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Similarities Between Macbeth And The Crucible

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Macbeth and The Crucible: The Significant Effect of Witchcraft Witchcraft, which is an outdated practice from pre-Christianity and an indigenous tradition of the British Isles. It is a personal spiritual path practiced by different set of individuals in the quest to see the world for its true sacredness, within one's soul or in the presence of another's. An equally significant aspect of these two plays is their similarity and their captivating literature. In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, written in 1606, and Arthur Miller's The Crucible, written in 1952, the subject of witchcraft is highly emphasized, and it serves a pivotal theme in the main plot lines of both plays. In the following, …show more content…

He now perceives that in order to become king he has to step over some people, kill them. For all intents and purposes, how can he become king if Duncan is already running the position? Executing Duncan was the only option in order for him to become king, at least to his regards. Despite his bad ambition, Macbeth is not happy about committing murder, not to the slightest. It's like if he'd close his eyes and reopened them (hoping to see things differently) he'd still want to kill Duncan for his position and he absolutely hates that. On the other hand his wife, Lady Macbeth, she has been plotting a way to dethrone, if not, kill Duncan since the beginning of the play. This one was evil from the start. Instead of pushing his husband away from developing a corrupted mind like her own, Lady Macbeth instead guides him to killing Duncan. A key thing to remember is, Lady Macbeth only provided a small role to his husband's corruption psychologically, but overall what truly initiated his unethical mind was the witches prophecy. The witches prophecy asserted Macbeth that he will be king, thus no one can get in his way, and if anyone dared to defy that they'd get eliminated by him. Becoming king is Macbeth's goal, even if it means doing monstrous things to achieve it, he will do it. Similarly to The Crucible's main antagonist Abigail Williams . The author describes her as a “strikingly beautiful girl with an endless capacity for dissembling” (Miller, Act 1, Scene 1,) meaning that that she’s a damn good liar. In the beginning of the play, Miller reveals that she’s an orphan and she used to be a maid for John Proctor's Household. Abigail’s had an affair with Proctor, which cost her job, and with jealousy and desperation she cast a spell on Proctor's wife to die so she can have him all to herself. Nevertheless, one can get executed for practicing witchcraft in these eras. As the play proceeds Abigail's terrible qualities start to unfold, the

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Shakespeare's “Macbeth” a murderous story filled with greed, unchecked power, temptation, peer influence, and betrayal leads to quite the in depth and brutal story. “Macbeth” shares some of the big ideas in Sam Raimi’s “A Simple Plan.” Murder, how greed/temptation can corrupt, and peer influence. Murder in these two stories is very apparent as in “Macbeth” Macbeth himself and others he has hired, have killed people to make sure he has the right to the throne as the witches prophecy states that Banquo will beget a line of Scottish kings.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt once stated “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” this is extremely apparent in the play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller that depicts the events that took place during the salem witch trials. These events in American history had countless similarities that led to the persecution of many innocent individuals. Arthur Miller effectively demonstrates this concept in his play The Crucible by drawing parallels between the witch trials of the 1690’s and the “The Great Fear” of the 1950’s. The Salem Witch Trials and the “The Great Fear” were both the product of fear, hysteria, and false accusations.

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Abigail William’s wanted a married man and she was willing to frame his wife of Witchcraft so that she and Proctor could be together. Abigail wanted Proctor so bad that she stuck herself with a needle and acted like Elizabeth Proctor’s spirit had done it to her. “: The girl, the Williams girl, Abigail Williams, sir. She sat to dinner in Reverend Parris’s house tonight, and without word nor warnin’ she falls to the floor. Like a struck beast, he says,

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The society came to the conclusion that it was witchcraft. Abigail is questioned by her love, John Proctor, about the witchcraft. She reminds John Proctor of their affair, but John does not love her anymore and only thinks of her softly from time to time. Abigail

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but in reality she was caught attempting to cast a spell on Elizabeth. The reason for her trying to cast a spell is because Abigail falls in love with John Proctor but he is married to Elizabeth but that doesn’t bother Abigail.

