Great authors are capable of using words to shine light upon problems and missed details that may be important. Orwell uses Animal Farm to teach readers about the problems that arise from government oppression. Similarly, Miller teaches the audience about the pitfalls of pressure. In the play The Crucible, author Arthur Miller uses 2.2 to illuminate Abigail’s insanity and Proctor’s goodness. These details help to give the audience insight and answer questions that may plague them. Abigail goes beyond manipulativeness, and enters the realm of insanity. Under the belief that the town is full of witches, Abby is certain she is being attacked due to her holiness. She tries to convince Proctor of this and tells him, “Why, look at my leg. I’m holes all over from their damned needles and pins. The jab your wife gave me’s not healed yet y’know” (Miller 140). From the start, the audience can see that something isn't right. As young woman in a strictly religious and conservative community, she breaks a moral code of the town by showing off a relatively large amount of skin to a man that she is not wed to. Abigail's passionate belief that her townspeople are …show more content…
When he is speaking to Abby in the woods on a dark night, Proctor warns her, “I come to tell you, Abby, what I will do tomorrow in the court. I would not take you by surprise, but give you all good time to think on what to do to save yourself” (Miller 142). Proctor holds the power to ruin them both, but gives her the option to lie so she doesn't have to. In doing so there is the possibility of saving Elizabeth and not staining both of their names, but requires Abigail’s help. It is difficult to talk to her, demonstrating the strength of Proctor’s will, but he gives Abigail an advanced notice to prepare what she has to say. Through his deep emotions for his wife, the audience has no doubt of the love and strength held in John Proctor’s
The affair and John’s inability to forgive himself leaves his relationship with Elizabeth strained throughout the majority of the story. The text alludes to this by reminding the reader of how “cold” the Proctor household is starting to become as John and Elizabeth exchange dialogue. He is mad at his wife because she cannot forgive him, he resents her for this and hypocritically he can’t even forgive himself. In the book, John Proctor is seen as a strong, logical man who isn’t afraid of hard work.
In the Salem Witch Trials, 141 people were arrested, 19 people were hanged, and one person was crushed to death. In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the witch trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. Abigail was the initial accuser of the witchcraft when she and a few other girls broke the rules. Abby had lied about what happened so she didn’t get punished. Abigail displays her villainous characteristics by telling lies, being manipulative, and leading nineteen innocent people to their untimely death.
The Puritans have an extremely strict and religious way of life. They do not accept any forms nor signs of witchery. Although Puritans, John Proctor, and Abigail commit a sin in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible; Thus, leading to the Salem witch trials. Abigail is responsible for the deaths of innocent puritans in Salem during the witch trials, in which 20 people were accused and executed for being a witch. She is the first to cry out witchcraft, which give her complete control over the situation, Yet, John Proctor only plays a small role in this nonsense.
2) I think the other girls followed Abigail's lead because they feared her. At the beginning of the play, she threatens to stab the girls in the black of some terrible night if they speak up about what happened that night. 4) Abigail's motivation is her jealousy and desire for revenge against Elizabeth since Abigail thinks she is the only thing standing between her and John.
In court, John finally admits to committing adultery with Abigail and an uproar inundates the courtroom. With the judge demanding she answer the questions, Abigail proclaims, “If I must answer that, I will leave and I will not come back again!” (111). Perceiving her imminent judgment, Abigail attempts to flee. When her plans start to derail, Abigail disregards her staunch feelings for John and seeks an effective solution for her problem.
He accepts his sin in court, and uncovers Abigail’s true colors by saying, “She thinks to dance with me in my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands. I know you must see it now”(102).
The Crucible Rough Draft Have you ever felt guilt? Guilt can control a lot of people. Guilt did control some of the characters in the Crucible. John Proctor had a lot of guilt thought out the Crucible for having an affair with Abigail and hurting his wife Elizabeth because of having the affair with Abigail.
Proctor’s guilt is present when he, attempts to pay for his sins by giving his wife materialistic objects, hesitates to obey his wife's suggestion to accuse Abigail of false bewitchment, and breaks out in anger for not wanting to be judged any longer. The romantic relationship between the Proctor’s is undoubtedly extinguished, but even casual engagement cannot exist without tension since everything John Proctor says to Elizabeth is a symbol of repentance. He offers Elizabeth the possession of a cow and expresses “with a grin” that all he
Abigail is fearful that the town will find out that she drank blood so she tells the girls that if they say anything “[she] will come to [them] in the black of some terrible night and [she] will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder [them].” (20) Abigail can not risk having the town find out that she attempted to kill Proctors wife so she turns to threatening the girls in order to silence them. When Proctor confessed, he did not falsely accuse his friends or his enemies to make his confession more realistic, he did not need to hurt others like Abigail did. Abigail is concerned with what the entire town thinks of her while Proctor’s concern is what him and his wife think. Proctor turned to his wife for help when he was debating if he should save his life.
In Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”, Abigail is most to blame in the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials is based on a period of time where the devil’s work has found its way into the Christian city of Salem, causing everybody accused of witchcraft to confess, or be hanged. Abigail, a teenage girl at the time, has fell madly in love with a man by the name of John Proctor. John is a married man, but in his past he has had an affair with Abigail which nobody knew of. Abigail’s immaturity shows throughout the story, along with major jealousy over Elizabeth Proctor, John’s wife.
Society as a whole seeks to satisfy themselves. This may be at the expense of their peers or individuals they are associated with. Arthur Miller brilliantly displays this dark side of humanity’s side in his play The Crucible. This play is based on the Salem witch trials in the early 1690s. During the Salem witch trials over two hundred people were accused of witchcraft and twenty were executed.
Abigail Williams said that Elizabeth Proctor had sent out her spirit and made it stab a needle into her stomach. John believes that Abigail is trying to get revenge on his wife for ending things, but he swears he will do anything to prove his wife’s innocence. Secondly, John Proctor confesses his crime of lechery to protect his wife (Miller, II 1146). John makes sure the court knows about the affair, to show that Abigail is blackmailing him to protect her own witchcraft acts and get vengeance on him. John Proctor’s actions clearly show that he is willing to do anything to protect not only his wife, himself, but the others Abigail and her friends are accusing of witchcraft.
Abigail fuels this situation even more with her manipulative personality. She is a very selfish girl and she is willing to do whatever she can to protect herself. Abigail “smashes her across the face: Shut it! Now shut it!” Abigail smacks Betty when she starts remembering what happened and that Abigail drank blood to kill John Proctor’s wife.
Abigail 's heartless attitude is shown in act two when she frames and accuses Elizabeth Proctor for witchcraft. She desired and longed for this revenge on poor Proctors innocent wife, aiming for her through out the play. Later on in Act Three she seems to lose her last attachment of society by destroying John Proctor, who she claims to love with all her heart. When John attempts and threatens to expose Abigail’s wrong doings, she skillfully manages to turn the whole problem around on him, sending him off
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play which contains a multitude of complex characters . In the play, the characters’ motivations and inner processes are explored. Because of the historical setting, the characters live in a society of judgement and extreme religious devotion. This is a factor that places any of the characters’ choices and morals in a public balance to be judged by others. Abigail Williams is the main character of the play and acts with an utter selfishness and obsession.