Similarities Between Abigail Williams And Elizabeth Proctor

Abigail was a servant in the Proctor's household, but got fired by Elizabeth Proctor for having an affair with her husband, John.

Your Excellency, Judge Danforth. You know, I have graduated from Harvard College and I am an expert in all things witchcraft and the supernatural. When I first arrived in Salem, I was tangled in a web of lies and a sheet of deception. In this trial, I believe that the accused are innocent people with good names. There is absolutely no mark upon my credibility and it is in my honest opinion that hysteria is running through Salem. Your Honour, Abigail Williams is nothing but a whore who wants to dance

to Abigail and part of him still wants to be with her. But John is not

Abigail is a selfish and manipulative person which gives her the courage to do the things that she does. In act 3, Abigail says "Oh, Mary, this is a black art to change your shape. No, I cannot, I cannot stop my mouth; It's God's work I do" (III.115). Abigail claims that she is doing God’s work, but she is actually doing the devil's work because she is lying and forcing her friends to agree with her and go against Mary. She has the courage to go through with anything that comes to her mind, no matter what harm it could cause. “The girl, the Williams girl, Abigail Williams, sir. She sat to dinner in Reverend Parris's house tonight, and without word nor warning she falls to the floor. Like a struck beast, he says, and screamed a scream that a bull would weep to hear. And he goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. And demanding of her how she come to be so stabbed, she --- testify it were your wife's familiar spirit pushed it in”(Act II.1282). This explains how Abigail is willing to go through with anything to be with John Proctor. She shows a monstrous amount of intrepidness just to do so. Abigail Williams has the courage to do anything when it comes to John Proctor. She stabs herself with a needle just to accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft.

Throughout the trial in the courtroom, there was so much controversy about whether Abigail was at accountability for all the witchcraft, or if others were apart of it too. In the courtroom there was the prosecution side (witnesses; John Proctor, Mary Warren, and Hale) and defense side (witnesses; Abigail, Tituba, and Rev. Paris). The prosecution commenced with their opening statement, stating “ Hello Jury, we are charging Abigail Williams for perjury, intent, and malicious………. she confesses to lying for her own pleasure, don’t let her escape.” The defense initiated with their opening statement, stating “ Hello Jury, Abigail, 17 accused many, she may have committed perjury and malicious, however she was not the only one. This town is gullible,

Their differences would also become evident when Abigail William goes on her path of vengeance. This trait becomes evident as Abigail Williams does whatever it takes to get her name cleared, including lie or commit murder. She then accuses Elizabeth of being a witch in an attempt to take her bed from her. Elizabeth, however, becomes the light of reason and sanity as she refuses to judge her husband, even to save his life. She knows that her husband is a good person and refuses to take that away from him. This was a very different view as compared to Abigail. Abigail held on to the notion that John Proctor would choose to run away and be with her instead. Wherein Abigail Williams had a somewhat weak background and character, which fed off of the fears of others, Elizabeth Proctor has a relatively strong character. Elizabeth refused to surrender her beliefs in the face of hardships, whereas Abigail would abandon her beliefs in order to save herself. Although Elizabeth spoke on the side of truth, Abigail would be the one that is believed because of her ability to change her belief to feed off of the fears of the community, a very powerful tool in puritan Salem.

After Abigail Williams and the girls are discovered dancing in the forest by Reverend Parris, there are rumours of witchcraft among them, when Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam are found "witched". Once the girls discover this, they become more and more frightened of being accused of witchcraft. Abigail is the first to "admit" to seeing the devil, and all the other girls join in, so

Throughout the play Abigail tries to show the other characters that she is not to blame for her mistakes. An example of her trying to blame other people is when she tells her uncle that he should go and deny the witchcraft accusations. By not denying the allegations herself and having someone else do it, shows that she has support from other townspeople. Elizabeth Proctor is a strong woman who is blamed for witchcraft because of Abigail's accusations. Abigail claims that Elizabeth is a liar and is bitter, but when the reader meets Elizabeth for the first time they realize it is just Abigail exaggerating.

