In act one of The Crucible, there exist two major conflicts which are underlying causes of the witchcraft hysteria. The conflict between Reverend Parris and the village leads Reverend Parris to make decisions which the average minister may not make in order to protect himself. These decisions will eventually create poor results and serve to feed the general hysteria. The conflict between Abigail and the Proctors leads Abigail to do things which are highly indicative of witchcraft. While there are many reasons for the hysteria, the conflicts between Reverend Parris and the village and between Abigail and the Proctors are truly what blow things out of proportion. Reverend Parris is an interesting man to be a Puritan minister for many reasons, …show more content…
Putnam is a high ranking individual in the village of Salem due to the large amount of land he owns, which makes him very wealthy by comparison to the average Salem resident. Putnam has resentment for Reverend Parris because Putnam’s brother-in-law, Reverend Bailee, had applied to be minister of Salem, but did not get the position, which was a massive blow to Putnam’s ego. Thus, there is a great deal of conflict between Reverend Parris and the village due to his concern for self preservation, his sermons which scare the congregation, and the resentment towards him from a high ranking member of Salem society. The other, arguably more significant conflict is that between Abigail Williams and the Proctors. At one point, Abigail worked for the Proctors, and during this time, she had an affair with John Proctor. Elizabeth Proctor, John’s wife, figured out this affair and immediately dismissed Abigail from their service. Abigail, though, was still in love with John which lead her to the ridiculous decision of asking Tituba for a charm to kill Goody (Elizabeth) Proctor which would leave John Proctor without a wife and able to marry
John proctor is hesitant to expose Abigail’s lies because he fears and knows she will accuse him of adultery. Back then, it was a crime to commit such acts. “PROCTOR: You will not judge me more, Elizabeth. I have good reason to think before I charge fraud on Abigail, and I will think on it. Let you look to your own improvement before you go to judge your husband anymore.”(Miller 58). In this example, Elizabeth tries to question him, and John Proctor feeling ashamed and guilty attacks her back, trying to change the subject. The old psychology trick, to look back on herself, and not think about John’s Proctors positon. When asked what are all the commandments he stutters and forgets all but one, which was the adultery. Which is ironic, since he committed it and having reason
In The Crucible, I assume that the character Abigail is a static character. Abigail is considered a static character for the reason that no matter what her feelings never change. She does whatever she is yearning to be happy with herself. It makes no difference if she is hurting other people as long she is joyous. An example is how she accuses Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch even though it's not true. She only did it for the reason that she thought she would be able to be with John Proctor. The character John Proctor is a dynamic character. John is considered a dynamic character because he changes his feelings in the entire play. In the beginning he was a quiet farmer and now he is a brave man with a great deal of courage. In the beginning
Throughout the play, The Crucible, we find many characters whose personality and intentions contradict with another character. This contrasting set of characters is an example of the literary term called foil. Abigail William and Elizabeth Proctor, for example, are two different characters whose demeanor and motivations contrast but still have a strong effect on each other.
In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible,a good reputation is something one strives and wants to have. If one was being accused of witchcraft would he/she lie or tell the truth? Abigail and Elizabeth were brought up in court many times. Abigail would blame others to get out of everything, while Elizabeth would try to tell the truth, so that she wouldn’t be hanged or put in jail.
Comparison of Elizabeth Proctor with Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor, the leading female characters in 'The Crucible'. Both show determination in order to get what they want. Abigail, a cunning girl that is out for revenge, feels she has superiority over many of the other characters even though she is only a young girl. Elizabeth's character portrays a wife in distress after she finds out about her husband's affair, yet she still has courage throughout the play. She shows determination when she is in need of strength to keep her going, after Abigail accused her of witchcraft.
One of the main links between the two women is their love for John Proctor. This would create much animosity between the two women and would lead to much strife between the two. While Abigail Williams saw
"He was the kind of man - powerful of body, even - tempered, and not
Throughout The Crucible, the reader learns that John Proctor, a husband and father in his middle thirties, had an affair with Abigail, the family’s servant at the time. As a result, Mrs. Proctor fired Abigail, who has it set in her mind that Elizabeth Proctor is a “lying, cold, sniveling woman” (Miller 12) who is “blackening (Abigail’s) name in the village” (23). Abigail is so angry with her that she asks Tituba, her uncle’s slave from Barbados, to make a charm to kill Goody Proctor so she can have her husband all to herself. This type of storyline is similar to A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, where one
think and do. As an audience, at this stage we have a mixed opinion of
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Abigail is the most to blame for the Salem Witch Trials. During the beginning of the play, Abigail, Tituba, and some other girls from the village are caught dancing in the woods in the middle of the night, which was a sin during that time period. Abigail Williams is the seventeen year old niece of Rev.Samuel Parris who is the town's minister. She was hired by John and Elizabeth Proctor to help tend to the house and help care for their three sons because Elizabeth was a very sickly woman. One day Elizabeth caught John committing adultery with Abigail, and she was fired on the spot. After this, Elizabeth began to tell her friends not to hire Abigail because she might try to do the same with their husbands too. Abigail was very
During this essay I will introduce the main points involved in answering the proposed question. I will explore the certain aspects of Abigail’s personality and how it is an important role in portraying her reasons for her actions. I will also analyse the ways in which Abigail’s personality changes through the progression of the play. I will sum up which points have a bigger effect on her intentions and motivations and the effect she has on the characters of the play. I will support my reasons with quotations to justify its relevance.
In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible Abigail Williams, an unmarried orphan in the Massachusetts town of Salem, incessantly grows more jealous, her desire for vengeance only grows stronger, and her selfishness escalates. She repeatedly lies to save herself by denying her involvement in witchcraft. Abigail's Jealousy of Elizabeth Proctor intensifies in attempt to realize her desire for Elizabeth's husband John Proctor. In order to save herself she accuses the innocent, without any sense of ethical violation. Abigail proves to be a selfish antagonist in The Crucible that shows no sense of right and wrong.
From 1692 to 1693 a series of terrible trials occurred, These trials consisted of accusations of witchcraft. Today, these trials are known as the Salem Witch Trials. As a result of these trials, 19 citizens, 14 women, 5 men, and even one dog were put to death. The play, The Crucible, was written by Arthur Miller in 1952. In this play the characters have so many different characteristics from each other. Abigail is seen as a bad person while John Proctor is seen as the good and honest character; even though he made some bad decisions.Throughout the play the two characters Abigail and John Proctor show many differences in the characteristics of: lying/truthfulness, self-sacrifice/selfishness, and fear/courage.
Abigail is one of the main characters in the book, The Crucible. She is an evil character who is rather selfish and is inconsiderate of other people. And because of her personality, she has conflicts with many characters in the book. Best example, she has conflicts with John and Elizabeth Proctor. She is a wicked child who would do anything to get what she wants and knows how to manipulate people and the situation to get to where she wants to be. Her conflicts began with a little desire to take John Proctor away from his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, and own him to herself and only herself.
Reverend Parris’ hypocritic tendencies cause other characters to reexamine their relationships with the minister and see him in a new light. For instance, Thomas Putnam, the son of Salem’s wealthiest man, holds a grudge against Parris. The dramatic exposition that introduces him explains,