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
She is on a low and is becoming suspicious and stubborn. John even tells Elizabeth that he hasn’t done anything in the past months without thinking what she would think of him. It is surprising that John would have an affair because he has a conscientiousness personality type. He is organized and orderly but can also be rash and impulsive when he is low. It was a very impulsive decision to be with Abigail, and John probably regrets his decision.
and she threatened them. If they told the truth they will regret it. At the beginning of the story the girls and Abigail were dancing in the woods. Parris discovered Betty, his niece Abigail, and Tituba, his black slave from Burbados, dancing in the forest outside of Salem at midnight. Following that morning, Reverend Samuel Parris, finds his daughter Betty in bed unconscious.
In Arthur Miller’s well-know play, The Crucible, there are many external struggles between characters. Throughout the play, we watch the characters develop within themselves, as well as change towards each other. Three character developments that stand out in the play are Hale and the court, Elizabeth and John, and John and Abigail. When Reverend John Hale is first introduced in the play he has been called to investigate the suspicious illnesses of Ruth Putnam and Betty Parris.
Elizabeth already has John’s full devotion and support, however, she is afraid of losing him to Abigail or Abigail succeeding in ruining what she has with John. Abigail’s goal is to get rid of Elizabeth so John can open his eyes to her and fall in love with Abigail. They both have plenty of personality traits, henceforth, they also have their similarities and
The character I chose to defend is Elizabeth Proctor. Over the course of the play Elizabeth changed because when she heard that she was accused of being a witch she was calm but shocked. Her and Proctor had just had a fight over him being alone with Abigail, and her trust that was slowly building back up again with him quickly vanished. I believe that after she saw Proctor freak out about her being accused then being arrested she truly saw that no matter what wrongs he did in his past, he truly loved her with all of his heart and soul. In the play when Proctor says “I will fall like an ocean on that court!
The Crucible by Arthur Miller in 1953 is written in relation to a past event known as the Salem Witch Trials. It is known for its characters and their behavior during the story. Each and every character have their own personality and motivations and many have to do with the outcome. John Proctor plays a major role in this story. Proctor is a farmer in his thirties and is described as a physically strong and powerful man who does not have tolerance for hypocrites.
Abigail is extremely concerned with her well-being and reputation. In Act One, Reverend Parris confronts Abigail about dancing in the forest, and, instead of confessing, she begins denouncing others. This illustrates how she is willing to allow others to be harmed because of her extreme fear. One example of this is when Abigail states, “Not I sir—Tituba and Ruth” (Miller 15). The character of the residents of Salem is not exceptional.
Abigail did this because she loved John and she knew that if she got his wife out of the picture they would have a better chance of being together because Elizabeth had recently kicked Abigail out of their house in fear that her and John had something going on. John knew his actions were wrong and that if he
Instead, The result was worse than he intended. John realizes that the love he has for Elizabeth are fundamental and can’t get rid of them because Elizabeth is perfect, and that is why he married her in the first place. John feels lost and torn because he knows at heart that he loves Elizabeth but lusts for Abigail. In spite of Proctors feelings, when his wife is accused of being a witch by Abigail, he defends her at every chance he
Reverend Parris demonstrates rapaciously greedy traits by sustaining high concerns relating to fortifying his reputation. His repetitive demonstrations of excessively selfish behaviors are prominent when he stands upon his ill daughter’s bedside, but is rather concerned with his reputation instead of his daughter’s health. He experiences trepidation that the citizens will suspect witchcraft maliciously consumes his household. This circumstance could result in a loss of his high position, therefore he furiously refuses to acknowledge the slightest potential of Witchcraft within his home. In the court, he continues to display his deceitful principles by intentionally lying about Abigail dancing in the woods.
One of the most powerful human emotions is desire. Everyone is constantly trying to fulfill their own desires. A desire or passion may be so strong it can conflict with morality. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams, is driven to go against her moral duty and pursue John Proctor. She will stop at nothing to see her plan through.
(I.465-472). Seeing Abigail cry, it suggests that Abigail’s affair with John Proctor has influenced her behavior in jealousy and lust as she strives for nothing more than her love for John Proctor. By only being heartbroken, Abigail is not to be fully blamed for the hysteria within the town as her actions are only based on desperate attempts to win John Proctor over, and no intentional harm whatsoever. However, on the other hand, Abigail cannot be excused with outside forces making her the way she is due to the fact that she has clearly had a choice in most of her decisions and actions throughout the witchcraft crisis. When Mary Warren, another girl involved in the forest incident, enters the court, she explains to Danforth, the judge, that the girls are lying and are only pretending to see spirits.
In Salem, Massachusetts a series of hearings and prosecutions started, commonly known as the Salem Witchcraft Trials. The witchcraft trials in Salem became a big concern after two-hundred innocent people were accused and twenty people were executed. Many people of Salem believed the court was just in accusing all these victims. A seldom amount of people went against the court in saying that the court was a fraud and that the decisions were biased being made. Abigail Williams held all the power in the court and determined who was “guilty” or not.
Nobility of the few brings together the masses of the many. To which any man perceived to be noble having to possess the traits of someone who will raise other and will not fall. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a man named John Proctor shows his nobility with all his actions, statements and natural talent. A tragic hero is a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy. In the play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrays John Proctor, the protagonist, as a tragic hero who has a major flaw—lust for Abigail, his house servant.
Defense of Elizabeth Proctor In the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams charged Elizabeth Proctor with witchcraft. The evidence presented to the court against Elizabeth Proctor is inadequate and not justified. Elizabeth is a proper and honest woman. Elizabeth is definitely innocent of any allegation of dealing with the Devil.