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Abigail Williams In The Crucible

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People, at their core, have always been self-gratifying and unprincipled. The 1953 play The Crucible by Arthur Miller excellently portrays this by depicting a situation where fear is able to control a population that is then compelled to sin and invoke hysteria. It is a play in which the witch trials are taking place in Salem, Massachusetts. All the girls in the village snuck out to the forest where, with the help of an African slave woman named Tituba, they made a potion which supposedly gave each of them the man they loved. One of these girls however, Abigail Williams, was in love with a married man, John Proctor, and consequently swore death upon his wife. Rumors of witchcraft then begin to spread throughout the town which subsequently target …show more content…

This is portrayed in the relationship between John Proctor and Abigail Williams. Shortly after Proctor enters a room alone with Abigail, she says, "'Give me a word, John. A soft word.' Her concentrated desire destroys his smile" (I, 22). By asking for a "soft word," Abigail intends to persuade Proctor to make an advancement on her, but he rejects her. Since her want for him was not fulfilled, she will have to make another attempt at him, opening possibilities to committing additional sins and consequently substantiating a witch hunt. John Proctor though, did not only commit lust, but was lecherous with Abigail, yet since then has tried to renounce his feelings for her. She makes an attempt to make Proctor's previous affection resurface by saying, "I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near” (28)! By proving that Proctor is indeed held accountable for the committing of lust, he opens a gateway of sins for Abigail to commit in her futile attempts to win him back. His subsequent attitude towards her only fuels that fire and makes her even more determine. Proctor's attitude is portrayed here, when he tells Abigail, “Gently pressing her from him, with great sympathy but firmly: 'Child-' ABIGAIL: With a flash of anger: 'How dare do you call me child'” (I, 23)! Abigail senses the cold indifference coming from Proctor and

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Angered by this, Proctor physically attacks Abigail and denounces her as a whore, and has to back up what he says with evidence. Overcome with emotion, and distraught of how far he allowed the court’s corruption to continue, he confesses to having an affair with Abigail and her plot to trying to rid of Elizabeth in hopes of replacing her. By telling the truth, John shows growth in his character, as he accepts that his good name must be ruined to protect innocent victims, ““I have made a bell in my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name – and you will believe me. Mr. Danforth” (page 116)!

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Abigail is consumed by the idea that John Proctor loves her. She considers that John’s kind actions towards her are more than just lust. Her acknowledgement that it would be a sin for him to love another woman besides his wife reveals that she believes that John Proctor has such deep feelings for her, which are undeniable no matter how wrong it may be. Though Abigail appears to be caught up in her idea of their forbidden love, her romanticized obsession is not enough to prove that her actions are completely motivated by her obsession of

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This strong revelation perfectly labels Abigail as a vindictive and immoral woman, immediately highlighting Elizabeth’s fondness. Thus, Proctor’s regret is what assures the reader that Elizabeth is his true love. While Abigail’s entire life revolves around sin and treachery, Proctor praises the fact that his wife’s way of being is completely transparent. He says, “In her life, sir, she have never lied. There are them that cannot sing, and them that cannot weep- my wife cannot lie”(103).

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Despite how tense their relationship has been after Elizabeth found out about the affair, Proctor and Elizabeth still hold strong mutual feelings for each other. When Hale came to arrest Elizabeth under the charge that she had assaulted Abigail through the poppet that Mary had brought home with her, Proctor defended her vigorously by declaring the statement: “I will not give my wife to vengeance!” (Miller, 77). The vengeance that Proctor refers to in this statement is Abigail and her determination to replace Elizabeth as Proctor’s lover. This statement is evidence that Proctor is trying to protect Elizabeth from Abigail’s clutches and prove that he is loyal to his wife.

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The contention between the characters have intensified as the argument escalates, and Proctor's failure at pinning the blame on Abigail has frustrated him. When Abigail begins another self righteous fit of possession and calls upon Heaven, Proctor can no longer stand her hypocrisy. He cries out in a “roaring voice” “breathless and in agony: It is a whore!” (Miller 109, 110).

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This quote is an example of John Proctor threatening Abigail to get the outcome that he desires, the one that is best for him. He doesn't seem to care what the consequences for her are, he just wants to get himself and the people he cares about of the hook. It is a very selfish way to solve his problems. A great example of how selfish John Proctor is, it shows that he doesn't want himself getting caught with Abigail so he has to end things with her with very harsh language and a not so soft approach. He doesn't care if Abigail still has feelings and cant get over him, he only cares that he is not caught and thought of as a the bad and dishonorable man as he is.

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The Crucible by Arthur Miller was based on the horrors of the Salem witch trials of 1912. Arthur Miller tells of a girl named Abigail Williams, who started the accusation of witchcraft. Abigail gets many girls in Salem Massachusetts to lie about witchcraft for her own little game. Then towards the end of the story everyone realizes they let her fool them. Arthur Miller focuses on Abigail and two other main characters in the Crucible.

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In this case Abigail had an affair with John proctor, and later rejected by him. Some of you may know what rejection feels like, rejection is never a good feeling. Rejection has three emotions all followed by one another. Rejection causes you to be upset, but then leads to anger and consequently leads to revenger.

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Abigail, in tears, “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 covenanted 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!”

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John Proctor’s words towards Elizabeth signal irritation and annoyance. John Proctor, the main character of The Crucible, has an affair with a much younger girl, Abigail Williams, breaking his wife, Elizabeth’s trust in him. Her suspicion of him rises when he tells her he was in a room alone with Abigail. Elizabeth’s growing mistrust begins to aggravate John, which is revealed when he says, “I’ll not have your suspicion any more” (489). Elizabeth is doubtful after learning about John’s affair with Abigail and her lack of trust in her husband begins to anger him.

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825 Words | 4 Pages

Afterwards, she was willing to destroy anyone in the way of her getting to be with him. Proctor definitely wishes he had never laid with Abigail, and everyone else was paying for his mistake, as she ruined everyone’s lives, “I have known her, sir. I have known her.” (Act III, 378). A single lie snowballed, leaving death and terror in its wake, all because Abigail could not, and likely did not want to control herself.

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Abigail 's heartless attitude is shown in act two when she frames and accuses Elizabeth Proctor for witchcraft. She desired and longed for this revenge on poor Proctors innocent wife, aiming for her through out the play. Later on in Act Three she seems to lose her last attachment of society by destroying John Proctor, who she claims to love with all her heart. When John attempts and threatens to expose Abigail’s wrong doings, she skillfully manages to turn the whole problem around on him, sending him off

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Proctor’s guilt is present when he, attempts to pay for his sins by giving his wife materialistic objects, hesitates to obey his wife's suggestion to accuse Abigail of false bewitchment, and breaks out in anger for not wanting to be judged any longer. The romantic relationship between the Proctor’s is undoubtedly extinguished, but even casual engagement cannot exist without tension since everything John Proctor says to Elizabeth is a symbol of repentance. He offers Elizabeth the possession of a cow and expresses “with a grin” that all he

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1789 Words | 8 Pages

Proctor then states that there was never a relationship to begin with and she should let go of her hopes. Abigail yells in tears at Proctor stating that he has loved her and convinced her that they were in love. She also states that it is impossible to give up her love for him and that she will accept Proctor no matter what sin he commits. This scene from The Crucible reveals how the characters judge one another by their past relationships and interactions to bring out the quality of arrogance. In the beginning of the scene, Abigail moves closer and compliments Proctor because she has a desire to be with him.

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