The Crucible John Proctor Analysis

In the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the characters are driven by certain motives to make them seem less guilty during the witchcraft scenario. However, Abigail Williams is motivated, not to seem less guilty, but to redeem her most wanted desire: John Proctor. She does not matter who she has to get through or what she has to do in order to become Proctor’s wife. During the play, Miller validates that Abigail Williams’s flaws-lust, vengefulness, and jealously- makes the audience believe that she was the cause of most of the chaos during the witch-hunt in Salem.

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.

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.

Firstly, Elizabeth Proctor is a foil to Abigail Williams because they are both women that are in love with John Proctor. However, Elizabeth differs from Abigail because she is kind, merciful, and honest, as opposed to Abigail who is unforgiving, jealous, and a liar. Arthur Miller portrays Elizabeth as a character that never does anything wrong, and that “she has never lied” (Pg. 116).

Abigail was a servant in Proctor´s house. Elizabeth was not a very loving woman. Proctor fell for Abigail created an affair with her. “After he had confessed it to Elizabeth, she dismissed her from her service because she did not want to tell the people in Salem that the reason was the affair between John and Abigail.” (Dulain). Abigail, Tituba and the girls went to the forest in the morning. They danced and murmured words, Abigail drank blood to curse John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth, and she would do anything to have John Proctor. Reverend Paris fond blood, Abigail and the girl’s dancing, and mercy naked. Abigail knew drinking blood is a form of witchcraft, so she tries to cover up on what they actually did in the forest. She threatens the girls to not say a word or she will harm them. "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 black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you." (Miller)

Parris asks Abigail why she was fired from The Proctors House because people are “Blackening her name in the Village.” Abigail claims Elizabeth fired her because she refuses to be treated like a slave. She calls Elizabeth a “... bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman…” Of course.. Knowing the girl Abigail is. It isn't true. John reveals that Abigail and him had an affair behind Elizabeth's back. While John Proctor is speaking to Abigail he says “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I‘ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind... We never touched Abby.” This proves the Elizabeth found out about Abigail's and John's affair and fired her for that

Elizabeth Proctor found out about the affair Abigail was having with her husband John. She fired Abigail from her work at their house. Even though Abigail is fired, she still goes after John. “Proctor: Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time, but i will cut off my hand before i'll ever reach for you again,Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby”(Miller 22).

Throughout the play of The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, Elizabeth Proctor has changed from a woman who is always wanting to get her point across to a woman who notices that she was a difficult wife and that she wants to keep her husband and family as far away from danger as possible. Just as the plot of this play becomes really intense, she realizes that she had to save not only herself from being executed but her husband as well. At the beginning of Act Two, Elizabeth confronts her husband, John Proctor, about sleeping with Abigail Williams. Elizabeth already knew that while she was sick, John was off having an affair with Abigail.

It was later revealed by Proctor that “she [Abigail] thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! (Miller 110). Abigail’s evilness is being exposed in this quote, where she revealed her hate towards Elizabeth, how she “thinks to dance” on Elizabeth’s “grave” as if to show her victory in winning Proctor’s heart. But the truth is the opposite. In doing so, she directly caused the deaths of many innocent people, and indirectly caused the death of Proctor, where Proctor got in jail because he wanted to protect Elizabeth. The loss of many innocent lives seemingly glances off and have no effect on Abigail, as she persists in her lies without any remorse, which brings out how destructive envy can

Abigail feels like if she can came put some doubt in Proctor's mind then she could win him back. When Elisabeth remain forgiving Abigail stays jealous at

On the days where Elizabeth would go to the market Abigail was quick to find Proctor and seduce him any place they were, she would never think twice of her actions and it never crossed her mind that what she was doing was wrong. All she would think about was how to remove Elizabeth from the equation leaving Proctor to herself. Once they were done Proctor would often blankly stare up at the ceiling thinking about how he could hide mistake from

In the beginning of the play, The Crucible we discover Abigail and Proctor had an affair while she worked for the Proctor's. They once agreed on soft thoughts for one another. When they have contact for the first time since Elizabeth Proctor has fired Abigail we learn their relationship has became conflicted. Abigail says "Give me a word John. A soft word..."(Act 1). Abigail has not moved forward since the affair and continues to carry hope for the two. On the other hand, Proctor replied with, "...That's done with...put it out of mine Abby."(Act1). Proctor is trying to move on with his sin and doesn't want anything to do with Abigail. With the current issue of witchcraft in the community they create more problems for the plot. Abigail sees

In the beginning of the play, one of the major events that helps to lead to the eventual down fall of John Proctor is the adultery act that he committed with Abigail. In the first act, Abigail and him are seen discussing the crude act in Abigail’s house. Abigail expresses her desire for the adultery with Proctor to continue, but he shuts her down immediately by saying,” Abby, you’ll put it out of your mind. I’ll not be coming for you more,”(Miller I. 21).” In this quote by denying Abigail of

Abigail Williams, jealousy of Elizabeth Proctor causes her to target Elizabeth, an innocent bystander) for her personal gain. John Proctor tells Abigail that his affair with her was a mistake, and he regrets, it but she does not like what she is hearing so she criticizes his wife. Showing how angry and hateful she is toward Elizabeth, and this behavior proves the beginning of her jealousy. When Abigail's insults Elizabeth's character Proctor tells her ¨You'll speak nothin of Elizabeth¨ to which Abigail replies ¨[Elizabeth] is blackening my name in the village she is telling lies about me! She is a cold sniveling woman and you bend to her¨ (1.23). Abigail's words are angry and her purpose is to put doubts inside John's mind. She wants to put doubts in Johns mound for him to ponder if he really wants to be with

Abigail Williams is clearly a very jealous and self absorbed person. She is only ever worried about her image and reputation. When rumors start to spread that her “name is soiled”, she accuses Elizabeth Proctor of being a “gossiping liar” (12). This starts a small feud between the two, and Elizabeth decides to stop going to church as to “not sit so close to something soiled” (11). Once Abigail hears this slander from her uncle, Reverend Parris, she is immediately defensive and embarrassed. She can imagine the public ridicule she will face if she is accused of partaking in John’s affair. Abigail becomes extremely angry with Elizabeth as she is jealous of her marriage with John Proctor. To Abigail, Elizabeth is a locked gate blocking the way of her road to happiness. This kick starts her desire for vengeance on Elizabeth and soon after