Examples Of Elizabeth Proctor In The Crucible '

814 Words4 Pages

Abigail is motivated by the lust she has for John Proctor to falsely accuse Elizabeth Proctor of practicing witchcraft. John Proctor had an affair behind Elizabeth Proctor's back and once she found out, she fired Abigail. Nonetheless, Abigail still yearns for John. On the other hand, John promised Elizabeth it would never happen again and he is devoted to her. In act one, after Reverend Parris, Abigail, Thomas Putnam, Susanna Walcott, Mercy Lewis, and Mary Warren finish talking about what has happened to Betty, John arrives. He's looking for his servant, Mary Warren, who left without his permission. Everyone except for Abigail leaves the room and they are both left alone. Abigail starts to flirt with John and she is asking him to flirt back. …show more content…

To this, Abigail replies, "I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near! I saw your face when she put me out and you loved me then and you do now!" (177) Abigail reminds John of how they used to spend their time together as he "clutched" her back while they had sex behind his house. She is trying to persuade John to accept her offer to have sex again by talking about how much he loved it. Abigail is claiming that she knows he loves her because he was upset when Elizabeth fired her. She thinks that will be enough to make him go back to her. John might feel some lust for Abigail, but he isn't going to act upon his feelings anymore. Abigail knows that the reason he isn't giving in is because of Elizabeth. To Abigail, Elizabeth is in obstacle between her and John. Abigail is motivated by the lust she has for John to falsely accuse Elizabeth of being a witch, thus eliminating her from John's …show more content…

Reverend Samuel Parris is Abigail's uncle and the town minister. He arrived in Salem very suspiciously and always thinks people are against him. His position and social standing in Salem are very important to him because his goal is to rise to ascendancy of the town. His daughter, Betty Parris, has fallen into a trance-like state and no one knows what's wrong with her. The day before Betty went into this state, Reverend Parris discovered her, Abigail, and her other friends dancing in the forest. Dancing is a sinful act to the Puritans. In act one, Reverend Parris interrogates Abigail about why they were in the forest, why they were dancing, and if they might've consumed anything harmful. Abigail denies they did anything dangerous, but Proctor still doesn't quite believe her. To encourage Abigail to tell him the truth, Reverend Parris says, "Now look you, child, your punishment will come in its time. But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it." (170) Reverend Parris tells Abigail that his "enemies will" know and they will "ruin" him when they find out what happened in the forest. Reverend Parris is paranoid and he believes his enemies will build a plan with what happened to kick him out of Salem. If the other townspeople found out that his daughter and niece were dancing and messing with spirits, it

Open Document