Abigail Williams In The Crucible

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an elaborate play that tells the story of the village of Salem and how the community slowly falls apart because of a strategic witch hunt ploy. The fear of witchcraft turns the once peaceful village upside down and accusations destroy the lives and reputations of so many people. Different characters’ actions have different impacts on the community, but one character stands out the most. Abigail Williams from The Crucible is a clear representation of how impactful the power of manipulation and deception is in a vulnerable society to create mass hysteria.

Concerned that word about her affair will spread throughout the village, Abigail begins to lie and point fingers at people for witchcraft, hoping it can draw the people’s focus away from her. After she and the girls were discovered in the forest by Reverend Parris, she lies or purposely forgets to mention to that she had drank a potion that would kill John Proctor’s wife. The only thing she said to him was: “We did dance, uncle, and when you leaped out of the bush so suddenly, Betty was frightened and then she fainted. And there's the whole of it.” (Miller 9). In another situation where Abigail's lying is shown again, Parris is asking why she was fired from her previous job as Elizabeth Proctor’s servant, and her excuse is: “She hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It's a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such woman!” (Miller 11). Clearly this is false because Elizabeth didn't fire Abigail just out of coldness, though that was part of it, she fired her because she found that Abigail was having an affair with her husband, John. These lies led to unnecessary problems and prove Abigail is a self centered person because she only wants what's best for herself.

Abigail is a highly jealous character, concentrating her jealousy on Elizabeth Proctor. This jealousy is driven by lust and her desire for John Proctor. Abigail served as a servant in the Proctor household and after an affair with her husband John, Elizabeth fired her. She still resents Elizabeth for this as she is still in love with John. She clearly says to John, "You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!" Abigail is still in love with John and she assumes the converse. Her love for John only causes her resentment for Elizabeth to strengthen. She hates John Proctor's wife and in her conniving ways she attempts to inspire the same views of Elizabeth in John's mind. Saying things to him such as, "She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me, She is a cold, sniveling woman." Abigail fabricates stories in attempt to steel John from Elizabeth. She is a manipulative liar that does and says as she pleases in order to get what she wants.

Since Abigail is the Reverends niece and grew up with a pastor in the household it seems as if she should be very humble and a good person but her human nature took a toll making her greedy therefore making her dishonest and deceptive. She is afraid that people won’t agree with her, that motivates her to get people on her side. She then falsely accuses others of witchcraft and her being the victim. Witchcraft was taken very seriously back then and it ended up ripping apart the town and caused non stop fighting by almost everyone. Abigail’s main motive is John Proctor so she tries to lie to John about his wife to get him to fall for her “She is blackening my name in the village she is telling lies about me she’s a cold swiveling

In the crucible Abigail williams is one of the main characters and she did a lot to form the story.These are three most dominant traits that Abigail williams had in the book.

During the late 1600’s, 19 people were hung and and hundreds more arrested and jailed on the account of conjuring with the devil and divulging into witchcraft. In 1692, a hysteria broke out in Salem, Massachusetts. Witchcraft was being uttered in every inch of the small Puritan town, spiraling Salem down a dark path from which they would have no chance of returning. Names of accused were flying around faster than the winds rolling in from the ocean. Mass panic drove people to find any way to survive the Salem Witch Trials, as we now know them. These actions are what playwright Arthur Miller covers in his play The Crucible; clearly, the literary character Abigail Williams emerges to manipulate the Puritanical society of Salem using their superstition

Responsible for nineteen overall deaths by the end of Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, Abigail Williams is accountable for the Salem Witch Trials and surrounding hysteria. She makes false accusations against many others, and constantly manipulates others to benefit her throughout the play. Although the outside influences from her community pressures her into making the accusations she does, the main reasoning behind her actions and reactions is her own personal agenda which is obvious throughout the play. She should be held responsible for her actions and given the appropriate punishment as a result.