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The continuing disappearing love for Abigail, hypocrisy and vindictiveness causes and ultimate loss. In the end, Proctor is accused of witchcraft in court and sent to be hanged, but Mr. Hale tries to save him by getting him to sign a document which would only be a lie. Ultimately, Proctor does not go through and he is hanged in the end which resulted as a failure to Abigail. Previously in court, Abigail threatened the court for when she was accused of witchcraft by saying, “If I must answer that, I will leave and I will not come back again!” (Act 3, 49).

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Abigail is willing to accuse any one in her path of witchcraft even if it means taking the lives of those close to her. Abigail Williams’ emotional desire guides her actions even if it conflicts with morality. Abigail williams is driven to do unthinkable things because of her love for John Proctor. Abigail works in the Proctor’s home and while doing so she finds herself attracted to John. Abigail’s obsession with Proctor leads them to have an affair, which they try to keep

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(I.465-472). Seeing Abigail cry, it suggests that Abigail’s affair with John Proctor has influenced her behavior in jealousy and lust as she strives for nothing more than her love for John Proctor. By only being heartbroken, Abigail is not to be fully blamed for the hysteria within the town as her actions are only based on desperate attempts to win John Proctor over, and no intentional harm whatsoever. However, on the other hand, Abigail cannot be excused with outside forces making her the way she is due to the fact that she has clearly had a choice in most of her decisions and actions throughout the witchcraft crisis. When Mary Warren, another girl involved in the forest incident, enters the court, she explains to Danforth, the judge, that the girls are lying and are only pretending to see spirits.

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Moreover, Abigail accuses other villagers of witchcraft, despite their innocence, relieving speculations upon her conducts in the forest and putting them upon her fellow villagers, harming others in protection of her personal reputation. Not only so, Abigail threatens, or on many occasions, harms, or possesses thoughts of harming others in order to satisfy her own desires. From the beginning, Abigail, as Elizabeth Proctor argues, “thinks to kill [Elizabeth], then to take [Elizabeth’s] place”, possesses motives not only to preserve her name within the town, but to accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft, and consequently obtain her status of being John Proctor’s wife as well

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For example, Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor who was married to Elizabeth Proctor at the time and got discovered. However, Abigail Williams still “loved” John Proctor and was rejected. Later, she accuses Elizabeth Proctor for witchcraft, an action she uses as her revenge. These acts of cruelty ultimately affect all the victims and their families in this play as their consequence is to be hung. The vulnerability and sense of helplessness are all revealed in the victims as they are facing their

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Abigail Williams one of the main characters in the play is a young woman who was once a servant for John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth. She is shown as a manipulative woman who is willing to do anything to get what she wants. She is behind the accusations of witchcraft and leads other young women to do the same. Her behavior is shown by this quote "Abigail with a bitter anger Oh I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be Proctor You'll speak nothing of Elizabeth!" (Act I)

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Abigail Williams, the main antagonist of the play, uses her sharp wit and manipulative personality in order to gain power through causing hysteria and chaos in a restrictive 17th century Salem environment. The attention Abigail draws to herself through the accusations made in the witch trials generate a great source of power for her, when Abigail and John Proctor, of whom previously had an affair have a conversation regarding the witch trials she says, “I have a sense for heat, John, and yours has drawn me to my window, and I have seen you looking up, burning in your loneliness. Do you tell me you’ve never looked up at my window?”(Miller 21). Through her relationship with John Proctor, Abigail gains power due to the fact that they share a mutual liking for each other and John is married to

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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

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From honored soldier to murderous tyrant, Macbeth killed his way into power. He was informed of his “destiny” and stopped at nothing to achieve it. He had multiple chances to rethink his actions. He didn 't however, he kept on his march to power leaving only himself to blame. Macbeth is the only one to blame for his actions and ultimately, his death.

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The audience can now see his desires as well as his ambition. At this point, Macbeth is still hesitant of revealing his true nature, but the audience gets a peek of what he yearns for. In addition, the witches’ predictions are known to be paradoxical, their predictions are never straightforward; they tend to have different interpretations. Macbeth kills King Duncan to obtain the power he was told he’d get. Despite that, the witches never said to kill King Duncan; they told him he would become king.

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