The Tension Between Abigail And Elizabeth Proctor In The Crucible

510 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The theme of power in the crucible

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a story about townspeople turning against each other over the witch trials in a Salem, Massachusetts. In my opinion the evils of witchcraft or the power of Satan do not result to the chaos in the town but rather the evils of man. Lust, greed, wrath, pride, laziness, gluttony, and envy all play a role in this story. There are multiple predicaments arising in this story that all lead to one main conflict. The main characters display these evils without even knowing it. One of the main predicaments of the story is the tension between Abigail and John and Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail displays at least three of the evils of man; wrath, envy, lust. Abigail and John had a brief relationship that ended when the book started. Her lust for John led to wrath displayed by Abigail accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft. That kind of claim will kill Elizabeth, widow John, and Abigail would be waiting for Proctor with open arms. Abigail envies that John decided to stay and take care of Elizabeth. Envy took over Abigail’s life. It absorbed through her skin and ran through her blood until she boiled with jealousy. She took a lie too far causing her own neighbors to die from the words she spoke. Deputy …show more content…

He demonstrates pride and gluttony more than anyone else. “I do not wish to be put out like the cat whenever some majority fells the whim. You people seem not to comprehend that a minister is the Lord’s man in the parish; a minister is not be so lightly crossed and contradicted.” “I am a graduate of Harvard College.” These statments show that he is prideful in his education. Parris believes he can save this town from the devil from his education and is sermons. Gluttony stands out when Parris insists on having golden candle sticks for the church because nothing else was good enough for him. Parris is a person who wanted to his name known around the state because knows he deserves

Show More
Related

  • The Crucible: Who is to Blame?

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first reason Abigail is to blame for the deaths of the innocent Puritans is her lustful personal ambition to be John Proctor’s wife. John and Abigail previously had an affair, which basically began the hysteria. An exasperated John attempted to tell Abigail the affair is a thing of the past, by saying, “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.” Abigail, however, relentlessly strives to keep their “romance” alive. Because of this intense jealousy of John’s wife, there is an enormous amount of tension between Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail even goes as far as to consume a potion with the intent to murder Elizabeth, which Betty confronts her about by saying, “You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!” Abigail is so envious of Elizabeth, she does the unthinkable by accusing her of witchcraft. She claims that Goody Proctor’s spirit came to her and stabbed her with a needle. She felt that if she could dispose of Elizabeth Proctor, she could take her rightful position as John’s wife.

    Read More

  • Abigail Adams And John Proctor In The Crucible

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    ¨I have known her, sir. I have known her.¨ A crucible is a test or severe trial, and no trial is more severe than that of a man’s soul. The entire story of Salem is ridden with tests of character and the humanity of the citizens as they respond to the mass hysteria created by someone crying witch. Every single character in this play is given a trial through which they must come to achieve their greater purpose, and these trials expose the skeletons in their closets and the blackness of their sins. However, the similar message is presented in different ways by the cinematic portrayal and Miller’s original play. Lies, unsubstantiated accusations, jealousy, and self-righteousness are the main factors fueling the flame of deceit and hatred. John

    Read More

  • Abigail Williams And Elizabeth Proctor In The Crucible

    504 Words  | 2 Pages

    In act two of The Crucible, a poppet with a needle in it’s stomach is how Elizabeth is accused of stabbing Abigail. Abigail cannot let the affair she had with John Proctor seven months ago. She will do anything she can to get John Proctor for herself, even accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft. While Abigail Williams isn’t physically in act two, her dark shadow is noticed throughout the act causing trouble for the characters, especially Elizabeth Proctor.

    Read More

  • John Proctor in The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    595 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crucible deals with witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts which shows utter chaos and hysteria in the town. Many were accused of witchcraft and died because of lies.

    Read More

  • Human Flaws in Arthur Miller's The Crucible

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many of the characters in Arthur Miller's The Crucible have specific human flaws that cause the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem villagers exhibit failings, including greed, vengeance, and fear, which eventually lead to the downfall of their town. Many villagers, especially Abigail Williams, take advantage of the opportunity to seek vengeance on others through the trials. Greed for power and land often holds precedence when the hysteria takes over. Fear of being arrested or put to death is the key motivation in turning others in as witches. From these three human flaws, the town of Salem falls into chaos with many innocent people paying the price.

    Read More

  • Comparison of Elizabeth Proctor with Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    Comparison of Elizabeth Proctor with Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor, the leading female characters in 'The Crucible'. Both show determination in order to get what they want. Abigail, a cunning girl that is out for revenge, feels she has superiority over many of the other characters even though she is only a young girl. Elizabeth's character portrays a wife in distress after she finds out about her husband's affair, yet she still has courage throughout the play. She shows determination when she is in need of strength to keep her going, after Abigail accused her of witchcraft.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Good Night And Good Luck And The Crucible

    302 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, focuses on the Salem witch trials and the extreme behavior that follows the trials. Miller shows how the dark desires and hidden agendas provokes such extreme behavior. The Crucible was written in a time when the anti-communist movement was strongly protested. During the Salem witch trials, a person was guilty until he proved himself

    Read More

  • The Crucible: Hysteria And Injustice

    1618 Words  | 4 Pages

    It was easier for them to blame the devil for the problems of society than fix the problems of their own strict way of life. So the girls involved with Abigail, like Mercy Lewis and Mary Warren, named many people in the town as witches. These people were put in jail and would be hanged if they did not confess to the crime of devil worship or witchcraft. Another part of the developing plot is that John Proctor knows Abigail and her friends are lying, but he is afraid to say anything because eight months before he had an affair with Abigail and did not want to be seen by the town as a lecher, which means wife cheater. So, Mr. Proctor has to fight with himself to come out and tell the truth, or his wife might die because of Abigail saying she was a witch.

