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Theme of power and revenge in the crucible
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Themes of Revenge in The Crucible
There are many themes of revenge in the play The Crucible, characterized Abigail Williams, by Thomas Putnam, and Goody Putnam. These three people accuse others of witchcraft in order to gain something that they have wanted for a while. Abby, Thomas, and Ann Putnam are jealous, angry, and bitter during the whole book , all the while putting up a false front that helps them gain what they want with the court. Reading through the play, themes of revenge are clearly evident and all throughout the entire play. The themes of revenge in The Crucible will be shown and expanded on in the paragraphs to follow .
Abigail Williams shows many signs of desiring revenge during The Crucible. A foremost and quite
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obvious theme of revenge is Abby’s longing to be John Proctor’s wife and to get Elizabeth Proctor out of the picture. Abby says to John Proctor that, “I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you do now!”(22), when they are alone and talking about their affair. Abby truly believes that John and she are in love, and the only proper way for the two of them to be together and be happy is to kill Elizabeth, no matter how she has to do it. Betty Parris exclaimed before the witch hunt and witch trials began that, “You (Abby) drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!” (19). Abby was trying to kill Goody Proctor even before the witch trials and the easy chance to kill Goody Proctor came about. Abby claimed that Goody Proctor had stabbed her in the stomach with a needle; the marshal went to the Proctor’s and found a poppet with a needle stuck in the stomach just like Abby was. This was what Abby used to get Elizabeth put in jail and accused of witchcraft, which effectively put Elizabeth out of the picture . Abigail was trying to kill Goody Proctor and get her revenge on Elizabeth all throughout The Crucible. Another scene of Abigail getting her revenge in The Crucible would be when Mary Warren, the Proctor’s house servant, came with John Proctor to tell the truth about the poppet that had “stuck” Abby that was found in the Proctor’s house. Abby told the court that. “That were pretense, sir.” Abby pretended that Mary Warren sent her spirit out on her the other girls, and is trying to attack Abby’s face. Abby is being accused of lying, accusing others of witchcraft, and killing them for no reason at all. Abby knows that Mary Warren now holds the power to take her and her name down , and therefore she must seek her revenge on Mary. Mary would’ve had nowhere to turn if she went through with the accusations on Abby , and Abby has already threatened to kill her. “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the other things, or I will come to you in the black of some terrible night, and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know I can do it; I saw Indians smash my dear parents’ heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!” (20). Abby is unapologetic about her actions, and if anyone dare accuse her of what she has done, she will bring them to the same end that her parents met, or she will accuse them of witchcraft and have them hanged. Abby got her revenge on Mary, at least partially – she got Mary to rescind the accusations on her and blame them on John Proctor, who was trying to get his wife out of jail, which Abigail put in jail. Abby will do whatever it takes to make sure that her name is clean , and that she gets her way, including getting revenge on several people. Thomas Putnam tries to get his revenge on neighboring villagers with land surrounding his by accusing them of witchcraft through his daughter Ruth Putnam.
Thomas Putnam is characterized as being vindictive, and deeply embittered. Thomas Putnam wanted more land around him, and people accused and condemned as witches land could not be claimed by their children, but could be claimed by others in the village. Thomas Putnam claimed much of the land around him that was now free, which effectively made him one of the wealthiest men in the town of Salem. Giles Corey brought a deposition against Putnam, stating that “you (Thomas Putnam) coldly prompted your daughter to cry witchery upon George Jacobs that is now in jail”, and that “The day his daughter (Ruth Putnam) cried out on Jacobs, he said she’d given him a fair gift of land” (96). Putnam was looking to get any land he could, and especially the land of those who’d wronged him in his …show more content…
opinion. “It is not surprising to find that many accusations against people are in the handwriting of Thomas Putnam, or that his name is so often found as a witness corroborating the supernatural testimony, or that his daughter led the crying-out at the most opportune junctures of the trials…”(15). Thomas Putnam led the way for many accusations against many people in Salem – he was trying to get his revenge on people who had wronged him, or whose land he especially liked. His doing this showed his vindictive and spiteful nature, as well as his determination to get his way and his revenge. A final character and person in The Crucible that tried and succeeded in getting her revenge is Goody Ann Putnam.
