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May it please the court, counsel, members of the jury; this is a case of conspiracy of the murder of Elizabeth Proctor. In the spring of the year 1692, Abigail Williams was accused of plotting the murder of Elizabeth Proctor. The significance of this pursuit is to substantiate to the people beyond a doubt that Abigail Williams is guilty of conspiring to murder Elizabeth Proctor. I am confident that the evidence I will present will indeed authenticate the criminal accusations against Abigail Williams and shall make it clear that she is guilty of all charges brought against her. This conspiracy was an ongoing event that occurred during the spring of 1692. Take notice that this also occurred during the witchcraft derangement. The location was …show more content…
in Salem, Massachusetts. Abigail Williams was a young girl troubled by her parents’ murder.
She became intimately involved with John Proctor in an illegal love affair while employed as a servant girl in the family home of John and his wife Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail was willing to go to great measures to carry on her very intense relationship with Mr. Proctor. Once John Proctor informs Abigail that he no longer wants to be in a relationship with her, she becomes desperate. Abigail insisted that John Proctor still loved her, and I quote “ You loved me John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet.” As a means of self-preservation she was willing to sacrifice others, as well as falsely accusing many. Abigail was the leader of the girls who blamed witchcraft for their behavior. Abigail Williams and the group of girls go out dancing in the forest with Tituba, a black slave. They were then caught by Reverend Parris and his daughter Betty fell into a coma. Later on, a crowd shows up at Parris’ home and began spreading rumors of witchcraft. Reverend Parris wanted to put a stop to these rumors so he got an expert on witchcraft and began questioning Abigail Williams, who says the only thing that happened in the forest was dancing. Awhile later, Tituba confesses to communicating with the devil, leading Abigail to join her. Reminding you that when she was questioned she said they only …show more content…
danced. Being possessed by another’s spirit was a perfect advantage for Abigail to get her revenge on Elizabeth Proctor.
Not only was Elizabeth John Proctor's wife, but she also fired Abigail after learning of Abigail’s affair with her husband. Abigail was unapologetic about having an affair with a married man and it’s clear why she would be resentful of Elizabeth, as she was a barrier between Abigail and John’s relationship. Abigail desired to get revenge on Elizabeth due to her jealousy of her. In addition, Elizabeth had been going around town making comments on how Abigail was repulsive. At one point we can assume that Abigail was going to break and want Elizabeth dead. To support this claim, Elizabeth was speaking to her husband and said the following “I am no Goody Good that sleeps in ditches, nor Osburn, drunk and half-witted. She’d dare not call out such a farmer’s wife but there be monstrous profit in it. She thinks to take my place, John.”Abigail used her manipulation skills in hopes of bringing on Elizabeth’s demise by framing her for witchcraft. She plotted a poppet and needle, from a young girl who was involved in the witchcraft as well, into the Proctor's house after she poked herself with a needle and claimed Elizabeth’s spirits told her to do so. Danforth had questioned Abigail and Mary and said “ A poppet were discovered in Mr. Proctor's home, stabbed by a needle. Mary Warren claims that you sat beside her in the court when she made it, and that you saw her make it,
and witnessed how she herself stuck her needle into it for safe-keeping. What do you say to that?” Mary declared that Abigail was aware that the poppet was hers and not Elizabeth’s. Elizabeth Proctor was a good citizen and was true towards her family, husband and God. She is loyal and has much pride for her husband which is the reason why she hasn’t abandoned him when she heard about the affair. Yes, she may have been cold and unkind but we can not forget that her life seemed perfect until Abigail stepped in. The following defendant, Abigail Williams has committed several crimes. The evidence I have provided backs up the conspiracy to commit murder, lechery, perjury, and false accusations that were made in the spring of 1692. In conclusion of this trial, I ask that you find this defendant Abigail Williams guilty of the committed crimes.
