Have you ever been accused of something you certainly did not indulge in? In the play The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, the townspeople of Salem were subject to accusations of partaking in witchcraft, leading to the rise of mass hysteria. Mass hysteria is arguably the most dominant theme of the play, as the people of Salem are engulfed by worries related to witchcraft and accusations of people worshiping the devil. Mass hysteria is a condition that affects a group of people identified by anxiety, excitement, unreasonable actions or beliefs, or unexplainable symptoms of sickness. Arthur Miller explores mass hysteria through the lens of Salem and his characters by portraying vindictive and manipulative behavior within characters such as Abigail, Judge Danforth, and Reverend Hale. …show more content…
Abigail was the initiator of the mass hysteria traveling throughout Salem. She tended to accuse those she felt got in the way of what she desired of witchcraft. The word of Abigail had caused many people to be hanged. Because of the clever and malicious behavior she depicted, she was feared by many. She even went as far as leading accusations of some of the most well-respected people in town. If Abigail had not been so vindictive and selfish, mass hysteria could have been avoided in Salem. Another character responsible for the mass hysteria was Judge Danforth. Judge Danforth put fear into the town that being convicted was inescapable. He discredited confessions from those who were innocent, and he proclaimed that those who refused to confess to being hanged. At this rate, the townspeople were in survival mode. People were convicting others to protect themselves, regardless of the cost. Had he put an end to the accusations of others and publicity recognized the issue, mass hysteria could have been prevented from spreading
When a community gets so caught up and engulfed in the hysteria surrounding them they will be ravaged and ripped apart. In the Crucible Arthur Miller shows the effects of terror on the town of Salem Massachusetts by showing the role that hysteria has in deconstructing a person's common sense and ability to recognize what is true and what is a lie. The town of Salem is entirely consumed by the effects of hysteria surrounding witchcraft. Hysteria put a fog over their eyes and had the townspeople and the court believing that their neighbors, the people they have known their whole lives, were capable of witchcraft.
Some of Abigail's accusations are forced by reverend hale. Reverend Hale thought he was doing the right thing when starting the accusations and witch trials. He ended up starting something that will ruin the town. The panic he started caused people to die and reputations to be completely
Abigail’s mischievous behavior molded the start of salem witch trials. In Act 1 Abigail lie’s about what happened to Parris and threatening the girls to say what she want’s. Abigail tells the girls to say something or they wish they had never seen the sun go down. Abigail's type of behavior lying and threatening to cover her own self so she does not get in trouble.
Abigail Williams is responsible for the Salem Witch trials. Abigail is to blame because she speaks lies. Although some may believe that Mary Warren, friend of abby’s is to blame. Those who think that could argue that she didn't tell the truth on counts of opportunities. Mary always thought telling the truth was the right idea, but never did.
The reason for the mass hysteria and the trials of witchcraft in the book the Crucible were all because of Abigail Williams. There are many people to point fingers at in this book but activity of Abigail in this book is excruciating and outlandish. One of many reasons to point fingers at Abigail is because, after her affair with John Proctor, John went back to his wife and asked for forgiveness and then Abigail Drank blood and did so-called witchcraft to try and kill Elizabeth (John Proctor's wife). If Abigail never had the affair or never tried to drink blood there wouldn’t be such an issue in Salem. What also led to this was her and the girls allegedly dancing and making potions to form some sort of witchcraft to also kill Elizabeth.
Abigail had previously been in an affair with John Proctor, a well respected farmer, but he had called it off because of his wife's suspicions and uneasiness. As more and more girls start falling ill and appear to be having Devil induced fits, Abigail accuses more people who the town would have never thought of. In this time, courts didn't even require physical evidence so something as little as Abigail pointing a finger, got many killed. Abigail even threatened her own cousins and other girls around her age so they would join in on accusations. The whole town was in a state of panic and distress over possible witchery invading their homes or afflicting their own families.
The Crucible, could the hysteria that played out in this intense and nerve racking story have been stopped by anyone? The truth is yes, the hysteria in Salem could have no doubt been stopped by two people in particular, Abigail Williams, and Judge Danforth. Here’s how these two individuals could have stopped the hysteria in Salem. Throughout the story it is seen that Danforth has a bit of an ego due to the reputation he has as a successful judge.
As an illustration of mass hysteria, Abigail the one that induced the trials solely because
Brooklynne Murray Mr. Bently B101 English III, The Crucible Jan 31, 2023 The Crazy Town In the Crucible, which took place in Salem, everyone believed in Witchcraft and that it was the devil’s work. In the Crucible everyone in the town was going through mass hysteria, which means a contagious dissociative phenomenon that takes place in Large groups of people or institutions under the condition of anxiety.
Because Danforth is a judge, he is seen as a powerful being, with implied respect from others, as well as implied power. When he signs people off to be jailed and killed, no one dares to question him. He is responsible for the hangings that occurred in Salem. If he had never abused his power and set over three hundred people to be hanged, the officials of the town would have never hung a soul. In fact, Danforth is responsible for the people who were hanged lives’.
An abundance of people lost property and their reputation because of Abigail and her group. Nonetheless, Abigail’s past and present experiences caused the witch trials and consequently, she is to blame for
Due to the actions following, Abigail realized she had gained a voice in society and she, along with a group of three other girls, began accusing multitudes of others during the fifteen month time span. Several innocent people were hanged in Salem village, all because four young girls had caught wind of power. Due to the social structure of Salem, Massachusetts, the witch trial hysteria thrust into action. The social structure is to blame for the witch hysteria ever occurring in Salem because if the girls had not been so attention starved, due to lack of power, then they would have never thought to even begin
This blaming started to create more and more hysteria about witches being in Salem. Had Abigail confessed to being in the woods and had not blamed everyone else for being witches for her gain, It would have been the first step in stopping the hysteria in
In modern times, witches are fantasy characters seen in media, but in the town of Salem, they are a real fear. A fear that drives people to insanity and leaves some questioning if reputation is more important than integrity. Arthur Miller enlightens these questioning people in his play The Crucible by describing the witch hunts in Salem. The play follows the people of Salem as the town falls into a witch hunt when a group of girls accuse an innocent slave of witchcraft to save themselves from getting in trouble. It describes the corruption of the authority figures as they force innocent people to confess and accuse others of witchcraft, and it shows how fear can cause a whole town to go against their better judgment.
Even though abigail did not have proper guidance and was very immature, she should still gain full responsibility for the mass hysteria in the village because without her influencing the girls saying that they saw the devil, none of this would have ever