Abigail Williams Character Analysis

Abigail Williams is a very cruel and bitter young lady, however, she has the largest impact in the play with all of the lies she tells convicting innocent people to be witches which cost them their lives. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller is set in Salem and is based on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. As one of the main characters, Abigail is the most misread person in the play because all of the lies she tells make it seem like she is telling the truth. Abigail is a victim of her strict Puritan society; witnessing the death of her parents, living under her uncle’s roof, and hoping for a life with John Proctor can all contribute to making her into the character she becomes. In the play, Abigail is a seventeen year old orphan who has worked for the Proctors, she lives with her uncle Reverend Parris, she is manipulative and very selfish. The actions she

In order to save herself, she accuses the innocent and is responsible for nineteen people’s death. Every action she does is against Elizabeth, one being what she did with the poppet. In this scene, Cheever says “The girl, the Williams girl, Abigail Williams, sir. She sat to dinner in Reverend Parris’ house tonight, and without a word nor warnin’ she falls to the floor.” (1306) It is clear that Abigail has watched Mary stick the needle in the poppet, knowing that the doll was in Elizabeth’s house.This action brings an uproar in the play. John wants Mary to tell the truth but she tells him that if she does, Abigail will tell about their sexual encounters. The reasons for John and Abigail 's affair are not definite, but this quote gives clues “Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be.” (1270) Elizabeth has been sick for a while because she is a mother of two children that are not far apart age wise. This makes John feel helpless and lonely, and with Abigail being a servant for them, she accompanies him without Elizabeth