Ann Putnam has had to bury all but one of her eight children, Ruth Putnam, while Rebecca Nurse has eleven children and many grandchildren. Goody Rebecca was the midwife to Goody Ann when her children were born, and “I (Ann Putnam) have laid seven babies unbaptized in the earth… And yet, each would wither in my arms the very night of their birth” (15). Ann Putnam blames Rebecca Nurse for the deaths of her children, and says to Rebecca, “You think it God’s work you should never lose a child, nor a grandchild either, and I bury all but one? There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!” (28). This is essentially an claim stating that Rebecca Nurse has a supernatural power protecting her, and Ann does not have this power protecting her. Ann Putnam is the first to suggest witchcraft is at play in Salem, beginning with Betty and Ruth, and she charges Rebecca Nurse with witchcraft. Goody Ann is able to get her revenge on Rebecca Nurse for her babies by accusing her of witchcraft, putting her in jail, and eventually having her hanged for
witchcraft. The themes of revenge in The Crucible are evident in many people, but especially by Abigail Williams, Thomas Putnam, and Ann Putnam . These three are clearly bitter and trying to gain something by keeping the witch hunt alive. Abigail Williams is trying to kill Elizabeth Proctor in order to be with John Proctor, whom she has had an affair with. Thomas Putnam is trying to gain land from those around him, and trying to become the wealthiest man in Salem. Ann Putnam is trying to get revenge on Rebecca Nurse for her babies’ deaths. These three are jealous, spiteful , and malicious, and willing to put up a false front to gain what they want . The themes of revenge in The Crucible are manifested by many in Salem, but particularly by Abby Williams, Thomas Putnam, and Ann Putnam.
His daughter Ann Putnam was a primary accuser in the Witch Trials, creating a great deal of bias on Putnam’s part (Linder). Children were not legally permitted to testify in court, therefore Putnam represented them by presenting their depositions to the court. Because of his involvement, he was able to send many people to jail for practicing witchcraft. Putnam and his wife were represented in The Crucible as a couple striving to have a child, but blamed their inability on witchcraft. Although this was not entirely true, his personal attachment to the trials swayed his judgement and impacted his ability to send innocent people to jail, based on his beliefs. Thomas Putnam played a crucial role in the Witch Trials, influencing many deaths and
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Miller demonstrated that it was Abigail William’s flaws – mendacity, lust, and arrogance – that led her to be responsible the most for the tragedy of the witch hunt in Salem, Massachusetts. Driven by lust, Abigail was able to lie to the Salem community in hopes of covering her and her friends’ deeds and gaining the attention of John Proctor. Her arrogance enabled her t0 advance her deceit.
In The Crucible vengeance is shown through Thomas Putnam because he is a wealthy land owning man high in the social class. Putnam did not like that Francis Nurse was rising in social status by gaining more land, and his wife’s brother-in-law, Bayley, who wanted to be come minister of Salem was stopped by the Nurse faction. When witchcraft was mentioned Putnam saw this as an opportunity to get his vengeance on Francis Nurse for hurting his family honor and rising up in power. He was going to get his vengeance on Francis through his wife Rebecca. “That the guidin...
First, In the book The Crucible Abigail Williams is the vengeful, manipulative, and a liar. She seems to be uniquely gifted at spreading death and destruction wherever she goes. She has a sense of how to manipulate others and gain control over them. All these things add up to make her one good antagonist with a dark side. In Act I, her skills at manipulation are on full display. When she's on the brink of getting busted for witchcraft, she skillfully manages to pin the whole thing on Tituba and several of Salems other second class citizens. Also since Abigail's affair with John Proctor, she's been out to get Elizabeth, his wife. She convinced Tituba to put a curse on Elizabeth, hoping to get rid of her and take
How can a girl who condemned seventy two to a death sentence and drank a charm to kill a man’s wife, a man she has slept with on more than one occasion be the victim? It’s possible when the town she lives in is worse than her. Although Abigail Williams is typically thought of as the antagonist of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, she is in fact a victim as much as any other tragic character in the play.
Vengeance plays a key role in causing the mass hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail Williams, who?s probably most to blame for the trials, acts out of revenge. She and John Proctor have had an affair and when Elizabeth Proctor finds out, she throws Abigail out of their house. During the trials, Abigail is still in love with John Proctor and goes after Elizabeth out of vengeance. Elizabeth tries to explain this to John, who is in disbelief: she ?thinks to kill me, then to take my place? (61). Abigail?s main motive for destroying Elizabeth is revenge for being thrown out of the house and for having John Proctor, the man that she loves. Another character who seeks revenge is Mrs. Putnam, who has had seven children die shortly after childbirth and blames her midwife, who has many children. Rebecca Nurse is charged ?for the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnam?s babies? (71). The trials are an opportunity for Ann Putnam to seek vengeance against Rebecca for having healthy children and grandchild...
