Abigail Williams in The Crucible by Arthur Miller

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The Character of Abigail in The Crucible

Abigail plays a very important role in The Crucible. In fact it is likely that without her the play would not exist. She is the source of everything that goes wrong in the play and her attempts to defend herself from the consequences of her own actions ruin many people's lives.

Abigail has a relationship with John Proctor before the play begins. This relationship results in her being dismissed from her job as a servant and it explains why Abigail targets Elizabeth Proctor later on in the play. The relationship also leads her to try Tituba's magic to win John Proctor's love. This involves the dancing in the forest that results in the trials that are at the centre of the play.

However, there is more to Abigail than simply a girl in love with John Proctor. We also get a feeling that the customs and behaviour expected of a young girl in Salem at this time were too restrictive for her. A note at the end of the play states that she eventually became a prostitute in Boston. This must have represented the ultimate rebellion for a girl from such a religious community.

The play shows Abigail's rise to power and influence. At the beginning of the action she is a young orphan girl with no work, living off the charity of her uncle. Her reputation in the community is not good because she has been dismissed from service by Elizabeth Proctor. Although the reason for this has not been made public, many people at that time would have assumed that there must be something wrong with the girl. When she and some of the other girls are caught dancing naked in the woods, it looks as though Abigail might be cast out of the community completely or even executed. Instead Abigail turns the tables on her accusers and, by confessing to witchcraft, she is able to develop a very strong position. At the height of the trial anyone she names as a witch falls immediately under suspicion.

Abigail also develops her personal power and influence over the other girls. She does this by using techniques of mass hysteria.

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