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Struggling with writing a thesis statement on "The Crucible" and the character of Abigail Williams?

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Due to Betty pretending she was unconscious he was angry with Abigail but showed no sign that if
Betty woke up he would be anything but relieved. However Mary presents herself weakly at the
hands of Hathorn she crumbles but she still arouses enough doubt in Danforth’s mind to force him to
question Abigail. They only confessed to save their name, and they died for it. After having sinned
these two aspects combine with guilt and help him powerfully to resist the renewal of a relationship
with Abigail. She was terrified of her father, but more so of her cousin, Abigail. As a dynamic
character John Proctor undergoes a great deal of transformation throughout the course of the play. As
the plot unfolds, Abigail's cunning nature takes center stage, exerting a stunning and unexpected
influence on the. In this scene in Act1 you are also witness to Abigail’s ruthless disregard for others,
her merciless qualities in the face of danger. Mary Warren has been there as an official of the court
for the witchcraft trials, even after Elizabeth forbade her. The accusations throughout the story build
on lie after lie after lie from those trying to protect their own name, thus putting the whole town in a
state of confusion and chaos. One word would have sent Abigail straight to the gallows, as Danforth
had warned her. If anyone in Salem has the Devil in them, it's her. Abigail Williams Of the major
characters, Abigail is the least complex. In Proctors mind, it is now clearly over between them. Betty,
now awake, claims to have been bewitched and also professes her faith in God. The townspeople do
not know exactly what the girls were up to, but there are rumors of witchcraft. Of course, Tituba was
not entirely innocent because she did Voodoo, which is a witchcraft according to Puritans believes.
Her sole desire was fixated on a single person, and she would not tolerate any obstacles. Then their
ecstatic cries attain a gleeful tone, adding an evil edge. Names of people she has no involvement
with and crucially people who bear no importance in Salem and are vulnerable to accusation. By
satisfying her interrogator’s suspicions despite their falsehood she can divert attention away from
herself. At the beginning of the story, she boldly stated, “There is no reason for me to be ashamed of
my reputation,” clearly indicating her belief in her own perfection. If only Hale knew about Abigail,
he would understand too that this is all too far fetched to be true. Ironically throughout her diabolical
reign the one redeeming feature she possessed enforced her actions and accusations most powerfully,
her illusive childlike innocence. I have signed away the souls of over seventy people who I now
believe are good, hard working covenant Christians. This rouses Betty whom immediately rises and
joins in the chanting of names. Here, she is sixteen, while in the actual events, she was 12 and
therefore, obviously did not have a relationship with John Proctor, nor was she a temptress. Mrs.
Putnam inquires whether her past midwives had been in contact with the devil. He tells the Proctors
that Rebecca Nurse was charged, then questions Proctor on his churchgoing habits. Elizabeth Proctor
and Abigail Williams are two of import adult females in The Crucible.
John Proctor's character is tested in the fiery crucible of the Salem witch trials. She does so with
impressive cunning and alluring charm but she continues to misinterpret John’s lust for undying love.
When she talks to Parris, she attempts to use Tituba as a scapegoat. The people who condemned
them have signed their treaty to the Devil. I still can't believe uncle caught Mercy dancing naked.
This lead to the arrival of several other characters to precede in the Salem witch trials, where Abigail
and her friends act as witnesses. In her pursuit of John Proctor, she falsely accused Elizabeth Proctor
of practicing witchcraft, knowing that the only way to remove her rival was to label her as such. We,
the audience hear that John and Abigail have had. I'm going to make sure my children never find out
the truth. During the court scenes Abigail teeters on the edge of exposure, but she survives, due to
her cold connivance and not to mention, luck. She is flexible and can adapt to a changing situation
so as to remain in control of things. One word would have sent Abigail straight to the gallows, as
Danforth had warned her. I put them in that jail so I'm going to do everything I can to get them all
out. 7:30am Of all the souls I signed away, none are left. Abigail is clearly in command here despite
Mary being equal in age and Mercy being older. At least I can help get them through this with
dignity. Her first lie in the place was regarding her dancing in the woods and blood drinking. I
could've found out if only I could have held my gaze longer after telling him that I knew him as a
good man - only somewhat bewildered. She has a large role in this novel, especially on these dark
events and also her relationship with John Proctor. Elizabeth's character portrays a wife in distress
after she finds out about her husband's affair Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail William both heighten
the tension of the witch trials in Salem; they are a contrast of each others character, and brawl for
the desire for one mans love. In the missing scene she talks about George Jacobs in prison, who she
claims hit her with his stick; “Thank God he is and bless the day he hangs and lets me sleep in peace
again.”. She stayed completely unpunished for her crimes against Salem’s people. Abigail steals Rev.