The Crucible – Forgiveness & nbsp; The Healing Power Of Forgiveness - The Gift of Reconciliation. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." --- Mahatma Gandhi & nbsp; Forgiveness is a process of inner healing. For most of the people in The Crucible, they did not need to necessarily forgive others but forgive themselves.
For example, Ann Putnam wants healthy children and envies Rebecca Nurse for all the healthy children she bore. She accuses Nurse of killing most of her offspring using witchcraft. In fact, the official warrant for Rebecca Nurse’s arrest is issued “[f]or the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnam 's babies”(67). Ann Putnam does not care if one of Salem’s most devout families is torn apart so long as its members suffer for their happiness. In addition, Thomas Putnam’s desire for more land causes him to make his daughter accuse an innocent man of witchcraft since “[t]he day [she] cried out on Jacobs, [Putnam] said she’d given him a fair gift of land”(89). His greed for land surpasses his care for the other residents of the town. Both Ann and Thomas Putnam are willing to destroy other families for their own benefit, and they succeed because the townspeople’s fear of witchcraft clouds their common sense that the accusers may have ulterior
Thomas Putnam has a very large part in initiating the Salem witch hunt. He is the first character who blames unnatural causes for the illness among the children. Furthermore, he firmly believes in the existence of 'vengeful spirits layin' hands on these children';(15). 'There is a murderous witch among us,'; he vehemently cries out(16). His action isn't surprising because he has lost seven newborns and his Ruth is sick. He wants to hunt down the witch, but he needs some aid. He lays his eyes on Parris because Parris is the minister and Betty is also ill. Thus, Putnam tries to coerce Parris to witchcraft. 'Declare it yourself,'; Putnam tells Parris, 'you have discovered witchcraft';(16). At this point, Putnam captures everyone's attention, and then he strikes.
Cruelty is actions leading to the pain or suffering of others, sometimes intended. Throughout society we use cruelty as our reaction to another’s mistake. Cruelty may also act as the source of these mistakes resulting in social, political and personal motivators to others to be cruel. In the movie, The Crucible cruelty acts as crucial social, political, and personal motivator. The antagonist Abigail Williams utilizes cruelty to hide her past faults. Abigail’s cruelty was stimulated by cruelty from John Proctor, the protagonists. Cruelty reveals more about the victims of her than Abigail herself. Cruelty is a continuous cycle that plays a key role in the movie’s overall message on reputations, power, and guilt.
Right when he finds them, Betty becomes sick and won't talk or open her eyes, about this time other people's daughters become sick too. Rumors spread that witch craft is involved in Betty's illness and the development of the plot begins. Important to the major development of the plot is the fact that in the forest, Abigail and the others were just playing like witches. But they were following Abigail because she wanted to try to put a curse on a lady named Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail was in love with Mrs. Proctor's husband, John Proctor, and she wanted to some how get rid of Elizabeth.
Abigail Williams the main character in The Crucible by Arthur Miller draws the interest of the reader as she is a wicked, confident girl who lies to get what she wants and defends her name and her life.
In every conflict there always seems to be at least one person to blame. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, many problems arise that deal with live and death. Many innocent people in this play were hanged during the Salem Witch Trials. Of course, there are many people that may be blamed. In The Crucible, one may find Abigail Williams, The Putnams, and Mary Warren to blame. Abigail was manipulative, The Putnams were very jealous, and Mary Warren was weak-willed.
Vengeance is the main theme of The Crucible. The people of the town of Salem were not united, but instead, distrusted and disliked each other. During the court trials, the girls started accusing certain people that they didn't like of dealing with witchcraft. For example, Abigail Williams couldn't forget John Proctor even though their affair was over. She believed that if his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, was out of the way, Abigail and John would be together again. Therefore, she told everyone that Elizabeth's spirit was trying to kill her and accused Elizabeth of being a witch.
The play, The Crucible, is a fireball of guilt, evil, and good compiled into one magnification. It is a play with tremendous feelings, with many inside twists hidden in the archives of the true story. It is a play with emotional feelings; feelings of anger, hate, and evil, yet also feelings of goodness, and pureness. Undeniably, The Crucible is a play illustrating good versus evil. The principal characters, Abigail Williams, John Proctor, Ann Putnam and Marry Warren all contain within them elements of good and evil.