The Crucible Abigail Williams
The play The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during the Puritan era and was written by Arthur Miller as a metaphor for McCarthyism in 1950. This play suggests that persecution can occur at anytime and anywhere as well as that the real tragedy lies in people who lose their integrity under societal pressure. Many citizens of Salem made decisions based on vendettas and personal gain which resulted in a lose of a sense of right and wrong which fueled the witch hysteria. Someone who acted out vengeance and personal gain was Abigail Williams. She was the original cause of the hysteria of the witch trials. After being discharged from the Proctor’s household for her affair with John she tries to kill Elizabeth so she can be with John …show more content…
After being caught dancing in the woods the girls were going to confess until Abigail threatened to kill them if they tell as she stated in “let either of you 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” (Miller, 1268). This all changed, however, after Tituba confessed to having compacted with the Devil and was not punished. In seeing this Abigail “confessed” to dancing for the Devil in the woods and repented for her actions and confessed to have seen Goody Good and Goody Osburn with the Devil shifting the blame. The other girls did not want to get in trouble themselves so they put on an act fighting in court and pretending to see the Devil and the familiar spirits of others following Abigail in accusing others of witchcraft illustrated in Mary Warren's confession stating “that [the fighting] were pretense, sir” (1329). The personal vendettas of these people caused, continued, and fueled the witch trials which killed many innocent people for the personal gain of others. Many people in the village that were seen as innocent, such as the girls and Abigail, took advantage of their outward appearance to the village and manipulated the town to achieve what they desired. These vendettas that were carried out fueled the witch trial hysteria causing nineteen innocent people to be
Comparing Hysteria In The Crucible And Terrorism
1743 Words | 7 PagesThe play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is about the Salem witch trials of 1692 witch resulted in the death of nineteen innocent people. The plot begins in a small Puritan community in Salem, Massachusetts when Abigail Williams and several other young girls were caught in the woods dancing around a fire by her uncle Reverend Parris. His appearance shocked some of the girls into silence. The strange behavior of the girls resulted in many of the townspeople to turn to witchcraft as the cause of their behavior.
Abigail Williams In The Crucible
847 Words | 4 PagesPeople, at their core, have always been self-gratifying and unprincipled. The 1953 play The Crucible by Arthur Miller excellently portrays this by depicting a situation where fear is able to control a population that is then compelled to sin and invoke hysteria. It is a play in which the witch trials are taking place in Salem, Massachusetts. All the girls in the village snuck out to the forest where, with the help of an African slave woman named Tituba, they made a potion which supposedly gave each of them the man they loved. One of these girls however, Abigail Williams, was in love with a married man, John Proctor, and consequently swore death upon his wife.
Examples Of Mccarthyism In The Crucible
513 Words | 3 PagesThe Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, reenacts the events of The Witchcraft Trials of Salem in seventeenth-century Massachusetts, an event that many people were labeled witches to which were prosecuted. Within the community, it was alarming that anyone can be convicted with just an accusation. This was similar to McCarthyism, an event during the 1950s initiated by Joseph McCarthy where many people were accused with severe consequence. Throughout The Crucible, it illustrates examples of McCarthyism because people were biased on how they assume one's guilt.
Abigail Williams's Hysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
865 Words | 4 PagesOnce Tituba says she has dealt with the devil Abigail realizes the trouble she may be in because she was caught dancing and attempting to perform hex spells. Therefore Abigail in fear and trying to save herself cries out “[she] saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil,” even though she knows what she just said is not true (Miller 1157). When Abigail cried out names of people who dealt with the devil she damned the people of who she accused, for one can be hung for being accused a witch and not admit to dealing with the devil. When Abigail said the names it made people wonder if there were others roaming through Salem who is a witch, and now people are in fear because of false accusations a girl made to save herself. Abigail accuses some people witchcraft was not the only deed she did which cause the people in the town to constantly be crying
Does Abigail Williams Cause Mass Hysteria In The Crucible
875 Words | 4 PagesDuring the late 17th century a total of 200 people were accused of participating in witchcraft, while 19 people lost their lives to the mass hysteria. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a group of girls start a huge uproar in Salem, Massachusetts when they start screeching about Salemites being associated with the Devil. Throughout the play write, it shows the consequences of mass hysteria and how it puts people's lives in danger. Abigail Williams causes a wave of mass hysteria and because of her trickery, innocent people have died by her and the other girl’s actions, for this Abigail is the most unforgivable character in The Crucible.
