In The Crucible, there are many different character developments. Some characters underwent changes throughout the story and others stayed the same. One of the characters that seemed to stay the same all through this play was Abigail Williams. In the beginning, she was a jealous, selfish, and manipulative liar, and in the end, she remained the same. Abigail Williams is the antagonist in this play and she doesn't get that title by being a kind truthful person. Her controlling and vengeful manner all starts when she has an affair with John Proctor. Her desire to be with him after the fact led to what would become the Salem Witch trials. Abigails rancor towards Johns wife leads her to wish Elizabeth dead during a ritual performed by her, other …show more content…
Arthur Miller continues to show how Abigail manipulates the court to create a sense of disbelief towards what Mary Warren is confessing about the accusations against Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail does this by accusing Judge Danforth of not trusting her: “...I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people–and this is my reward? To be mistrusted, denied, questioned like a –”. (Miller 1307) She uses the good things she has supposedly done to make it seem like he is questioning an honest and trustworthy person when in reality it is the opposite. She tries to turn the blame on Judge Danforth as if he is in the wrong for besieging her with skepticism on the subject. Arthur Miller uses this to show how Abigail can be a convincing liar because she almost seems to believe what she is saying. As soon as Abigail realizes that Judge Danforth may not believe her story she pushes her manipulation tactics further by acting as if the devil is present in the court. To continue to show the power that Abigail demonstrated earlier in the story when threatening the girls, Arthur Miller shows how Abigail still has the girls in thrall. When Mary is trying to confess the truth in the courthouse, Abigail claims to see Mary as a yellow bird. She starts to yell and panic and the girls follow in her lead: “Abby, stop it! (Miller 1313) This shows the power that Abigail has in these situations. If the girls are willing to stay loyal to Abigail through everything that is going on she still has the same power over them that she had at the beginning of the play. Abigail knows that the girls are already anxious about being caught and she uses that to her advantage. Arthur Miller paints Abigail Williams as a vindictive and manipulative girl all the way to Acts 3 and
In “The Crucible” we see multiple characters develop strong characteristics. Abigail Williams is a primary accuser during the Salem Witch Trials. This particular character is static in terms of characteristic development. Through Abigail’s words and actions it is evident that she is exceedingly manipulative.
In the book The Crucible Abigail Williams selfish crimes cause others to be blamed for her own witchcraft. Abigail has an affair with John Proctor, the husband of Elizabeth Proctor, causing tensions to rise between Abigail and Elizabeth. During act one Abigail is talking to John at his house and she was talking to him about what they did one night and how she believed he still loved her (Miller, 22). During Abigail and John’s conversation it showed how Abigail isn’t always a good person and she makes mistakes too. During The Crucible Abigail always tries to act innocent or if she's wrong bring others down with her.
Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams are both extremely important characters in The Crucible who help us get insight into the Salem Witch Trials. Although they are opposing characters, you’d be surprised to find out how similar they actually are. Today, I will be discussing their personalities and how they compare and contrast each other. While reading The Crucible we learn that Abigail Williams is the antagonist. Abigail is portrayed this way because she is a manipulative liar.
In act one we discover that Abigail was fired by Elizebeth Proctor (she was the Proctor's servant) because she had an affair with John proctor. She didnt want to let Elizebeth stop her from being with John and so she takes advantage of the witch trials by accusing Elizebeth Proctor. Abigails Sociapathic personality is made clear during act one when she threatens to kill her friends if they tell anyone about the events that actually occured in the forest. She says “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” page 26-27. One of the characters that struggles with personal integrity is John Proctor.
In Act 3, Abigail is seen to be getting questioned in court by Judge Danforth because he has reason to believe she has something to do with all of the girls becoming sick and conjuring spirits. Abigail then manipulates Danforth into thinking she did nothing wrong and that the least he should do is thank her by saying, “I have been hurt, Mr. Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin’ out! I have been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil's people– and this is my reward? To be mistrusted, denied, question to like a–”(Miller 100). This suggests that Abigail wants Danforth to pity her.