Adultery. Abigail Williams is the young niece of Salem's Minister, Reverend Parris, she also was once John Proctor's housemaid until his wife, Elizabeth, put her out because of the affair. Abigial was just a young girl, she felt as if her feelings for John Proctor were ‘true love’, this drove her to do some of the most unspeakable things. She was seeking vengeance on Elizabeth since she put her out on the street, “blackened her name throughout the town” and she had the man she loved. Abigail's best way of getting things done was through manipulation, which she was best at. She voluntarily used witchcraft to ‘curse’ Elizabeth and yet turned witchcraft accusations against everyone of Salem. “I will come to you in the black of the night and will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you”(19), is one threat Abigail used to keep the girls mouth shut. She was a power hungry girl who did anything to keep the power for her own selfish gains. When she realized she was losing her power she claims “I have been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people- and this is my reward? To be mistrusted, denied, question like a -”(100) this was her way out of the truth. This shows Abigail's true

Another argument you might use to disprove that it was Abigail fault, would be to blame the courts, their misunderstanding, and their willingness to accept the false statements of Abigail and the girls.The courts had a big part in these trials, and it is evident that they did not consider the distant possibility that the young girls were lying to get out of the whole. As for Elizabeth Proctor’s encounters with Abigail to hate Elizabeth for standing in her way to do things. The truth was Elizabeth and Abigail which was John’s third wife barely knew each other.

Elizabeth Proctor being accused of witchery by Abigail Williams has garnered the attention of all of Salem. If she is proven guilty, she will be sent to prison for eternity. Goody Proctor is known in Salem as a good Puritan with Christian values, but this accusation and her possible hanging could ruin it all. Abigail Williams, on the other hand, has gained power in the courthouse and has accused others. However, many rumors circulate the village saying that Ms. Williams is not the good Christian girl that she has recently been made out to be. I am here to deny or confirm these rumors for good and find out the answers from Ms. Williams by investigating and interviewing her.

Abigail Williams accuses all of these people with only two things in mind. One of them is her desperate desire to be in the spotlight at all times. ealthy motives are the reasons for the murdering of innocent people.

During this time in Salem, Massachusetts woman were being accused of witchcraft and if they did not confess to witchcraft, they found guilty and were hanged. Elizabeth Proctor was among the many women accused and despite all the women who confessed false testimonies, she was among the few who did not want to tell a lie to save her life. “Do why you will. But let none be your judge. There be no higher judge under Heaven than Proctor is! Forgive me, forgive me, John- I never knew such goodness in the world!” At this point in The Crucible, Elizabeth is good with herself and with her beliefs. She refuses to confess to something that she is not guilty of. Women were mostly targeted because they were viewed as the minority in Salem and easy to manipulate but not Elizabeth Proctor she stood firm in her

Abigail Williams wanted what was best for her. She did not care of others. Due to Abigail’s actions a whole conflict outbursts in Salem, Massachusetts. The girls have been caught in the woods dancing and even naked. They have been caught and accused of doing witchcraft. Betty is then “very ill” and they believe she is going to die. Betty awakes. Abigail threatens the girls to stay quiet. “You did. You did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!” (Miller 18). This shows that Abigail Williams was a villain because she was hoping for the death of a person in order to get what she desired. Abigail and the girls were caught doing witchcraft. Abigail comes up with a different story to tell. “Now look you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. And that is all. And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the back of shudder

She and her friends go into the woods to dance naked while casting spells with Tituba, a slave of the Parris family. However, the girls were caught by Reverend Parris, so they fabricated a story where Tituba was to blame. Abigail ruined Tituba’s life and got her arrested in order to save her own. The court did not listen to Tituba’s plea because they would believe Reverend Parris’s niece over a slave. Ultimately, Abigail was motivated by the fear of getting caught and receiving a punishment for attempted witchcraft.