Abigail Williams In The Crucible
449 Words | 2 PagesPersonalities Division Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible is used to render the 1878 Salem witch trial. Produced through a multitude of characters, the town of Salem is drug through a tidal wave of deceit and lies. During the trial period, the cast of the crucible breaks down to two main characters. Abigail Williams being the conniving ring leader of the trial, and Elizabeth Proctor, the honest and righteous wife. The characters of Abigail and Elizabeth differ in the value of the truth, over all demeanor, and what they do to save the ones they love.
The Crucible Abigail Williams Essay
698 Words | 3 Pages“We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” A quote from john Proctor in Act II stating how the accusations and hysteria of witchcraft has taken over the town. The accusations set on citizens from the girls have caused an uproar in the society and many citizens were either afraid of the devil or that the people themselves would have accusations set upon them. Suspicions of witchcraft were being used as evidence of whether or not the accused was hanged.
The Role Of Abigail Williams In The Crucible
957 Words | 4 PagesPower is determined by many factors in the town of Salem. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, one’s gender factors into the amount of power that one has. For males, land and money are the two main ways to gain power. For a female, being married to a man of wealth increases power exponentially. A clean reputation leads to more power, because the person’s name is not being demolished in society.
How Does Abigail Williams Present Hysteria In The Crucible
825 Words | 4 PagesIn the play, the Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Salem, Massachusetts was a place of constant hysteria in the 1600s because of what would come to be commonly known as the Salem Witch Trials. This was a full-blown witch hunt for people found to display signs of witchcraft. Abigail Williams was the main person to blame for this pursuit of witches in Salem because, first off, she was the one who caused hysteria about witchcraft just to cover up the fact that
Examples Of Betrayal In The Crucible
1882 Words | 8 PagesThrough 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.
The Crucible Abigail Williams To Blame Analysis
465 Words | 2 PagesIn The Crucible, there could be many suspects to blame for the innocent deaths that happened in Salem. Proctor could be blamed for the innocent deaths because he lied about his affair with Abigail. Speaking of Abigail... in my opinion Abigail Williams is the one to blame for the innocent deaths because of the lies she told, the accusations she made, and the affair she had with John Proctor. Abigail Williams told many, many lies in The Crucible. The reason the witch trials began in the first place was because of the lie she told about being in the woods.
The Crucible Dbq Essay
608 Words | 3 PagesIn history there have been many major events that have shaped the times we live in. Two of the major events of our time are the "witchunts" of the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. The Crucible is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a drama and fictional story of the Salem Witch Trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692-1693. Miller wrote the play as a parable for McCarthyism, when the United States government ostracized people for being communists.
The Crucible Abigail Williams Reputation Analysis
429 Words | 2 PagesAbigail Williams is not your typical teenage girl. She is a girl that will drink blood to kill someone, accuse people of witchcraft, and have a affair. By looking at The Crucible, one can see that Abigail Williams develops the theme of reputation, which is important because people who fear losing their reputation spread hysteria. Protecting her reputation motivates Abigail Williams to accuse others of being a witch.
Compare And Contrast Abigail Williams In The Crucible
818 Words | 4 PagesNicole Schaefer Mr. Becker American Literature October 29, 2014 Two Women for Two Different Worlds In the novel the crucible, Elizabeth, wife of John Proctor, and Abigail Williams, mistress of John Proctor are two main roles. Elizabeth, a woman who is loyal and true, or manipulative and ruthless liar, Abigail. She pretends to see spirits and commands the other girls to pretend as well.
The Crucible Abigail Williams Is Evil
673 Words | 3 PagesOne common question about The Crucible is how Abigail Williams is the most evil force in the play. It is shocking when a girl talks back to authority out of disagreement, but few go as far as Abigail Williams. While she may only be 11 years old, her manipulative and vengeful personality allows her fool her Uncle and later turns a whole town against each other. She is really a master of manipulation and trickery, and she gets herself into affairs without punishment and has threaten all who oppose here. Abigail really is the devil in human form.
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