Abigail Williams was partly driven by her fixation to be with John Proctor. Elizabeth Proctor rightly suspected that John Proctor, her husband, had a one-time affair with Abigail, the niece of Reverend Parris, who was hired by the family as a servant. Consequently, Elizabeth fired Abigail after John confessed his actions to his wife, leaving Abigail fueled with scorn towards Elizabeth. Because of Elizabeth’s actions, Abigail was fueled by her hatred for Elizabeth, so she was willing to take extreme measures to fulfill her self-interests. The extreme lengths Abigail took raise the question of their benefits and her morality. Furthermore, John Proctor did not feel any fondness for Abigail and knew that his actions were shameful. As a result, John told her their affair meant nothing to him, but Abigail insisted they were passionately connected. With no remorse, Abigail framed an entire proceeding and,

After having an affair with John Proctor, she couldn’t accept not being without him. Abigail also admires “how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife” like Elizabeth be unaware of the affair she had with John Proctor(act1pg#). As a result to the affair, Proctor is trying to rebuild his marriage with his wife. Abigail continues to intervene in John Proctors marriage and attempts to manipulate Proctor so he would confess his love for her. Proctor admits his love for her, but does not continue his affection because Abigail seeps of vengeance for other individuals. He portrays her “as a lump of vanity” who thinks to dance on his “wife’s grave!”(act 3). For her own selfish desires, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft and tries to intentionally sabotage her. She does this for the purpose of her own selfish and fictitious relationship that she has with Proctor. Abigail believes she has the capability to influence Proctor, but her egoistic actions to win his undefining love makes her appear as the criminal in the

Abigail had many flaws throughout the story. One of her flaws includes lust. Abigail was involved in a secret affair with John Proctor, who happened to be married to Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail illustrated lust by telling John, “John- I am waitin’ for you every night.” This suggests that Abigail does have something secret going on with John. Abigail also says, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near!” This justifies that they have a relationship because she told John that he

Patty Jenkins, an American film director and screenwriter wrote,“Every villain has their belief system that makes perfect sense to them.” This quote is reminiscent of Abigail Williams, a character in The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller. In Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, four girls were caught doing witchcraft. The girls accused other innocents of witchcraft, so they would not be framed for it. Due to the girl's actions, many of them, accused were hanged to death. Abigail Williams was a villain in The Crucible.

When Abigail Williams and John Proctor are together in the woods she says this to him, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near! Or did I dream that? It’s she put me out, you cannot pretend it were you. I saw you face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you love me now!” (1.423-428). They might argue that Abigail is in love with John Proctor, who she works for, and Elizabeth Proctor kicked her out because she thought she was losing John as her husband. John had an affair with Abigail and let her believe he loved her and they were going to be together. She was hurt when Elizabeth kicked her out and John stayed with his wife. The opposing side is wrong because Abigail lies about their relations and gets a lot of innocent people in trouble and killed. She blames others to protect herself from hanging and being a disgrace to the town. Abigail repeatedly claims spirits of people in Salem are haunting her and they are conjuring with the devil when she is the one who drank the blood and danced to conjure the spirits. Ezekiel Cheever states this about Abigail to the Proctor’s, “...And he goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. And demandin’ of her how she come to be so stabbed, she (to Proctor now) testify it were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in.”

As the leader of the party, they had enormous amount of control over people and the decision they made. Adolf convinced that world would be a better place to live if all the Jewish people would be killed. Soldiers of Adolf Hitler were torturing and Jewish. The Crucible had the similar situation where Abigail Williams convinced the village that people were practising witchcraft. Trial was conducted to check if people were actually calling witches. After a while Abigail found that she has power in her hands while she was naming people. Though Abigail was a child, everyone listened to her and believed what she was telling. Influence of Abigail was greatest in children. Both Abigail and Adolf Hitler have same characteristics that enable them to

Abigail, who was madly in love with Proctor, would do whatever it takes to be with him, including having innocent people murdered. While working for, and living with the Proctors, it is noted that Abigail and John may have engaged in physical relations. This causes Abigail to fall in love with

Abigail wants to take this protesting to another level and start accusing every girl that they believe in their opinion did something wrong. John Proctor sees Abigail with a sign in her hand but why? Isn’t she supposed to be at the store buying groceries for the house hold? John makes his way to his wife but, he sees Abigail the girl he’s been having an affair with but why? Why is Abigail with her?