Psychology and The Crucible
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, showcases a very good example of a sociopath. Abigail Williams, a manipulative girl from the village of Salem, always knows how to work a crowd to her advantage. She conceives a cunning plan to eliminate her enemies and keep her name clean when she is caught up in the Salem Witch Trials. Throughout this play we are given many good examples of how a sociopath typically behaves.
While there are many symptoms of sociopathy, there are a few well known signs that stick out. A sociopath is typically seen as someone who is manipulative and self centered, with little emotions and a lack of remorse for their actions. Sociopaths also like to play the pity card, twisting people’s emotions and causing them to feel sympathy for the other person. These people are often very good actors and like to put on a facade of friendliness or innocence in order to get away with what they want.
Abigail Williams in this play displays many of the telltale signs of sociopathy. In the beginning, it is said that Abigail and John Proctor, a well known townsman, had an affair fairly recently. It is Abigail’s
…show more content…
She shows all of the classic symptoms of sociopathy, from being manipulative to having no remorse for her actions. When the girls are found dancing and making charms in the woods, they immediately know that there will be punishments that follow. Cunning Abigail devises a plan, if they bring up the topic of witchcraft, they can avoid getting in trouble. She is self-centered and intelligent. By accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft, Abigail is showing that as long as she gets her way, she doesn’t care if innocent people have to die for it. Another good example is when Abigail gets mad at the girls who threaten to rebel against the group. Aggressiveness is another sociopathic tendency and by threatening the girls with physical punishment, she can keep them
In Arthur Miller's “The Crucible” (1953), it is shown that people seem to forget basic morals when dealing with mass hysteria. Puritans in the play do not want the devil or any other demonic figures such as witches in their community, they will go to great lengths, as far as turning their back on their own people to get rid of these demonic figures as shown in “The Crucible”. This idea of witches in the community caused chaos in the village which led to the deaths of 20 people in the village. Do people in the play not care about the consequences other people face because of their actions? In the play, loyalty falls far below self selfishness in the face of mass hysteria.
There be a thousand names; why does she call mine?... there be a monstrous profit in it. She thinks to take my place, John.” (Miller ). Abigail is clearly envious of Elizabeth Proctor, not only because she is John’s wife, but also because John has been faithful to Elizabeth since his affair with Abigail.
As supported by psychology, it takes more than a single interaction for one to draw a conclusion on the true characteristic of another. For, if one only used that one moment to judge the characteristics of another, then he or she would most likely misjudge how that person truly is. Instead, it is crucial to use a multitude of instances with another to piece together their true intentions and moral values. In The Crucible, a tragedy, by Arthur Miller, scene 2.2 should be included in the play because it adds to the development of character.
Through the Salem witch trials, twenty-four innocent people lost their lives due to betrayal. They were hung because they were accused and found to be guilty of witchcraft. In reality, everyone that was accused and had died were innocent, but used as targets by others to save their own lives. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, out of fear, Abigail Williams, Mary Warren, Mercy Lewis, and Reverend Hale betrayed their morals to save themselves. As a result of betrayal, lives were taken, relationships were ruined, and trusts were broken.
What if there was a society where God was loved the same amount as His wrath is feared? Well, in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the Puritans were a society who loved and feared God equally. They loved and feared Him to a point where they blamed others for their sins. A group of young girls were caught doing witchcraft in the forbidden woods. The girls put the blame on others so they would not be the ones in trouble and the accused Puritans were all innocent of doing witchcraft.
Abigail is one example of a character that allows jealousy to control her actions. For example, when John and Abigail talk to each other at the beginning, Abigail keeps broaching the topic of their love and also calls Elizabeth “...a cold, sniveling woman” (Miller 24). This shows that Abigail still loves John and hates Elizabeth because she is John’s wife which embodies jealousy. There are also many people in Salem that Abigail could have accused and Elizabeth has a good reputation which makes her a smaller target. Therefore, it is conspicuous that Elizabeth’s allegation was not coincidently by the girl her husband had an affair with, but instead completely out of
For example, Abigail harshly threatens the girls with the fact that she is capable of killing them. The group of girls, deciding that keeping quiet is far better than being murdered,
Cruelty is a recurrent theme in literature that often acts as a critical factor in a novel’s development. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the occurrence of cruelty is seen to be gradually increasing as the story goes on from accusations of witchcraft that lead into chaos and death. Through Miller’s depiction of the merciless accusations and murders of innocent people, cruelty reveals a high extent of people’s animosity and vengeance that is greatly influenced by the attitude of the surrounding atmosphere. The accusations first began when the girls who were caught “dancing” in the forest were under pressure to confess what they were truly doing.
Mary Warren, Mercy, Betty and Abigail gave the impression of a close knit bond. But, in secret Abigail is ruthless to the girls. This personality change shows the steaks of the situation at hand. Maybe Abigail did value their friendship but not enough to put before her own greed. She found it easier to protect herself by bullying the potential threats.
Miller best depicts the evils in people through the main prosecutor in the the play Abigail Williams. Abigail is undeniably the most destructive and corrupt individual in The Crucible. Through her vengefulness, threatening her peers, carelessness at others’ expense, and complete disregard for human life, she ensues a tumultuous event to Salem. Abigail’s initial accusation against the town beggar was solely to defend herself from punishment for dancing in the woods.
One of the most powerful human emotions is desire. Everyone is constantly trying to fulfill their own desires. A desire or passion may be so strong it can conflict with morality. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams, is driven to go against her moral duty and pursue John Proctor. She will stop at nothing to see her plan through.
The Crucible “The Crucible” is a play, by Arthur Miller, about the Salem Witch Trials. After reading “The Crucible”, you will be asking yourself, is it necessary for a person to suffer? The answer to the question is shown through the characters, Giles Corey, John and Elizabeth Proctor, and Abigail Williams. John Proctor is a respected puritan man in the community. John had made the mistake of sleeping with, a teenage girl, Abigail Williams.
“Character Analysis over The Crucible” Arthur Miller is a commonly-known playwright, most famous for his 1953 play, The Crucible. The basis for The Crucible came from the witch trials which occurred in Salem, Massachusetts during the puritan era. Miller even uses some of the same characters in his dramatized play that were a part of the original witch trials in Salem. However, Miller made a few alterations to the historical members of the Salem society in order to suit his dramatic purpose in The Crucible, particularly Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Reverend Samuel Parris.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play about what happened during the Salem Witch Trials. It gives insight about what people had to deal with in this situation and how they handled it. The trials were basically a big test which helped figuring out whether or not people were guilty of witchcraft. This is an example of what a crucible is. In our world today we still have crucibles and even though they are different than back then, they all relate to each other because of what influence they have on people.
She’s the woman who holds grudges, is selfish, and a great liar. Abigail seems to be especially gifted at spreading destruction and chaos wherever she goes. She is able to manipulate others, for example, all her friends and the whole town. In addition, she obtains control over all of them and sends nineteen uninvolved people to their deaths. All these things add up.