    Read More

  • The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    564 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crucible is a novel based on the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, written by Arthur Miller. The Crucible demonstrates forbidden temptation between John Proctor and Abigail Williams, honor and dishonor in the town of Salem, ruthless revenge, and the strive for high social status. The narrative style of this play is standard 1950s everyday language. The Crucible is set in a theocratic society of Puritanism in 1692.

    Read More

  • Pride In The Crucible

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crucible is the story about how Salem started the witch trials, written by Arthur Miller. The story says that the young girls were practicing witchcraft when the Rev. Parris found them. The town believed the girls that there was more witches in Salem and started to place blame on almost everyone. The main girl was in love with a farmer that she had committed adultery with, so she found a way to blame his wife of witchcraft from the start of the trials. The girls knew that known of the accused actually did witchcraft and as did the ones hang. The Crucible is filled with pride that hides the secrets of the town.

    Read More

  • Abigail Williams: The Charming Deceiver of Salem

    480 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Salem Witch looked to be so innocent, because of this she had everyone fooled. Abigail Williams went through a hard time, which gave the illusion of her innocence. Abigail should be the one held accountable for all imprisonments and execution of all the innocent people, because she lied her way through the witch trials so she could get what she wanted, and her biggest reason was to get John Proctor.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Abigail Williams

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    Her selfishness is evident when Abigail and her friends accuse the innocent people of Salem of witchcraft. She puts the blame on others, so she does not get punished for dancing in the woods. Abigail shows her anger towards John Proctor when she tries to accuse his wife and ultimately gets John killed. Her anger leads her to make the poor decisions of getting John killed, even though he did nothing wrong. She is a coward when she puts the blame on innocent people and runs away before John gets hung. Her craven attitude is the last flaw that ultimately leads her to run away from Salem. Abigail’s flaws eventually bring her to her downfall by the end of the

    Read More

  • Arthur Miller's The Crucible

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crucible is a 1953 play by Arthur Miller. Initially, it was known as The Chronicles of Sarah Good. The Crucible was set in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. It talks of McCarthyism that happened in the late 1600’s whereby the general public and people like Arthur Miller were tried and persecuted. The Crucible exemplifies persecutions during the Salem Witch Trials. The people were convicted and hung without any tangible proof of committing any crime. Persecutions were the order of the day. When a finger was pointed at any individual as a witch, the Deputy Governor Danforth never looked for evidence against them or evidence that incriminated them; he ordered them to be hanged. This can be seen through his words “Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for those, weeps for corruption!” (1273), the people were persecuted aimlessly. The four main characters in the play, John Proctor, Abigail Adams, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris, are caught in the middle of the witchcraft panic in the religious Salem, Massachusetts in late 1690’s. Persecution is the most important theme in the Crucible, the leaders and citizens of Salem attacks and persecutes one of their own without any tangible evidence against them.

    Read More

  • Free Essays on The Crucible: John Proctor's Search For Identity

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    Early on in the play, the reader comes to understand that John Proctor has had an affair with Abigail Williams while she was working in his home. Abigail believed that if she got rid of Elizabeth Proctor, then John Proctor would become her own. John Proctor had an affair with Abigail, but for him it was just lust, while Abigail believed it to be true love. She told John Proctor that she loved him, and once she destroys Elizabeth, they would be free to love one another. John is horrified at this, but can do nothing to convince Abigail that he is not in love with her. Because of Abigail's twisted plot to secure John for herself, Elizabeth is arrested. John Proctor has to wrestle with the decision of what to do. He knows that he has sinned; yet he does not want to hurt his beloved wife. This is partly why he is willing to die. He knows he has already sinned.

    Read More

  • Innocent Murderer: Abigail as a Victim in The Crucible

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    The true antagonist of the play is the town of Salem itself, because of the judgemental and self concerned peoples, and its oppressive views. Abigail;s outrageous actions are due to her desensitized views on death and actions otherwise viewed as unethical. From her youth ABigail recalls: “ I saw indians smash my dear parents’ head on the pillow next to mine and i have seen some reddish work at night” (Miller 20), because of this Abigail is numb to death and suffering and is in fact quite morbid. There is no problem in condemning other to death in Abigail’s eyes because she doesn’t see the issue with it. Abigail does not seem to comprehend that it is unethical to let people be hanged and stoned to death and has no issue telling others that she “ can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down” (Miller 20). Not only is Abigail desensitized to murder and death, she is also numb to other unethical dilemmas. Abigail is desensitized to corrupting the Proctor’s marriage because of her childish lust and obsession for John Proctor. Such desires can be seen through her encounters with Proctor. In regards to their so called “relationship” she says: “it’s she put me out, you cannot pretend it were you. I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you love me now!” (Miller 22). Abigail does not view her behavior t...

    Read More

More about The Tension Between Abigail And Elizabeth Proctor In The Crucible

Open Document