By making this choice, Abigail sets herself on a high pedestal as a poor victimized girl and brings Mary down by accusing her of witchcraft. All want to gain power as the play goes on. Abigail even admits that she has a heat [for John] and looks for the John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart (Miller 24). Abigail is a master manipulator if she hadnt lied about the girls playing around as witchcraft to try and kill goody proctor the trials never would have proceeded., Abigail acts as a ringleader, encouraging the other girls to sin. When Abigail is being questioned in the courtroom by, One of the biggest conflicts in the story was between Abigail Williams and her love for John Proctor and her witchcraft. In The Crucible, how is Abigail Williams powerful over the other girls She accuses Elizabeth Proctor out of lust and greed to take her place as partner of John Proctor. Home Flashcards Create Flashcards Essays She went far enough to threaten innocent peoples life just to get her way. At this point Abigail can do no more she knows that she will lose. For example, Abigail went from being powerless to using the witch trials to become empowered. Her values were in Proctor, in getting what she wanted, and in power. I saw Bridget Bishop with the devil! (Miller, 1996, p.25) These are some of the false accusations that Abigail yells after Tituba confesses. The Crucible Act 3 Summary & Analysis | SparkNotes I saw goody Osburn with the devil! Abigial feels that if she is accused (though she is not the one accusing her) then the town will turn against her and she will have John all to herself. He claims to have evidence to back up this assertion. For, if one only used that one moment to judge the characteristics of another, then he or she would most likely misjudge how that person truly is. For example, in the courtroom, Abigail started to shout that something was possessing her and that she saw numerous people with the devil. Differences between the Crucible Movie and the Play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller: how Abigail Williams Abused her Power, Othello and Desdemonas Relationship: an Analysis of Racial Influences, Similarities and Difference the Crucible Play and Movie, John Proctors Pride in the Play the Crucible. In this play there were many people who were initially powerless such as; Abigail, Tituba, and all of the women and men accused. His lust for Abigail Williams led to their affair (which occurs before the play begins), and created Abigail's jealousy of . Abigail was incredibly faithful in her words, her actions, and in her demonstration of love for the servants. Due to her mistakes, even her beloved John Proctor was now sentenced to be hanged. Even though not all puritans were bad Christians, those who broke the puritan beliefs were. Abigails motivations never seemed more complex then simple jealousy and a desire to take revenge on Elizabeth Proctor (John Proctors wife), who fired Abigail as a maid from their home after she discovered that Abigail and her husband (John) were having an affair. If a woman was not married, they were allowed to work as a maid. Some people take what is given to them and use it to make an positive impact, and other abuse it. How Does Abigail Gain Power In The Crucible - 678 Words | Cram When Mary Warren lets her conscience get to her, and nearly confesses that the accusatory acts are fraudery, Abigail accuses her of witchcraft and manipulates and bullies Mary into obeying, In the film, there are a group of young girls that follow Abigails moves. (ABIGAIL: mark this. All Abigail has to do is accuse someone of performing witchcraft, and the accused will be tried and later on executed at the, In the book, The Crucible, Abigail Williams and her childish friends take advantage of the situation in their hometown of Salem, Massachusetts. Throughout this play. She must be ripped out of the world (Act Two Line 860-861)! From this little lie at the time, it caused a massive fear and hysteria throughout the town. The fact that she has the ability to conceal her real motives and feelings gave her an advantage which she abused in order to achieve her sole purpose. 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. Make sure your essay is plagiarism-free or hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs. Abigail brings the other girls into the court, and where she walks the crowd will part like the sea for Israel. Her power to change others minds and opinions show that she started the witchcraft hysteria. 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. During the Salem witch trials over two hundred people were accused of witchcraft and twenty were executed. Do people in the play not care about the consequences other people face because of their actions? A wind, a cold wind, has come. Further on into the play, we see Abigail changing her feelings. Essay, Given that Abigail and Johns affair ended poorly with Abigail fired from her job due to Elizabeth, Abigail not only lusts for John, but also looks to seek revenge on his wife, Elizabeth. Keeping up her status is important to her, and she will lie and manipulate to make sure things go as she wants them to. This is a Puritan village so people that do this are not labeled eccentric; they are labeled witches and killed. Instead she shifts the focus from herself