Lydia Velishek Mr. Stensrud Honors: US Literature & Composition 10 October 2017 Title Here It is clear that Abigail Williams is portrayed as the antagonist in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, taking place in the late 1600s in Salem, Massachusetts and based on the witch-trials therein. She serves as a catalyst for the witch trials by falsely accusing innocent townspeople with the intent of maintaining the position of power she gains from them. Due to the transparency of her actions, Abigail’s ulterior motives are also distinguishable. Certain effeminate stereotypes are presented throughout the course of the play. One of which, being that of the immoral, husbandless woman, Abigail embodies. Slave to emotion and motivated by lust, Abigail falls In Act I, when John and Abigail have a private exchange in Betty’s room, Abigail pleads with John for his affection, imploring, “Give me a word, John. A soft word” (Miller 22). Abigail evidently still wishes for involvement with John, pleading with him to ‘give [her] a soft word’. This hints that her devotion to John takes place on an emotional level, rather than just a physical one, as she wants him to comfort her. After John denies her, Abigail snaps, “[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! Let her turn you like a - “ (24). Abigail’s jealousy is most noticeable in this quotation. She uses the words ‘cold, sniveling woman’ to describe Elizabeth, reminding John of his wife’s reaction to the affair and her ‘coldness’ towards him, attempting to prod at a weak spot in their marriage. By telling John, a man, valued by his reputation and implacability that he ‘bends to [Elizabeth, a woman]’, Abigail also seeks to hurt John’s self worth. Abigail’s overly emotional responses correspond with the stereotypical behavior of a woman in this time period. She leads with her heart rather than with her head, both when she refuses to accept that John does not love her and when she verbally berates Elizabeth when she realizes the only way for her to truly have John is for Elizabeth to be out of the Abigail, as shown when she allows her jealousy of Elizabeth and her lust for John to help fuel the hysteria of the witch trials, fits this stereotype. A stereotype, which has not been abandoned to this day. Stereotypes create biases that last through generations, and biases lead to discrimination of different groups of people. As shown in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the stereotype that Abigail falls under still applies to women today, but unlike Abigail, the women who are forced under this stereotype are not characters in a play, but rather real
Her motive for accusing others of witchcraft is because she wants to get rid of Elizabeth so that she can be John’s “perfect wife,” and because she does not want to get in trouble. Abigail is the perfect foil for anyone who is even slightly honest. Elizabeth, on the other hand, “have never lied.” John Proctor said to Danforth, “There are them that cannot sing, and them that cannot weep--my wife cannot lie.” She fires Abigail as her servant when she finds out about an affair between Abigail and her husband.
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...
In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, the main character Abigail Williams is to blame for the 1692 witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Abigail is a mean and vindictive person who always wants her way, no matter who she hurts. Through out the play her accusations and lies cause many people pain and suffering, but she seemed to never care for any of them except John Proctor, whom she had an affair with seven months prior to the beginning of the play. John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth used to employ Abigail, until Elizabeth found out the affair and threw Abigail out. Although John told Abigail that the affair was over and he would never touch her again, she tried desperately to rekindle their romance. "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." (Page 23) She claimed that she loved John and that he loved her. Before the play began, Abigail tried to kill Elizabeth with a curse. She thought that if Elizabeth were dead John would marry her. Further into the play, Abigail accused Elizabeth of witchcraft. She saw Marry Warren, the Proctor's servant, making a poppet. Mary put a needle into the doll, and Abigail used that for her accusation. She stabbed herself with a needle and claimed that Elizabeth's soul had done it. Although Abigail claimed she loved John, she may have just loved the care and attention he gave her. John cared for her like no one else had. In a way he could be described as somewhat of a father figure to her. When Abigail was just a child, she witnessed her parents' brutal murders. "I saw Indians smash my dear parent's heads on the pillow next to mine..." (page 20) After her traumatic experience, she was raised by her uncle, Reverend Parris, who is somewhat of a villain. In the play it was written, "He (Parris) was a widower with no interest in children, or talent with them." (Page 3) Parris regarded children as young adults who should be "thankful for being permitted to walk straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at the sides, and mouths shut until bidden to speak." (Page 4) Therefore, it is obvious to see that Abigail grew up without any love or nurturing.
Elizabeth is often cold and not open towards people yet she changes as the novel progresses. Abigail accuses her friends and the townspeople of witchcraft; her motivations for turning against her friends are mainly because of Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail had an affair with Elizabeth's husband, which made Elizabeth fire Abigail. Abigail is in love with John and while talking to him she says, "I wake and walk about the house as though I'd find you comin' through some door" (Act I). This illustrates her love towards John and that she will never forget their affair and how Elizabeth broke them up.