When faced with all the false accusations, she also exhibited grace, good judgment, and dignified behavior. Her case involves a love triangle between her, Abigail Williams and John Proctor. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes where you are forced to face both your internal dilemma of whether to forgive your husband and an external one. The jealousy and wickedness of a young girl who used to be Elizabeth’s husband’s mistress is the main reason why she is accused and charged. Abigail Williams childishly refuses to accept the truth when she was rejected by John Proctor. She plotted against his wife, Elizabeth, in a desperate attempt to take her husband and also, her place in the society as a mistress of a prospering home. Elizabeth Proctor bravely replies, “I cannot think the Devil may own a woman's soul, Mr. Hale, when she keeps an upright way as I have. I am a good woman, I know it; and if you believe I may do only good work in the world, and yet be secretly bound to Satan, then I must tell you I do not believe it.” when questioned by Reverend Hale. Furthermore, she exhibits a much greater strength and courage than her husband, despite her gentle and meek appearance. Elizabeth is the one who is not afraid to speak her mind openly and plainly and is not afraid to stand up to the judges. At one point she inspired her husband to act in a similar way when she openly challenged the doctrine. Elizabeth was the
Abigail Williams did what she did so her and her friends could harvest attention from the people of Salem. Judge Danforth was ignorant of the fact that verbal evidence is very unreliable just because he wanted to be correct about every decision in the trials. Thomas Putnam accuses several people in Salem of personal gain of land and money. Many people were charged as guilty but in reality they were innocent, the only people who were actually guilty are Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Thomas Putnam.
Elizabeth Proctor is being judged unfairly in the book The Crucible. She's being treated unfair while at her home, because she is being blamed for witchcraft. Abigail williams had accused her of being a witch, because she wants her out the picture, so she being with John Proctor. She is also being accused of stabbing Abigail with a needle with her spirits while Abigail was eating dinner at her house with Rev. Parris, & Gov. Danforth, and Judge Hathorne. Abigail had gotten stabbed in stomach two inches deep, and when Ezekiel Cheever and Marshal Herrick showed up at the Proctor house they had a warrant for Elizabeth. While Cheever and Herrick were at the Proctor house, Cheever had asked for any poppets she may have, and she says that she hasn'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 Proctor had kicked her out of their home because Elizabeth knew of the affair that was going on between Abigail and John. This tarnished her reputation, and for that, Abigail wanted to get revenge on Elizabeth Proctor. “She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her!”
Firstly, when Abigail Williams panics and blames Tituba, the other girls involved in the woods follow by shouting out names of various townspeople. These people are then arrested and put on trial, with their accusers present. Some refuse to confess to witchcraft, bravely more concerned with how they view themselves rather than how the world does. Also, Abigail and her group resort to becoming possessed and tormented by a demon sent by the person who will not admit, forcing some to a point where they do end up lying and saying that they did traffick with the Devil. In one instance, Abigail claims to have been stabbed when Mary-Warren stuck a needle in the poppet she made, and Mary is helpless when it comes to defending herself. Hale states, “Abigail were stabbed tonight; a needle were found stuck into her belly” (Miller 72). Whether life-saving or life-threatening, lie after lie is told, causing the situation to become increasingly more ridiculous, yet deadly, because lives are being whisked away based on fraudulence. For example, in court, John Proctor attempts to prove that Abigail is lying about everything. He does so by revealing that he was sexually intimate with her in the past. The court does not feel he can prove this, so they call in Elizabeth, his wife, to vouch for him. John says, “In her life, sir, she have never lied...my wife
When we are first introduced to John Proctor, we learn of his affair with Abigail Williams, Abigail's involvement in the accusations of witchcraft, and of John's desire to do what is honorable. Because of John's desire to do what is honorable, he ends the affair with Abigail and begins to attempt to repair his broken marriage. Abigail's jealously of Elizabeth and desire to be John's wife leads to Elizabeth's name being mentioned in court. Abigail's mention of Elizabeth's name in court reveals her attempt to get rid of Elizabeth for she knows Elizabeth will claim innocence and be hung if she does. When word reaches the Proctors, about Abigail's mentioning of Elizabeth's name in court, John concludes that Abigail's motive is to kill Elizabeth. Knowing this information, John is faced with his first difficult decision, save his reputation, keep his affair a secret, and let the accusations continue, or ruin his reputation, tell of his affair, and end the girls' accusations. Not wanting to ruin his good name, John decides to hold his tongue and because of this the trials continue and more accusations are made, some of which lead to his wife's and his friends arrest for witchcraft and bewitchment.
