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. This does not help calm things down in Salem at all. Danforth believes he has the best judgment of the case and that there is no room for error in the decision he makes. “Why? Do you mean to deny this confession when you are free?”(Miller act IV para 285). It is shown in this line that Danforth likes …show more content…
Abigail was the whole reason any of the drama in Salem started, she was caught dancing in the forest, and accused of witchcraft soon later. With this accusation and the whole town of Salem focused in on the case Abigail had quite that platform that was willing to hear what she had to say, but instead of setting the record straight she danced around the truth and fled before anything bad could happen to her. “Thirty-one pound is gone. I am penniless.”(Miller act IV para 74). This statement by reverend Parris shows that Abigail robbed him and ran away to save her own skin, this selfish act only makes the chaos that is ensuing worse, and puts people who were innocent in danger just because Abigail was fearful of something that may never have even happened. If she would have stayed and told the truth then there would have been less panic because the people of Salem would have a clear understanding of what's going on as well as some would not be in fear of dying especially for something that could've been cleared up by the words of one girl. This is why Abigail could've ended the hysteria in Salem as
In the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, a group of ill-behaved girls following Abigail's agenda to fool the town into believing they are witches. The town falls victim to Abigail's mischievous and vengeful actions. However, Judge Danforth is causing mass hysteria and panic by accusing girls of being witches with little to no proof. His control of the town creates a negative impact on the community that affects the outcome of the trials. Judge Danforth is the one responsible for the events that take place in Salem during the witch trials.
Her lies play a part in starting the witch trials. To save herself she would throw any of the other girls or towns folk to blame. “ I want the light of God”, “I saw Sarah Good, Goody Osburn, and Bridget Bishop with the devil”. Watching Abigail's actions we see how much she is willing to bend the truth and even manipulate others to keep herself away from blame/harm. Yet even with all the lies and manipulation from Abigail there is an instance
The power that Abigail held over the town was so great that she almost turned Salem into a town of paranoia, suspicion and mistrust. In the end, Abigail’s power was her downfall. She feared being exposed and was forced to leave
This act of deception lead to catastrophic consequences that rip Salem apart. I believe Abigail could have not been a manipulator, more acceptable, and stopped lying. One key example that showcases Abigail's deceitful behavior is when she manipulates her friends into following her false
Abigail is vengeful, selfish, manipulative, and overall a magnificent liar. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible American play from the 1990s reveals how hysteria supplants logic and enables people to believe false claims. In The Crucible mass hysteria is shown to allow the people of Salem to believe that their neighbors who they considered outstanding people are now committing absurd and unbelievable acts. I believe that Abigail Williams could have ended the mass hysteria in Salem by coming forward and telling the truth about what happened in the woods with the other girls, not accusing innocent people of witchcraft, and admitting to pretending she was bewitched.
The amount of hysteria that Aruther Miller expresses through his characters in the crucible is more than relevant to what was going on at the time. Aruther Miller shows hysteria through many characters throughout the story. The characters I choose to focus on are Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Elizabeth Proctor. The ways that he includes hysteria helped show the public how they were treating people at that given time. One of the characters Miller chooses to cause hysteria is Abigail Williams.
Miller addresses a similar hysteria throughout his play. In The Crucible, there are many characters that feed into or contribute to the rapid spread of witch hysteria in the small village of Salem. The two characters that could have ended the mass hysteria are Abigail Williams and Deputy Governor Danforth. Throughout the play Abigail proves to be a fundamental character in the preservation of the hysteria.
A fair, pliable, and equitable judge during a trial is key. Judges must be able to view both sides and not be fooled by the other into their party. Such privilege was not given by Danforth who was a buyest, arrogant, and controlling judge during the Salem witch trials in the novel The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Danforth is the ultimate villain because he kept the Salem witch trials viable by allowing no fair representation in court and allowed court to be narrow minded. To begin with Danforth is the ultimate villain because he kept the Salem witch trials viable by allowing no fair representation in court.
Another reason for Abigail’s actions was the need to have power. Before the trials, she was known for being fired by the Proctors. She didn’t have the best reputation in town. After she started accusing people she saw that just by naming other people of witchcraft she gained respect. It bettered her reputation in town.
Brook Mills Mrs. Brown English 10 11/03/15 Many individuals of Salem have to deal with everyday hysteria with many people accused of being a witch and being executed. Other than Abigail, three characters who are to blame for the hysteria in The Crucible are Judge Danforth, John Proctor, and Mary Warren. A character that contributed to the hysteria in The Crucible was Judge Danforth. He contributed to the hysteria because he sent men and women to be executed for no reason.
These three characters can be the most to blame for the cause of the spread and start of hysteria in Salem during the Witch Trials. The cause of the hysteria was caused by Reverend Hale, Abigail Williams and Judge Danforth. Three
Just as those who held a high position in the American government during the Red Scare, preferred to accuse people of communism and ruin their reputation, knowing they were likely innocent, in order to make their position in the government seem legitimate. Danforth’s pride was too high just as the American authorities, to stop the hysteria from continuing, although he had the choice and ability to prevent further destruction he chose not to. However, Danforth did try to take action and prevent further hysteria and death from occurring by wanting Proctor to sign a confession to prevent him from hanging, though ultimately Proctor decided not to sign and go to his death instead (259-294, Act 4, The Crucible). Based upon this action, Danforth’s character proves he could have stopped the hysteria, even if it was down to the very last
Danforth: Judge, Jury, and Executioner Judge Danforth’s position in the crucible is the Judge assigned to the proceedings of the Salem witch trials. Instead of treating this immense responsibility with the respect and restraint that is needed, Danforth abused his power by betraying the people of Salem and the Law. He did not listen to the people of Salem defending themselves before inevitably being sent to death; and he cared more about his reputation and the law than he did about peoples’ lives. Danforth was a ruthless power over the people of Salem he demanded respect for himself and the court; and nothing was more important than that.
Thereby raising alarming questions about her trustworthiness. Despite this, Judge Danforth still continues the hangings which shows that he stills trusts Abigail’s words and accusations. The extend to which Abigail has manipulated Judge Danforth is shown here. Danforth’s unconditional reliability in Abigail motivated the people in Salem to accused each other to save their own
The author of The Crucible is Arthur Miller. In the play, there is a mass hysteria, which was that the people of Salem believed witchcraft existed. There are two characters that could have stopped the hysteria. Abigail and Tituba could have taken different steps that would have ceased the existence of the tragedies.