Examples Of Abigail Williams In The Crucible

The characters in Arthur millers The Crucible can teach a lot about people. People can be horrible and terribly deceptive. When placed under pressures and after experiencing trauma peoples real character can come out. In the case of The Crucible Abigail is shown for what she really is. She gets a kind of power and this corrupts her to use the situation to have Elizabeth Proctor sent to jail. Abigail is not the only one who takes advantage of the

Through the characterization of Abigail’s Machiavellian nature, playing her uncle for a fool and using lies and her deceit to achieve power, Miller enables the reader to draw a direct feministic comparison between her and the powerless woman in The Crucible. The use of adultery and its connection to humiliation and lack of respect allows for a greater representation of Elizabeth’s and Proctor’s relationship with respect to Abigail. Elizabeth is victimised as she finds herself stumbling through her husband’s evident adultery “(Abigail) charge lechery on you, Mr. Proctor! and his reprimands “Enough… Elizabeth! “I’ll whip you”. Submissive to his anger and with her own “She’d dare not call out such a farmer’s wife!” Elizabeth understands that it is Abigail who has driven a wedge between her and Proctor’s marriage. As a result, her situation contrives sympathy, a reaction that is similar to the highly respected Rebecca Nurse who Hale has “heard of your giving great charities”. Nurse, as a direct result of Abigail’s machinations is thrown in jail, labelled a “witch”. The helplessness of these woman is directly attributable Abigail’s lust for influence and recognition and represents the power imbalance between the woman of Salem.

In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible Abigail Williams, an unmarried orphan in the Massachusetts town of Salem, incessantly grows more jealous, her desire for vengeance only grows stronger, and her selfishness escalates. She repeatedly lies to save herself by denying her involvement in witchcraft. Abigail's Jealousy of Elizabeth Proctor intensifies in attempt to realize her desire for Elizabeth's husband John Proctor. In order to save herself she accuses the innocent, without any sense of ethical violation. Abigail proves to be a selfish antagonist in The Crucible that shows no sense of right and wrong.

However Abigail takes pride in her hysteria. This highlights the fact that the age difference between these 2 women is phenomenal. “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” Elizabeth is much more composed than Abigail, even though she is losing her husband she is happy for him, as she believes he is now at peace. Throughout the play John struggles with his feelings that he was not a good man. Hale tried his best to save John from being hanged to death but Elizabeth believes that he is finally going to be cleansed of his sins, as he has finally come out the dark about his affair. She loves him so much that she is willing to let him go. She feels that he is doing the right thing. She takes the name of God to justify herself.

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible presents Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams who serve important roles through their unique characteristics and thinking. John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, has two defining characteristics that show throughout this play: she not only lives to please everyone around her and behaves passively, but she lacks the assertiveness to confront what lies directly under her nose. However, Abigail, the girl John Proctor commits the crime of adultery with, manipulates those around her. She is keen to act upon an opportunity when one arises and feels a determination to get her way. While Elizabeth and Abigail are similar in their love for John Proctor, Elizabeth differs from Abigail through her tendency to try to please everyone and keep her own emotions bottled up, while Abigail believes the world revolves around her and works to make things go her own way.

Abigail proclaims her guilt by revealing her character and purpose. She is mad in love with John Proctor, and attempts to sway his feelings for her. She speaks to him with a brimming passion, and even cries for his attention (Arthur Miller, The Crucible, Act I, 21,22). Even though Proctor is a married man, she strives to make him fall in love with her. Proctor’s wife Elizabeth asserts that, “...She (Abigail) cannot pass you in church but you will blush” and she believes he blushes, feeling the guilt of being too close to Abigail while she is beside him (Act II, 58,59). Abigail’s conduct is improper and shows her obvious guilt.

Normally knowledge is found in the mind, and the experience of affection is a blend between knowledge and emotion. However, Abigail states that the “knowledge is in her heart” which is a way of her saying that her heart cannot unlearn the love John showed her. Her heart cannot simply forget. Miller’s use of symbolism also portrays the temptation of Abigail. The “light” in Abigail’s eyes portrays the passion she feels towards Proctor. In spite of the fact that Abigail is to be blamed for the cause of the affair, John now anticipates that Abigail will stop having feelings towards him. Abigail shows attraction towards John that she cannot give up her feelings towards him. Her need for affection gleams out of her, which is symbolized by the light in her eyes. Abigail brings up her past relationship with John, however, John treats the relationship as something that belongs in the past. Although John might be attracted and tempted towards Abigail, he desperately tries to leave the incident behind. Abigail, on the other hand, has no closure towards the relationship what so ever and wants John to come back to her. Abigail either wants John to herself or else no one else can have her, this shows her greediness for love. So she decides to accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft to get rid of her. John, on the other hand, will not let this happen and defends Elizabeth, but his plans end up backfiring and this leads to his downfall and then his death. Therefore the deadly sin of greed manipulates John to his demise. Women temptation is also apparent in The Great

