During the Salem Witch Trials a lot of people were accused of using witchcraft. As a result many people died for other people’s lies, rumors, and selfishness. There is one person that really caused and is most to blame for all the chaos, her name is Abigail. Abigail is to blame for all that has happened in the Witch Trials, the reason for that is because of all the accusing and lying she has done. In addition, it all leads up to her for instance, she used a doll to accuse people of witchcraft.
In today’s society you are innocent until proven guilty. Could you imagine it being the other way around? Many people were wrongly accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. But who really started it all? Abigail Williams is most responsible for the witchcraft hysteria because she is a liar and often manipulated others in order to save herself from trouble.
In the play, Abigail Williams is shown as malicious young women, who could lie without any problems and consequences. Abigail decided for herself that she can make up the stories, accusing people of being witches, to cover
In a small village called Salem, witchcraft and sorcery exist, however everyone is pointing fingers but not a single soul knows who is actually to blame for this nonsense. During this time period of hysteria, there are multiple scenes that are very questionable due to one person and one person only. Abigail is the one most responsible for the hysteria and witchcraft in Salem. She threatens the group of girls that accompanied her in the woods while they all danced. She has also lied about many things on multiple occasions in which causes an extreme amount of suspicion.
Abigail first commits adultery with Elizabeth Proctor’s husband John Proctor. Later on, she accuses people of doing witchcraft which causes their life. Abigail Williams uses the Salem Witch Trials to put out all the resentment she has towards everyone. From this broad accusation, it shows how weak the human beings really are, and how greediness and to want for personal gaining. Many people die in the village after a series of lies and unjust practices.
Abigail Williams and her friends were caught dancing in the forest, and words of witchcraft began to go around. In order to save themselves, they went around and falsely accused nineteen men and women of making deals with the devil and practicing witchcraft. In some instances, accusations were made on behalf of fear. The girls feared what would become of them, or what could happen to them. Abigail, in a sense, was their "leader", and anything she began to say or do, the other girls would follow along.
Abigail Williams, Deputy Governor Danforth , and Thomas Putnam are responsible for the people, who were wrongly convicted and hanged. These three characters were either looking for vengeance, looking for land, or too dimwitted to realize they were being conned. Hatred was walking in salem and people took their chances accusing their witnesses of being witches to get what they wanted. Abigail Williams was a teenage girl, who reeked vengeance on Elizabeth Proctor.
Abigail Williams is at fault for the deaths of many innocent people during the Salem witch trials. Abigail is at fault for the death of many innocent people. In
But the mainly because everyone thinks she is a witch. Due to the women in the court room continuously repeating it with details to support, making everybody believe Mary warren is a witch. Mary was the one caught in the dancing in the forest and being accused of witch craft. When Mary was in court she admitted she was witch craft but, also made everyone to think it was an act. In act 2 page 80 Mary Warren is pressured by Proctor to go to court and confess that Abigail is guilty.
Her manipulations were powerful enough to brainwash a crowd, leading others to believe everything she said. Her clever assumptions deceived the girls of Salem into mimicking Mary Warren's words (Act 3, Line 471, HMH). Mary, a frightened young girl, was one of the many accused women in Massachusetts. Abigail portrayed Mary’s character as one who participates in witchcraft, which allowed her to lead others into her trap: believing that Mary Warren is a witch. This has resulted in an act of peer pressure, causing a chain reaction in the community.
The girls followed Abigail’s every command in making the witch trials. Spirits are spoken about when one of the girls claims a person is not a human,but a witch. Deceit Abigail misleading the people of Salem into believing witches are among them. Nobody questions whoever is claimed a witch because they think her words are truth.
Abigail and a group of girls went to court and blame 200 people. Abigail went to court, and told them that Elizabeth Proctor was practicing witchcraft, and got her arrested. When John Proctor went to court, the girls pretended that he was the devil. Giles tries to explain to the court how Abigail is pure evil, and trying to get revenge: “Aye, how she is solemn and goes to hang people!” (3.1.875).
Due to the actions following, Abigail realized she had gained a voice in society and she, along with a group of three other girls, began accusing multitudes of others during the fifteen month time span. Several innocent people were hanged in Salem village, all because four young girls had caught wind of power. Due to the social structure of Salem, Massachusetts, the witch trial hysteria thrust into action. The social structure is to blame for the witch hysteria ever occurring in Salem because if the girls had not been so attention starved, due to lack of power, then they would have never thought to even begin
Abigail forces the girls of Salem to dance in the woods with her to help conjure spirits and make the charm to kill Goody Proctor. Abigail threatens the girls right after Betty took fright by saying, “let either of you breathe a word or the edge of a word about the other things and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.” (Miller, 144). Later on as the trials prolong Mary Warren turns on Abby and is telling the court that she lied. When Abigail then accuses Mary of witchcraft she turns back to Abby and obeys her once again.
Abigail says “I look for John proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their conceived men! And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I will not, I cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, You love me yet!
