But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again.” (23 Miller). This rejection is very harsh towards Abigail and is what sets Abigail in motion to conspire against John’s wife Elizabeth. She believes that without Elizabeth, John will open up to her and they can be together. Once she is rejected, she turns her attention towards slandering Elizabeth to John.
His wife Elizabeth was accused of witchcraft by the young girls which meant that she would be arrested and most likely hanged. John Proctor had make mistakes in the past such as cheating on his wife which led him to make the ultimate sacrifice for his family and his name. John Proctor confesses to being a witch as he knows it is the only way he can save his wife Elizabeth from being arrested and killed. Proctor is seen as a tragic hero because he decides to not sign his confession as it would
The main character, John Proctor, may seem to be a normal, middle aged man living in the Puritan town of Salem, but however, he holds a dark secret: he cheated on his wife with a girl named Abigail Williams. What he doesn 't know, is that by cheating with Abigail, he partly started the Salem witch madness; John makes Abigail very envious of his wife, and thus, she begins accusing others of dark sorcery and witchcraft. John, at first, is very reluctant to tell everyone the truth about why Abigail and other young girls are accusing his wife and other older women of being witches because he fears it will ruin his good name and reputation. However, after he realizes that the situation has truly gone out of control, he tries to confess his wrongdoing, but is only imprisoned and accused of witchcraft as well.
She starts accusing people that she doesn’t like of practicing witchcraft, including Elizabeth Proctor. Elizabeth Proctor is John Proctor’s wife, and Abigail doesn 't like her because she wants to be with John, who she had an affair with. Abigail thinks that by accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft Elizabeth will be killed and then she can finally be with John. During these witch trials, many other people were accused and blamed for things that they did not do. It was mostly because of Abigail and her friends were lying about innocent people doing witchcraft.
Abigail worked for Elizabeth Proctor as a maid in the house. Later fired amidst an affair with John, Elizabeth's husband. The accusations didn't end there; as the orphan desired to end the conflict with Elizabeth. Abigail proceeded to spread rumors saying that Elizabeth was bewitched. Salem, being a very religious village, had very harsh consequences for those accused of witchcraft.
Miller demonstrates that ulterior motives can destroy relationships and even the demise of a community shown through Parris’ need for a positive reputation and Abigail’s mischief against Elizabeth Proctor. Firstly, Miller exposes the way which Abigail’s ulterior motive of hoping to be with John Proctor causes separation between Elizabeth and John Proctor. Abby is at the center of the witch hunts as she refuses to disclose the truth and begins to accuse others of witchcraft. Abigail’s ulterior motive is to have a relationship with John Proctor and get rid of Elizabeth.
In Act II, it states, “ Hale: why...why did you keep this? Proctor: I never knew until tonight that the world is gone daft with this nonsense.” This quote explains that Proctor knew the truth about the girls but didn’t go to the court to confront them. This is Proctor’s biggest mistake this decision results in tragic events that take place in the future of this play. These events include, the girls accusing some of the townspeople of witchcraft, and the hangings.
The Salem Witch Trials, as portrayed by The Crucible, were a terrifying and confusing time. It’s hard to say who caused this whole debacle, but it was most likely Abigail Williams. Because of her lies about her involvement with the girls in the forest, or her blatant manipulation of others to pull blame off of herself and onto other. Because of this, and her treachery, the Salem Witch Trials spiralled into the chaos that it is known for today. Without her, the Salem Witch Trials may have been less horrifying than it is known for today, and the town better off.
Abigail Williams’s intentions when she dabbles in witchcraft are anything but innocent, as she is trying to kill Elizabeth Proctor after she was fired from the house when she learned about the affair with John and Abigail. However, after suspicions arise that she is a witch, she coerces the court into thinking several people of were witches to alleviate the blame from her. She paints herself as a worried, innocent girl who just wants to rid the town of evil, when on the inside she is dogmatic and manipulative, which causes her to indirectly sentence about twenty people to death. Her ruse starts when she needs to distract the people from her own iniquity and she spouts out a stream of accusations: “I saw Sarah Good with the Devil!
Had Celie not been sold into marriage, she would probably still be at home getting raped by her “father” and we wouldn’t know Sofia or Harpo in the story. All of the tribulations of Celie’s childhood show how life was back then for some families. The tragedies of her childhood shaped the meaning of this work as a whole tremendously. She survived being raped by her own father, becoming impregnated twice, and being sold off into marriage as if she were worthless . This writing was meant to show what all this woman has been through and how life turned out for the better at the
In the book that handle is known as “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, goes into detail about what happened in the Salem WItch trials in the duration of 1692. Miller used the Red Scare as motivation to write the book. In the book Abigail and some of her friends are dancing in the woods, when Mr. Parris ( her uncle) catches them. At this point Betty, Mr. Parris daughter and Abigail’s cousin, faints.
Have you ever blamed your younger sibling for something you did just so you would not get in trouble? That is what Abigail Williams did in The Crucible, yet she blamed the townspeople of Salem, Massachusetts resulting in a massive witchcraft hysteria. The witchcraft hysteria was a tremendous outbreak of multiple irrelevant trials causing 20 people to get hung. All these deaths and trials were all caused by one girl, Abigail Williams. I think Abigail Williams is responsible for the witchcraft hysteria because she lied about getting stabbed with a needle and she blamed everybody else for being a witch but herself.
“The jealous are possessed by a mad devil and and a dull spirit at the same time” (Lavatar). This quote is seen throughout The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller, in a character named Abigail Williams. Located in 1600s Salem, Massachusetts, a group of troublesome girls started accusing many innocent people of witchcraft, which causes a lot of people to die. Abigail was the main instigator, using her psychotic personality to full advantage while being driven by her love for John. Since she is motivated by her lust for John Proctor, her decision to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft creates high tensions, restlessness and death by the end of the play.
During the late 1600’s tragic events took place in a town called Salem. A few girls fell ill, falling victim to hallucinations and seizures, which caused Salem a religious town to start thinking someone was casting spells. “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, was created because of the witch trials and the effects it had on the colony. There were lots of men and women accused of this "witchcraft"; however, less than 20 were hung. Although the town of Salem embraced these trials as a template for their envy and hate, one young woman; Abigail Williams, who is the ringleader of it all.
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.