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Wrongful Convictions Of Abigail Williams In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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Throughout the Crucible we saw the true colors of some of these so called saints. People everyone thought was Holy and pure were the biggest liars and evilest humans. So how can you describe someone as evil and a liar? An evil person can be described as someone who is wicked or immoral, and morally wrong or bad; a liar can be thought of as someone who tells lies. I don’t personally think there is just one person responsible for the wrongful convictions during the salem witch trials. One main factor to the wrongful convictions of course would be Abigail Williams, she was the headmaster. The next person I would put blame on would be Judge Danforth, his stupidity continued persecution. Lastly, I would blame the Proctor’s for this for originating …show more content…

I blame John for starting this whole ordeal. He would have been faithful to his wife and not have had the affair with Abigail, none of this would have even started. If he would have remembered all of his commandments and stayed faithful to his ill wife at the time, Abigail would have either been obsessed with another man or her love for him would have never gotten this far. Act 4 lines 481-485, John states “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. My honesty is broke elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before”. The statement from John is saying how he knows he’s not a good man for having his affair and he takes blame for this starting, and now he gives his life for it. Also, I blame Elizabeth, if she would have just spoken the truth in court then Abigail's entire scheme would have been gone. If she has been telling the truth all her life, why couldn’t she about her husband. Even though she felt guilty from her husband's affair, she should have told the truth and exposed Abigail. Now Judge Danforth will of course believe Elizabeth and Abigail continued to get people executed for no reason. In Act 3 lines 891-894, John Proctor says, “In her life sir (Elizabeth), she have never lied. There are them that cannot sing, and them that cannot weep-- my wife cannot lie. I have paid too much to learn it, sir.” So of course Danforth will believe Elizabeth when she says there was no affair and John’s claim of the affair with Abigail is thought to be

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967 Words | 4 Pages

Likewise, when Elizabeth is brought before Danforth to verify Proctor’s confession, she lies to protect her husband, whom she refers to as a “goodly man,” from suspicion (Miller, 113). The affair may have caused Elizabeth to doubt Proctor but both parties still care deeply for each other and try to protect each other from harm. Even in his last moments, Proctor’s last words- “Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!”- were directed toward Elizabeth and were full of love and care (Miller, 144). Proctor may have sinned but his regret over his affair with Abigail and the trouble he had brought upon his wife justifies his

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During the late 1600’s tragic events took place in a town called Salem. A few girls fell ill, falling victim to hallucinations and seizures, which caused Salem a religious town to start thinking someone was casting spells. “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, was created because of the witch trials and the effects it had on the colony. There were lots of men and women accused of this "witchcraft"; however, less than 20 were hung. Although the town of Salem embraced these trials as a template for their envy and hate, one young woman; Abigail Williams, who is the ringleader of it all.

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Have you ever blamed your younger sibling for something you did just so you would not get in trouble? That is what Abigail Williams did in The Crucible, yet she blamed the townspeople of Salem, Massachusetts resulting in a massive witchcraft hysteria. The witchcraft hysteria was a tremendous outbreak of multiple irrelevant trials causing 20 people to get hung. All these deaths and trials were all caused by one girl, Abigail Williams. I think Abigail Williams is responsible for the witchcraft hysteria because she lied about getting stabbed with a needle and she blamed everybody else for being a witch but herself.

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The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1952. The play is also an allegory to McCarthyism, which was occurring when the play was written. In the most simplistic way the play was about the Salem Witchcraft Trials. These trials caused a mass hysteria throughout Massachusetts. Abigail Williams plays a main role by manipulating others into killing the innocent because of her accusations of witchcraft.

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In The Crucible, there could be many suspects to blame for the innocent deaths that happened in Salem. Proctor could be blamed for the innocent deaths because he lied about his affair with Abigail. Speaking of Abigail... in my opinion Abigail Williams is the one to blame for the innocent deaths because of the lies she told, the accusations she made, and the affair she had with John Proctor. Abigail Williams told many, many lies in The Crucible. The reason the witch trials began in the first place was because of the lie she told about being in the woods.

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However, this is inaccurate because he avoids Abigail and risks everything for his wife. Elizabeth was taken by the court because she was accused for being a witch, but John knows she is a good women and fights for her. Elizabeth is worth the trouble of going to the court and defying the government. It is honorable for a husband to protect his wife after all they are family. John is talking to the court and tell the court a secret that no one knows about, John’s reputation is on the line.

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Also, in attempt to tell the truth about Abigail, John Proctor admits to cheating on his wife with Abigail, but Elizabeth lets her fear assist her in lying. John Proctor tells everyone in the court, previous to Elizabeth arriving, “she [has] never lied” (III.891.). With everyone now knowing that she does not lie, it makes her trustworthy and believable. Deputy Danforth then brings Elizabeth in to confirm what

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“We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” A quote from john Proctor in Act II stating how the accusations and hysteria of witchcraft has taken over the town. The accusations set on citizens from the girls have caused an uproar in the society and many citizens were either afraid of the devil or that the people themselves would have accusations set upon them. Suspicions of witchcraft were being used as evidence of whether or not the accused was hanged.

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Not only did she lie to her uncle to protect herself from getting in trouble, she also lies in the court which is a serious offense. Later in Act III when John Proctor attempts to expose Abigail Williams as a liar he admits to the court officials that he and Abigail have had relations in the past. Judge Danforth asks Abigail: “You deny every scrap and title of this?” and Abigail replies, “If I must answer that, I will leave and I will not come back again” (103)! The way Abigail replies to what John Proctor reveals about their affair is very suspicious.

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Nicole Schaefer Mr. Becker American Literature October 29, 2014 Two Women for Two Different Worlds In the novel the crucible, Elizabeth, wife of John Proctor, and Abigail Williams, mistress of John Proctor are two main roles. Elizabeth, a woman who is loyal and true, or manipulative and ruthless liar, Abigail. She pretends to see spirits and commands the other girls to pretend as well.

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He explains to the court that Abigail is involved with his crime, adultery. He admits to Danforth that he had an affair with Abigail during his marriage with Elizabeth. Although he confessed, he wasn’t straightforward when he did but sadly Danforth knew exactly what he meant. John yells, “It is a whore! – I have known her sir, I have known her” (110).

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John could have used this opportunity to get revenge on Abigail. Instead he makes the honorable decision to personally redeem himself from his previous mistakes. Earlier in the play he claimed that Mary and the girls were “God damn all liars” (Miller 117). This quote demonstrates John judging people for their sins, which is exactly what he claimed he does not do. It shows a dramatic change in his character, a change in personal

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Abigail Williams was the main cause of Salem witch trials because Abigail was the first person to start accusing innocent people of witchcraft. Due to young Abigail actions, 20 innocent people took the calling of death for her actions. how many People do you know willing to lie and cheat the rules to get anything they want .? The fact that twenty people died all because of Abigail craving attention and wanting her own personal gain from accusing others of having spoken with the devil or witchery is insane. I blame Abigail for anything that has happened during the witch trials of Salem.

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Her lie then backfires; she tells the court that John never had any relations with Abigail after John had already confessed to his sin. She takes blame for the affair when she tells the court “... But in my sickness... I were a long time sick... I thought I saw my husband somewhat turning from me...”

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Although Elizabeth was not the best wife at some moments, she loved her husband so much that she lied for him. When questioned by Danforth if Proctor committed lechery she said faintly “No, sir” (Miller 113). Elizabeth lies for the first time to save her husband because she is loving and cares about him. Although Elizabeth is not truthful, she protects her values by doing what she feels is right for her husband. Abigail is revengeful throughout the play at Elizabeth.

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