Abigail’s jealousy turned to anger once John Proctor ended things with her, previous months ago. When all of the younger girls were dancing in the woods, Abigail drank blood in hopes that the witchcraft would make something happen to Elizabeth Proctor. She wanted Elizzabeth gone and would do anything to get her out of the way; even accusing innocents
Not only does Abigail Williams accuse the town of Salem to be full of witches, but also accuses Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch. Abigail has everyone in fear of being accused of witchcraft since she has the power over the town of Salem. For instance, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of being a witch: “She wants me dead. I knew all week it would come to this!...and what of tomorrow? She will cry me out until they take me!” (Miller 1274). It did not surprise Elizabeth that Abigail accused her of being a witch after Elizabeth fired her seven months prier for committing adultery with her husband John. Abigail will go to any extent to have John Proctor to her self. Abigail rules Elizabeth as well as the town of Salem since no one can prove her wrong.
Abigail Williams is one of the women who participated in the witchcraft trials. Her reason behind participating in the witchcraft is because she wanted Elizabeth Proctor to be gone, so that she could have John Proctor to herself. This led to the
The only thing Abigail could think about was how to get back at Elizabeth Proctor. She wanted John as her husband and wanted Elizabeth dead. Abigail got her opportunity soon enough. One night, Abigail was caught dancing naked in the woods with Tituba chanting strange songs in her native language around a pot over a fire. She was brought to court to be confronted about it. When the court began to suggest that Abigail was a witch, she panicked and accused Tituba of being a witch and of controlling her. When Abigail saw that the court believed her, she began to accuse others of witchcraft, including Elizabeth Proctor. There is other evidence showing that Abigail is vengeful though. One quote that demonstrates this is when Abigail is speaking with John and she says, “She is a cold, sniveling woman!” This shows the actual hatred she has for Elizabeth. Another quote is when Mary Warren came over to the Proctor’s house after being in the court with Abigail all day and she told them that people were being accused of being witches. Mary Warren said, “Somewhat mentioned” when John asked if Elizabeth had been accused. It is clearly obvious at this point that Abigail is trying to get Elizabeth Proctor killed as revenge. This shows us that Abigail will stop at nothing to get her revenge on Elizabeth Proctor for kicking her out, not to mention that Abigail wants John Proctor to be her husband. So
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.
Ultimately, all family members of the Proctor family were accused of witchcraft. Elizabeth was in fact pregnant, in
Following Doctor Grigg’s visit at the home, Betty Parris awakened and revealed that while in the woods, Abigail drank blood from the chicken they had “sacraficed” in order to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor in which she envied due to her affair with John Proctor. Abigail then threatened Betty Parris to, and I quote “shut it”, after she had proclaimed the truth. Williams then accused Mr.Parris’ slave Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osbourne, of holding supernatural powers attributed to witches. Williams accused these women of bewitching her and being the cause of her
John Proctor faces many decisions in response to his moral dilemma to try to save his life. One of the difficult decisions John makes is to reveal that he had an affair with Abigail Williams and thereby has committed adultery. If the local court convicts him of this crime, he faces being jailed. Also by admitting this crime, John reveals a weakness in his character. This flaw in his personality will make it harder for him to stand up in the community as an honorable and believable person. In trying to convince others that witchcraft does not exist John’s dishonesty with his wife will make him less convincing to the community.