Abigail Williams In The Crucible Analysis

In The Crucible, Abigail is driven by her jealousy of Elizabeth, a hunger for power and sense of belonging, and a yearning for John. Abigail continues to review and edit her memories until they accurately portray her as the center of John’s existence. This obsession and grave desire for revenge puts her in a delusional state, so much so that she develops a detailed plan to acquire John and stops at nothing to see her plan succeed. Abigail lies to conceal her affair, and to prevent charges of witchcraft. In order to avoid severe punishment for casting spells, having an affair and attempting to murder Elizabeth, Abigail shifts the focus away from herself by accusing others of witchcraft.

In “The Crucible” Abigail is one of the main characters, because she is dealing with witchcraft. She is lying a lot, for example, she says “Elizabeth Proctor is an envious, gossipy liar!”. She says things about other people, witch are lies, to distract from herself. She is lying about the meeting in the woods, witchcraft and about his love for John Proctor. On account of Abigail other people died in the play, because she shifts the focus away from herself by accusing others of witchcraft.

When Betty says “You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor” (Miller 19), the reader can clearly determine that Abigail will take any measure to accomplish her selfish goals. This is as Abigail is trying to intimidate the other girls into not saying anything. “She is the consummate seductress; the witchcraft hysteria in the play originates in her carnal lust for Proctor” (Schissel 3).

She is mean. She shows that she is mean by threatening the lives of the girls if they say anything about witchcraft. “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you” (act 1 line 460) She also shows that she is mean when she is coping Mary making the pastors in the court believe that Mary is a witch. “Mary- Abby stop it, Abby- Abby stop it”. (act 3) Abby is a killer.

Abigail is in love with John Proctor, after their affair she wants nothing but him. Abigail is a selfish and manipulative girl. Abigail Williams stirs up the entire town of Salem against many people, including Elizabeth and John Proctor, because of her selfish personal ambition to be John's next wife, as well as her treacherous lust for the power that she gains by accusing innocent people of witchcraft. When Abigail and John Proctor had their affair, Abigail told John “You loved me John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!, pity me, pity me!” Abigail hates that John

It is prohibited to dance because of their religion and soon everyone knew that the group of girls were dancing in the forest naked. Abigail threatened the girls by telling them if they said that they did more than danced in the forest she’ll “come to [them] in the black of some terrible night and [she] will Lopez 2 bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder [them]” (Miller 148).Abigail and the girls started blaming random people in the town. Abigail’s intensions were to blame goody Proctor and have John Proctor all to herself. The girls made bad actions instead of confessing. With the huge act they had going on; they caused people to die based on their lies.

Abigail is a prime example on how love can get out of hand very quickly. Abigail is so caught up in John Proctor to the point she tries to ruin his life because he will not take her back. John Proctor acknowledges their time together but assures her it will not happen again. This theme can also be a tribute to teen culture not knowing the difference between love and lust. It seems Abigail does not love John per say, but instead lusts him.

The girls blamed many people of the town of being witches and caused conflict all over the village. People in the village had power by influencing others to lie in order not to receive the consequences of witchcraft. Abigail shows power in the play by influencing the girls and what to say and do. She threatened all the girls she will hurt them if they open their mouth and say the truth. Abigail threatens, “Let either one of you breathe a word, or the edge of the other thing and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will being a pointy reckoning that will shutter you.”(Act 1).

There are several people who can be responsible for the evilness occurring during the Salem witch trials of 1692. Due to false accusations, innocent people are being arrested and killed, and the community is in a state of chaos and disorder. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller demonstrates that it is Abigail’s flaws-lust, dishonesty, and jealousy- that lead her to be guilty for the tragedy of the witch-hunts in Massachusetts. During the seventeenth century, Abigail Williams has the reputation of being an intelligent, yet manipulative woman who has single-handedly started the Salem witch trials. She commits one of the seven deadly sins, lust, which is the craving for the pleasures of the body.

Abigail was weak enough to want revenge on Elizabeth Proctor and kill her so John could love Abigail. “Now little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law” (Hale) Abigail Williams in the Crucible is a despicable character that is toxic to every person she commerses with. She portrays the evil of the world and the weakness of fear. She longed for love because of her loneliness and guilt that she could feel deep down inside of her soul. Miller wrote a wonderful play that gave us the thought of how we need to stay strong in the right and smart choices instead of falling to the ridiculous accusations that people make just to get revenge on others.