by accusing others of witchcraft. This cockiness was another reason she was so confident in her own jealousy of Elizabeth., Abigail is a wicked woman; she blames innocent puritans for having affiliations with the devil with no physical evidence to make, She sends her spirit on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayer. (Arthur Millers The Crucible), by doing this, Abigail completely twists the outcome of what will happen in the courtroom. This play is based on the Salem witch trials in the early 1690s. When John Proctor tells the truth about Abigail, she gets the another girl to pretend that he is "witching " them. In abnormal times or times of hysteria, one can easily be tempted to seek out a scapegoat, and if a sensible place of blame is not found, a somewhat ridiculous idea can be resurrected. Abigail proceeds to manipulate Salem's authority figures by fainting in court and acting as if spirits were attacking her during the proceedings. The girls, especially Abigail Williams, have been powerless before they make their accusations. They have a religious advantage that allows them to stay safe from the accusations. Proctor: (turning, appealing to Hale): Mr Hale! Who Was Abigail in the Bible? Lessons from Her Story - Christianity In the story Abigail is introduced on page 8 as a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, and with an endless capacity for dissembling. It is ironic how alluring and appealing her appearance was, yet, her personality was evil and twisted. She also lies and cheats her way out of punishment, and is willing to do most anything to get her way. Such explicit evidence could not be doubted nor questioned so Abigail took this opportunity to seek revenge on Elizabeth; the woman whom she despised for being the wife of her ex-lover John Proctor, and since Elizabeth had discharged Abigail from their home after the affair was exposed, Abigail was extremely motivated to get vengeance. In the play, the characters motivations and inner processes are explored. In act one on page 25 she says, There be no blush about my name[Elizabeth Proctor] hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. She was an orphan and had no power, no money . Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. As stated in Act 1 Abigail tells the girls that "I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you" because the girls are scared of witchcraft and wants to admit to dancing and conjuring. She is an magnificent liar and tends to get others in trouble to save herself from getting caught. She uses the power she possesses wrong. Hale holding so much power isn 't really that good of a thing. Abigail Williams was not the nicest of them all, but sometimes it seemed like she truly cared. For example, Abigail was at a disadvantage because she was a servant. Abigails jealousy for caused a problem in the Proctors family, Sinner to Saint: Is Abigail truly malicious or is she simply misrepresented? There are them that will swear to anything before theyll hang; have you never thought of that?, In conclusion, power changes people and shows their true colors. Abigail and her friends are caught dancing naked in the forest with animal blood and a cauldren. She lied to people, manipulated a poor group of girls, and tried everything she could to ruin a marriage. Abigail took full advantage of the situation which was occurring in Salem by accusing Elizabeth Proctor of witch craft; hoping to have her sent to jail or even killed. show that she values power over justice? 2). In doing what she does, she hurts many people but helps herself not get in trouble. It is for this reason that Abigail begins to manipulate the truth and abuse her power. One by one, the people accused were sentenced to hang. Power can change a persons whole life perspective. Another act of Abigails selfishness, is when she tells the group of girls that, 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, 1137). . Abigail is not a good character because she wanted John Proctor and she did all that she can to make him love her again. While a servant in John Proctor 's household, Abigail briefly became John's lover before Elizabeth found out and fired her. The Salem Witch Trials are a product of theocratic repression that spawned an ideology in which if something wasnt good, it was automatically evil. She doesn't start out with power, she isn't handed power, she simply fights for it in a smart way. In this play there is many ways power changed many peoples life. Her single important trait throughout The Crucible is selfishness. Rather than seeing herself as a seventeen-year-old who took authority of one mans heartache and doubt while his wife was sick, Abigail sees herself as John Proctor true lover. She is known as the victim who has been wrongly used by the devil, shedding light to the matter. She is eighteen years old, she had an affair with a man named John Proctor, and she cannot be trusted. And the other girls also start to pretend the witches used magic power against them. One of the ways you can represent that is by going to church every Sunday, and sharing religious views with others., Crucible Essay Now shut it! While smashing her across the face. There are multiple instances in the story where Abigail is associating herself with some type of evil. And well she might, for I thought of her