everywhere trouble was.” ("Themes of "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller."). Abigail Williams is the niece of Reverend Parris, both of her parents died when she was younger. Abigail is a deceitful girl
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Miller demonstrated that it was Abigail who was responsible for the Salem witch trials. Abigail Williams, niece of Reverend Samuel Parris and former worker in the Proctor house, is the seventeen year old girl whose parents were killed by Native Americans. She also had an affair with John Proctor while Elizabeth, his wife, was pregnant. It was Abigail’s flaws – immaturity, envy, and lust – that led her to be the most responsible for the tragedy of the witch-hunt in Salem.