This is how Arthur Miller used the character Abigail Williams in The Crucible to represent the devil figure; in doing so he sends the message that people can not always believe what others tell them. The devil figure is represented by Abigail Williams because she always made sure she was accusing somebody of witchcraft,
Mayhem, madness, and chaos are some adjectives that describe the Salem witch Trials era. It was a time of confusion and fear for the thought of witches had invaded the town of Salem. However, there are some scientific explanations for the outbursts. Some theorist believe there was a ergot poisoning epidemic within the town. Consuming a grain of rye that is contaminated ergot fungus can lead to convulsions and hallucinations.
Therefore, this shows how Shakespeare used supernatural elements to reveal how unstable Macbeth’s mind was because he used the apparitions to uncover how paranoid Macbeth had become, and how paranoia had led to his downfall. In conclusion, In Macbeth by William Shakespeare the author uses supernatural elements like the imaginary dagger, Banquo’s ghost, and the witches
Chapter Eight: The Demoniac and the Witch According to Levack, witchcraft is defined as “the infliction of harm or misfortune” caused by a magical being or power that the witch received from the Devil. Witches were persecuted under law, while demoniacs were not held responsible for their behaviors while possessed. Because many believed that these possessions were genuine and not an actor in a play, they could not be held responsible. In Massachusetts, specifically Calvinist land, possessions were linked to witchcraft. The rapid increase of possessions led to more witch hunts, which then ironically led to more possessions.
In both The Crucible and in modern day witch hunts, witch hunts are caused out of fear or for personal gain. Jill Schonebelen wrote a research paper on Witchcraft allegations, refugee protection and human rights. Throughout this article, it mentions the persecution of witches today in communities around the globe, mentioning the flashbacks of similar strategies that were used in the past, doing different types of tortures.In Modern days, recent generations have abandoned wonderful traditions. Rather, recollecting others with distasteful memories such as witchcraft. Fear, accusations, and doing things for personal gain is a natural human instinct.
In “The Crucible” By Arthur Miller, the main frailty that causes injustice in Salem is the “witchcraft” that Abigail participates in. The reason why she decided to perform “witchcraft” was out of anger and desire to be with Proctor after he told her to forget the whole ordeal even happened. For example, it caused her to be in distress and drink the charm in order to kill Goody Proctor. Furthermore, it also caused Abigail to form a plot to frame Goody Proctor with form of voodoo involving a poppet and needle. In addition, the “witchcraft” that Abigail participated in, caused an uproar and accusations of innocent people.
In today’s society, the idea of witches have generally become a common topic. When Halloween arrives, we see people dressed up to mimic witches in fun spirit. However, during the Salem Witch Trials, witches were considered evil and against God, which caused fear to strike out amongst the people who religiously followed the Bible and believed in God. Thus, the accusations of citizens being involved with witchcraft struck out, and the persecutions began. When the topic of the Salem Witch Trials is mentioned, we think about how creepy it was and how the people were killed.
Dyanna Nunez History 121Midterm Professor Lauri The Witch Craze in Europe has to do with multiple things, Dominican Order, Malleus Maleficarum, Witches Sabbath, The Inquisition and many other things. The Witch Craze is when you have some type of magical power, a magical power that was not human, it came from either God or the Devil, and it came from the Devil these people made a pact with Devil. These so called witches attended Sabbaths; they got to there by traveling at night in their broomsticks. Once when the pact was done the witches had the power to commit evil actions against either humans or animal. What occurred during the Sabbath the witches had large sexual component in which sexual intercourse occurred between the devil and
In her writings, Emily Oster noted, “Beginning in the thirteenth century, it became widely accepted that witches existed, and were capable of causing physical harm to others and could control natural forces” (216). The word “witch” comes from old English “wicca or wicce”, meaning “a woman (or man) thought to have evil magic powers”. Witches were rebels against the church and society, and were often described as healers and guides who survived a cult.
Corruption is the abuse of power for personal gain. In Justin Kurzel’s adaptation of Macbeth, Macbeth’s corruption is caused by the intervention of the weird sisters. Macbeth’s mind was corrupted by the witches. The witches drive Macbeth’s ambition by foretelling his fate, by helping Fleance escape and creation of the apparitions. In Macbeth the witches act as an unnatural spirit in a natural play, who provide Macbeth with his prophecy.