softly. Its a bigger woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman! (Miller 12). We danced And that is all. Abigail is cold-hearted and she basically plays the devils character in her town. She did this for her own benefits and used trickery to get what she wanted. She made Betty do it too! Then, on page 189, Abigail confesses herself because she wants the light of God and Jesus. Abigail threatens the girls at the beginning of the story just to cover up her own actions of dancing in the forest a nude. Later to find out Abigail was trying to use a potion to kill Elizabeth Proctor to have John all to herself. This play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in the year of 1692. The term empowerment means the power or authority to do something. This was a full-blown witch hunt for people found to display signs of witchcraft. Abigail succeeds in defeating Mary Warren by again, lying and manipulating the truth. She is the ringleader of the group of girls, the group listens to her and follows her lead. Abigail is able to manipulate the girls do to whatever she wants. In the play The Crucible,written by Arthur Miller. In Act 1 she goes the woods to dance and practice magic. She desired and longed for this revenge on poor Proctors innocent wife, aiming for her through out the play. It seemed as if Abigail was happy for the Salem Witch Trials to continue and get more people arrested and, In the beginning of the play, Abigail feels she has done nothing wrong by dancing in the woods. It is due to these actions that, Now Abigail begins to falsely accuse innocent people of performing witchcraft, unfortunately resulting in their arrests. Starting out, Abigail Williams was a 17 year old teenager who lived with her uncle Rev. For instance if you envy someone, you would have to be cleansed of your hatred towards that fellow person. There was deceit, pain, greed, and more. In act one we read how Abigail has an argument with Betty because she is muttering the truth. The Crucible is a story in where Abigail and a bunch of girls are accusing people of being witches, it all starts off when Parris catches Abigail, Tituba, and others dancing in the woods. I'm Amy, These bad intentions is what makes people, like Abigail, hurt others around them. Tituba was Reverend Parriss West-Indian slave originally from Barbados. She has named more people as witches and is even praised by the judges. Abigails lust for John takes the accusations to extremes where no one is safe, and Abigails unchallenged dishonesty gives her free reign over the outcome of the trials. Lastly, Divine Mission the spread of religion. She was driven by jealousy and ambition. To get out of their punishment, the girls claim to have been bewitched by the devil himself. So if anyone were in Abigails position being accused of witchcraft and being threatened to be beaten or hung, would they confess to avoid punishment or keep their silence and suffer? These qualities often lead to creativity and a thirst for life, but she lacks a conscience to keep herself in check. Using her involvement with John Proctor as an excuse towards her inner self is enough for her to outwardly show satisfaction of innocent people wrongly accused.She does not regard truth or compassion as a character that should be held in response to a good reputation. Abigail seems to be especially gifted at spreading destruction and chaos wherever she goes. She is charismatic, bright and persuasive yet lacks any sense of morals or fairness. Abigail is a good liar, she can be very manipulative and overall she is a very vindictive character. 1360 Words 6 Pages Open Document Throughout the play, it is clear Abigail holds a lot of power, and is very manipulative. At the beginning of the book when Abigail was having a relationship with. The people who were completely out of power were those being accused, being a witch meant that you were the enemy of the town. spam or irrelevant messages, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. All she wanted was to be with the man she fell in love with, Proctor, and she took the opportunity to do so. Fear can do many things and one of them is to believe anything so that an answer can be found. This essay will be describing the trasition from powerless to powerful or the other way around, based off of the Salem Witch Trials. In act 3, Proctor, Mary Warren, and Giles Corey. In Arthur Millers The Crucible, the main character Abigail Williams is to blame for the 1692 Salem witch trials. Not only did Tituba abuse her power but she succeeded in manipulating the situation by lying to Parris about her session with the devil. Abuse of Power in "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller - GradesFixer After Bettys revelation Abigail promptly shuts down any idea of rebelling, The whole town hungers for Abigail to name the people who are conspiring with the Devil so they can arrest those people. This is a factor that places any of the characters choices and morals in a public balance to be judged by others. And now Know one trust her, they believes she is dangerous over all. original papers. Arthur Miller is telling us that all the power in Salem is given to those who are corrupt and their abuse of it is directly shown through: the actions of Abigail throughout the play, the corruption and desires of Parris, as well as