Miller uses dramatic irony here, as we as an audience are actively aware that although Abigail believes John still loves her, this is in fact untrue. The use of this irony aids our understanding in the core purpose of Abigail’s deceit and malicious lies, which is to get Elizabeth charged with witchcraft, so that she can rekindle her passion and lust with Proctor. It also progresses the story line, as fundamentally brings the audience and the characters towards the witch trials. Dramatic irony in this situation is successful, as it broadens our realisation that sex plays a huge role in the plot, as ultimately its Abigail’s desire for it, and inability to show it, that prompts her to turn to spiteful dishonesty, and cunning deception. Moreover, we see John assert his authority, through putting Abigail down, instructing her that he will no longer be visiting her. Miller presents John as dominant, especially over Abigail, as she is presented as an unruly, strong-willed, wayward teenager who relishes, and revels in defying custom/tradition, and who needs straightening out.

Abigail Williams, while on the journey of adultery, seems to of already carefully positioned her name in the devil’s book of self-conceited, merciless, and vindictive individuals that roams this Earth. No one's back holds an off limits sign when it comes to her grabbing a knife. Some may say that Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is dictated by a whore’s vengeance. While there’s some truth to this argument, I would counter that Abigail, the main antagonist, motives are beyond this. Maintaining her position of a victim to entrap anyone who dares cross her path is the premise upon which I build this counterargument. Abigail, not only abandons her hopeless relationship with John Proctor in the end, but continues the travesties against the people of Salem before and after John’s imprisonment.

The character of Abigail is the reason behind many of the influential and devastating events, which occur during the play of “The Crucible”. Abigail is a character that has a longing for power and is determined to acquire it. She also has a frightening self-belief that she can achieve any objective even if it involves carrying out morally corrupt and selfish plans. I also believe that Abigail has a longing to become recognised as an adult. During the first act, Abigail is depicted as a victim since she appears more naive and therefore vulnerable, one example of this is when she is seen in the company of John Proctor and although the audience still receives inklings to her darker personality she seems to be depicted as an inferior.

The theme of rebellious lust is prevalent in both The Crucible and Conversion through the forbidden relationships of Abigail Williams and John Proctor, and Emma and Tad Mitchell. This concept of young teenage girls inappropriately being involved with older men is highly emphasized and is a main point in both stories. In The Crucible, the time of trial faced by the people of Salem Village is started by an unholy affair between teenager, Abigail Williams, and unfaithful husband, John Proctor. The act of sexual intercourse out of wedlock is an act of rebellion on both their parts, especially in the strictly Puritan community the is Salem Village. The church views this act of lechery, adultery, and lying as horrid sins for which both John and Abigail hold responsibility and will face punishment. Abigail is rebelling against the religious

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

The Crucible focuses on the witch trials of Salem and the chaos it creates. The antagonist of the story, Abigail, spearheaded the trials and was the catalyst of the rampant accusations and executions. Having been pushed into a corner and unwilling to accept the punishment that would follow the reveal of her meddling in witchcraft, Abigail was able to turn the situation around giving her the power to turn the accusations of witchcraft against whoever she wished. She is able to rise in status from the most lowly of the townsfolk, being an unwed orphaned girl, to the most powerful person in court. She is extremely skilled in lying and manipulation and is even convincing enough in her performance to not only convince others she is being affected by the witchcraft of others but to convince other girls that they are under witchcraft as well. Abigail emerges as an undoubtedly skilled manipulator and liar with the ability to turn the circumstances in her favor. While she is incredibly talented, she lacks the maturity for the power she has claimed and very quickly uses it for extremely selfish means, such as planting false evidence to get John Proctor’s wife imprisoned so she can take her place. Because of these childish immaturities, Abigail acts less like a character with clearly defined goals and aspirations; instead she operates more like a force of nature, lashing out at anything that

Characters are often motivated by zeal or impulse in numerous works of literature. These sudden impulsive acts result in dramatic effects that create strong motivation or conflict. In The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, fear motivates the Puritans of Salem to commit certain motivations that are based on impulse. Two characters who stand out above the rest would be Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor. Both women who live similar lives due to their surroundings, contrast each other numerous times throughout the play. Abigail, who is driven by strong desire and lust is to blame for the conflicts taken place in the play and the death of many innocent people in Salem. Elizabeth who is motivated by her religion and love for her husband causes her to uphold a strong and respectable reputation. Hence, both Abigail and Elizabeth are two characters from The Crucible, whom are motivated by their mannerism and morals and share similarities and differences.

Miller's application of Abigail, the antagonist of the aged play creates a variety of universal themes that revolve around the world today. Jealousy for example, is clearly demonstrated throughout the play when Abigail accuses Goody Proctor of witchcraft, which at that time was punishable by death. If you think about it carefully, more than 200 innocent people were falsely accused of witchcraft, because of a silly girl who fell in love with a man who was married. To think this actually happened in the past is a chilling thought, and Arthur Miller's, The Crucible fully demonstrates how human nature can be terrifying in