To begin, teenager Abigail Williams exhibits the sinister side of human’s natural tendencies towards desire and deceit through her role in the play, identified Jungian archetype, and Kohlberg moral stage. First, as a female and an orphan, Abigail expresses the desperate sentiments of powerless women in the hierarchy of Salem society. Evident in Miller’s stage direction description, seventeen-year old Abigail depicts “a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling” (Miller I.8). Abigail’s dissembling or “hiding under a false appearance” (Webster Dictionary), reveals women’s inability to express genuine feelings, often out of fear of societal judgment or intolerance. As a female teen and orphan, Abigail represents a character with no authority in the Salem community, forced to act with malice and spite to get attention (as any female with a desire for influence would in this time). Second, identified with the Jungian archetype of the rebel, Abigail Williams acts with rage in an attempt to reveal and upend the immoral expectations present in Salem. Evidence of Abigail’s
Witchcraft is any kind of practice using magic, black magic, or the summoning of spirits. In Salem, Massachusetts, 1602 there was an uncontrolled fear among the puritans about anyone who was suspected of practicing witchcraft. This was the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials. Most puritan women during this time were not allowed to show independence. In the play, “The Crucible,” written by A. Miller, Abigail Williams is a misunderstood character because she possesses independent traits, ideas, and shows female empowerment.
Although being wronged, Elizabeth tries to be a good wife and does not tell the court of John’s affair, unknowing that he had already admitted. John loves his wife, so he righteously admits to his sin in attempt to save her while only dooming himself to the good nature of Elizabeth. There is irony in this situation because Elizabeth, a woman who “in her life, she had never lied” does so only to protect her husband’s name (103). In making the decision to lie, she is therefore convincing the court that John is lying to protect her. Emotions steadily build awaiting the dramatic ending between Elizabeth and John. Elizabeth is saved from hanging due to her pregnancy, whereas John refuses to lie and admit to witchcraft. Their attempts to save each other backfire. Ironically, if Elizabeth had not lied, her and John could have been together for years to come.
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, one of the main characters, Abigail, is a menacing, teenage girl who likes to stir up trouble. Abigail has many character flaws. She is envious, dishonest, and lustful. All of these flaws caused a lot of complications in the town of Salem.
“People don’t change, they show who they really are.” In the book “The Crucible” written by Arthur Miller, published January 22, 1953 the character Abigail Williams is vengeful, selfish, devious, and a great liar. She is the vehicle that drives the play, and she is responsible for many things that keeps the action continuous in the play. She has her own mischievous motives.
To further complicate matters, John decides not to reveal to the court that Abigail has admitted to him in private that they were just sporting in the woods. Abigail spreads additional accusations and false rumors about her neighbors. These accusations have no basis in truth and their only purpose is for Abigail’s own benefit. Furthermore, Abigail is jealous of John’s wife, Elizabeth, and she schemes to get rid of her in order to take her place. Abigail’s plot is to accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft.
Abigail attains an immense amount of power for her own benefit throughout the play. As Wendy Schissel says, “she is the consummate seductress; the witchcraft hysteria in the play originates in her carnal lust for Proctor” (462). Her main goal is to use her power to get rid of Elizabeth so that she can have Proctor for her self. The reader perceives
“How can one be well...when one suffers morally?” (Leo Tolstoy) Beliefs and morals essentially influence the entire life of an individual. Jeopardizing those morals slowly diminishes a person’s soul. Too many wrongdoings leads to an unhappy, dreary existence. However, when under scrutiny many choose to relinquish their faith, to inturn escape strenuous situations. Throughout the play, The Crucible, characters demonstrated the effects of holding on to and abandoning morals. In viewing the result, it was revealed which choice led to a better legacy. Although characters in The Crucible with discredited ethics often proposed a sense of authority over others, those who withheld their principles until perishing, were truly fulfilled in life.
During the late 1600’s, women had no rights and little say in the community. Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, takes place in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts. The practice of witchcraft was a very serious crime at the time of the Witch Trials. Nineteen men and women were accused of practicing witchcraft and were hanged. There were no in depth investigations into whether those who were accused were actually guilty or innocent. Abigail Williams, the niece of Reverend Parris, wants to marry John Proctor and kill his wife Elizabeth. The Minister caught his niece practicing witchcraft and doesn't want anybody to know, in fear that his reputation in the community could be ruined. Arthur Miller shows how the power of words used by Abigail and Reverend Parris enables them to sacrifice others in
In the play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, I mostly agree with the statement Winona Ryder makes about the character Abigail Williams. Toward the end of the play, Abigail seems like she believes the lies she’s feeding everyone, even though she’s aware of her deceit. In Hyther’s interpretation of the drama, there is a scene where Abigail tells John Proctor, “ I only wanted you John. I didn’t mean this for you.” She knows that what she’s doing is killing people because she’s such a convincing liar, and she had a plan for who would be hanged and who wouldn’t. For this reason, many readers would perceive Abigail as the villain of the of the play. I somewhat agree with Ryder’s thought that Abigail was not a villain. In Act III, page 1207, Danforth
In the play “The Crucible” The main villain was Abigail williams. She was basically the whole root of the problem. She made up all of these fake things such as spirits and witches just to save her name. Elizabeth, proctors wife, knew that John proctor was having an affair with abigail so she kicked her out. That is just the start of her villainy. After Elizabeth tells people abigail sees an opportunity to save herself. The little girl. Francis’ daughter I think, Is faking that something is wrong and isn’t waking up. But then she starts to freak out about witches and the devil and that’s when abigail goes evil.