the witch trials held by Judge Danforth. Her jealousy for Elizabeth Proctor turned quite deadly, first when she tried to make a charm to kill her and her jealousy plays a part in the second act as well. Abigail was corrupt and only cared for her own desires. This choice of hers causes an immense strain on John which is ironic because she loves him and youd think that youd want whats best for the one you love without hurting them. In Salem at the time it was a modest town brimming with Puritans. She built her image to look good in front of many people that believed her. Views. your personal assistant! how did abigial williams show fear in the crucible | The Crucible One of these girls, Abigail, goes against these limits and expectations by acting in masculine ways. The year is 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Another detail that shows that she is a villain is that she runs away when things end up not going her way. She will cry me out until they take me (Miller 60). While lust or love is a main drive, Abigail bears most of the responsibility for the activities that occurred in the woods. Abigails dishonesty got her through the Salem Witch Trials safely. Moreover, at the end of Act 3, Mary Warren is defeated by Abigail and has no choice but to side with her once more. The girls automatically follow and accuse Mary of sending her spirit out on them. Chat with professional writers to choose the paper writer that suits you best. An example from the play that shows Abigails selfishness is when she tells John Proctor, you loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet! Abigails actions show that she is egocentric because she never takes into consideration the effects or lives of the other girls.When Abigail is accused in court she states;In an open threat:Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Building on so the act was not deterred from, the group of girls started shouting that they were also seeing others with the devil and being possessed. That is why she decided not to tell the truth. Abigail was "an intelligent and beautiful woman" ( 1 Samuel 25:3) who saved her husband . She thinks that John will provide the love she wants, but she is wrong. Abigail is angered and humiliated by her reputation. All of you. In the town of Salem, little secrets, jealousy and massive hysteria spread around the town. Hundreds of others were accused of witchcraft. How Power Changes People in The Crucible - PapersOwl.com Abby soon charged Elizabeth with being a witch, shown in this text: Why, Abigail Williams charged her. In The Crucible Abigail can be known as the bad guy and the killer of many, but it seems like she can also be the victim of this whole situation. Abigail is angered and humiliated by her reputation. However, there was many other situations where people were in power (the proctors) or were happy (the other people who were accused) and someone came in and switched everything around making them completely powerless. Sometimes it doesn't turn out as planned, and they make the situation worse. She made complete inaccurate accusations against innocent citizens of Salem. It is possible that Abigail truly believed that these people were involved with the devil and that she was helping mankind. Another incidence that cannot go unnoticed is the constant development of a plan consisting of lies, manipulation, and deception, to not only kill Elizabeth Proctor, but many other people along the way. On top of that, she has a reputation as a common whore due to her affair with John Proctor, so what little respect the townspeople of Salem had for her has disappeared. This essay will be describing the trasition from powerless to powerful or the other way around, based off of the Salem Witch Trials. This explains why she is willing to go to such lengths to earn respect. What are some examples of characters in a quest for power in She went in too far when she threatened to kill of the girls and had innocent people killed., Her appearance was just as deceitful as her actual personality. In other words, because they had a special connection with their religion, the townspeople didnt see it possible for them to be conjuring with the devil. I knew all week it would come to this (Miller 60). A group of young girls in the town (ages 8 to 18) were secretly dancing and chanting naked in the woods. Abigail Williams started the entire suspicion of there being active member of witchcraft throughout Salem, Massachusetts. But it is a whore's vengeance. She is also represented in the poem, Witchcraft was hung, in History,, by Emily Dickinson. Overall, Abigail Williams commits selfish acts to protect her image that are worse than the one before proving that she is a devolving, Ill beat you Betty, makes us think that Abigail is an evil woman. Abigail turns the court against Mary Warren in The Crucible by pretending that Mary's spirit is preparing to attack her from the rafters. Abigails obsession with Proctor leads them to have an affair, which they try to keep. Parris. Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert. Abigail exposes her true motives behind her actions, and she attempts to force the, While the trials were commencing Abigail was accused many times of lying and getting most of the towns girls to support her.
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