What made Abigail such a powerful antagonist was her selfishness. Abigail was involved in an affair with John Proctor which is another factor for the drama in the play. After John Proctors wife found out about the affair she was demoted from her job at their home and sent back to live so her uncle reverend Parris. This affair sets the play in motion since the reason Abigail was in the woods was to cast a spell on John’s wife Elizabeth. Abigails main motivation behind all her actions that caused such chaos in the play was to get rid of Elizabeth so she could have Ohm Proctor.
Christopher Light Ms. Scannell Honors 10B English 7 June 2023 In Arthur Miller ’s play The Crucible, The main character Abigail Williams deceived many characters for their safety. As time goes on Abigail is later perceived as the antagonist rather than the protagonist through the many casualties caused by her deceptions. She constantly lies and this repetition ends in overall destruction that tears the community apart.
In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, the character Abigail Williams is to blame for the 1692 witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Abigail is a selfish and manipulative person who strives to get what she desires, no matter the repercussions it may have on others. Throughout the play her accusations and lies caused many people pain and suffering, Although Abigail did not accuse all of those arrested and tried on witchcraft charges, she was the first character to "cry witch." Though Abigail may seem heartless on a quick observation, she shares a deep feeling of emotional connection toward the character John Proctor. Several months before the exposition of the play, Abigail was employed by the Proctors to work around the house as a housekeeper
I disagree with Winona Ryder when she says Abigail Williams isn't the villain of “The Crucible.” To begin with, she is the villain because she does everything for herself and would sacrifice someone else quickly and it wouldn't affect her. Specifically because she lied about John Proctor’s wife to try and get John. Abigail lying on John’s wife makes her seem bad because Elizabeth got her in trouble and got John executed to try and get John to like her. Another, reason I believe that is she threatened the girls lives if they spoke about them dancing in the woods.
Abigail defies all judgements against innocence as she is the driven evil force in The Crucible. Arthur Miller shows Abigail Williams to instinctively defend herself, as it is the humane reaction when accused of wrongdoing. It is common to tell a lie but, the intention of sabotage is a different story. Abigail had many tricks up her sleeve to manipulate the court. Her purpose to convince the town of her innocence was one of many.
Abigail Williams is not your typical teenage girl. She is a girl that will drink blood to kill someone, accuse people of witchcraft, and have a affair. By looking at The Crucible, one can see that Abigail Williams develops the theme of reputation, which is important because people who fear losing their reputation spread hysteria. Protecting her reputation motivates Abigail Williams to accuse others of being a witch.
A dynamic character like Abigail has lied before in the past and now has experiences something more sinister which is unique for a character in the story and makes the plot better with Abigail’s wickedness. Through the Trials of the Salem, the story will always have a person that will stand out when it is mentioned, and Abigail Williams takes the cake of being the most horrific, yet a great character in the story because it isn’t The Crucible without Abigail as being the antagonist and the tension builder. The Village will never forgive of what she did to all the innocent women she has killed. Abigail has shown that she is a very Dynamic character from her emotions, to her actions, and to her experiences she has made in
In The Crucible, Miller described Abigail as a “beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling” (Miller 142). In the story, Williams serves as the
Elizabeth is the victim of Abigail’s heartless actions and affair. These two women are almost complete opposites. Both characters struggle and fight through the story in their own ways. Abigail is the villain in this play.
One common question about The Crucible is how Abigail Williams is the most evil force in the play. It is shocking when a girl talks back to authority out of disagreement, but few go as far as Abigail Williams. While she may only be 11 years old, her manipulative and vengeful personality allows her fool her Uncle and later turns a whole town against each other. She is really a master of manipulation and trickery, and she gets herself into affairs without punishment and has threaten all who oppose here. Abigail really is the devil in human form.