preview

Examples Of The Villain In The Crucible

Better Essays

Arthur Miller's “The Crucible” is one of the most controversial, and famous plays he has ever written due to its representation of the clear similarities between witch hunts of the past to the ones that where ongoing during the red scare of the 1950's. The play is specifically set during the Salem witch trials/hunts that occurred in 1692. While portions of the play are fiction, the play itself is historically accurate, especially when it comes to identifying who the villain is. It is unequivocally clear that the villain in this sad story is the young girl, Abigail Williams. While the case can be made that there where obviously other villains that had a more direct role in the injustices that occurred during the witch trials, at the end of the day no matter how you look at it Abigail was the main/real villain because she was the initial instigator of the witch hunts, practiced deceit and deception, influenced her vengeful will upon others, and lied; without hesitation nor remorse. These dishonorable qualities that Abigail possess combined with her own motives to gain vengeance(kill) against Elizabeth Proctor and assume her place as John Proctor's(her love interest) wife is enough evidence to make an educated claim that Abigail Williams in fact the main antagonist, and ultimately the villain. During act one of “ The Crucible” the audience begins to see these dishonorable qualities that make Abigail the villain develop and initialize through her demeanor and attitude. A

Get Access