Parris’ life savings and runs away, never to be heard from again. He is a middle-aged man who is
both a husband and a farmer. We can't connect to the server for this app or website at this time. It
was clear, earlier on, that Mary almost succumbed to Abigail’s silent threats. Abigail's shift from
emotions to a lust for power is evident as she accuses even those close to her, like Proctor and Mary
Warren, of witchcraft. In the beginning of the play, she was seen as the young innocent girl, whilst
Proctor may have been seen, in many people’s eyes as an old pervert, but by the end of the play,
readers thought of Proctor as a sort of mortar, as he died for the cause of trying to save his family
from Abigail. This fear-driven compliance allows Abigail to manipulate weak-willed individuals like
Mary Warren, who succumbs to Abigail's influence and returns to her side. I have signed away the
souls of over seventy people who I now believe are good, hard working covenant Christians. This
affects the audience, as in the beginning of the play, they observe a sweet, young lady transform so
quickly into this vicious, desperate girl.
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think that she is probably trying to shock Danforth into thinking that Mary Warren’s story is
ludicrous. When she is summoned and interrogated nothing of what she says is accepted until out of
the sheer fear of hanging she falsely confesses to witchcraft. Abigail doesn’t like this state of affairs
and when she finds out that witch-hunt is the way to get power and authority she uses this chance.
She shows outrage at the doubtful and possibly disgusted looks from Danforth’s direction and makes
to leave before being stopped by Herrik. We could get into so much trouble if the word witchcraft is
even mentioned in Salem. Abigail is unable to see that she is only helping to satisfy a lustful mans
appetite, she thinks that John holds some intimate feelings towards her. The poster will make for
great classroom display once completed. The majority of people living in Salem, hated Abigail
because they knew about what had happened between her, John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor,
John’s wife. This infuriates Abigail she naturally abhors dismissive treatment as a child would receive
but it made it worse because it came from the man that led her into the adult world. She is initially
perceived as being wild bright and proud. Abby, as mentioned before, believed she deserved John to
such an extent that she manipulated the thoughts of numerous individuals. He declares that he
cannot prove what she told him because they were alone when they talked. He sees himself as the
one to seek out the devil and destroy it, and then send it back to Hell. The “McCarthyism” is still
discussed and used against recent important local and world events. It can be seen that she still loves
him by the way she downplays Betty’s illness: “We were dancin’ in the woods last night, and my
uncle leaped in on us she took fright is all.”. Abigail's jealousy surfaces when Tituba confesses,
earning praise as a conduit of God's light while Abigail faces scrutiny. She eventually became the
housekeeper for John and Elizabeth Proctor. Everyone knows about his feelings for Parris, and I
know he didn't come just to see some dumb entranced child. Abigail's growing lust for power
becomes palpable as she revels in the attention and control she gains over Salem's fate. But this
incident isn’t seen, but only talked about by Cheever to Hale, Proctor and Elizabeth. Hale continues,
presenting his opinion of Abigail despite Danforth’s unswayable decision. I want the light of God, I
want the sweet love of Jesus. She is sinking now, she can’t perform one of her marvelous illusions
and this then leaves her defenseless. Throughout the play many of the events, in some way or
another, have to deal with Abigail or occur as a result of something that she did. Tituba, afraid of
being hanged and threatened with beating, professes faith in God and accuses Goodwives Sarah
Good and Osburn of witchcraft. She does so with impressive cunning and alluring charm but she
continues to misinterpret John’s lust for undying love. There might be too much traffic or a
configuration error. Miller writes Abigail to be mostly successful, but I think he made her like this to
show off other characters with strong minds that do not fall for her lies. Parris and Abigail have
always struck me false, but who am I to judge.
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As a reader of the play it is easier to depict if she is lying because we are told that she has: “an
endless capacity for dissembling” but even as an audience member there is something unsettling
about her, for example the character changes she shows between scenes and depending on who she is
talking to. Abigail denies it and the court has Elizabeth brought in to verify if Proctor is telling the
truth. I have quit the court but I must work with those left and get them to confess. After all I've put
her through she tried to defend me. In Proctors mind, it is now clearly over between them. Parris and
Abigail have always struck me false, but who am I to judge. I want the light of God, I want the
sweet love of Jesus. This shows just how ruthless Abigail can be, and to what lengths she would go
to bring her own happiness, even if it meant causing pain and suffering to others. Tituba, afraid of
being hanged and threatened with beating, professes faith in God and accuses Goodwives Sarah
Good and Osburn of witchcraft. To install: drag and drop the following link to your Bookmarks
toolbar. I've been investigating compacts with Lucifer, abominations, witchcraft and wizards.
Everyone knows about his feelings for Parris, and I know he didn't come just to see some dumb
entranced child. Proctor believes that she is accusing him of resuming his affair with Abigail. A
Greasemonkey script that adds Flickriver links to various Flickr photo pages - user photos, favorites,
pools etc, allowing to quickly open the corresponding Flickriver view. The Crucible Character
Analysis: Abigail Williams The Ultimate Schemer One of the main characters of the play The
Crucible, Abigail Williams, is the most spiteful and least complex character throughout the entire
play. Then she repeats everything Mary says, frustrating her, draining her, and scaring her. I think
that she is probably trying to shock Danforth into thinking that Mary Warren’s story is ludicrous. The
more I think about it, the clearer things become. Mary Warren tried so hard to tell the truth but
Abigail told the court Mary was sending out her evil spirit upon them. It would become apparent to
the reader that Abigail has a gift of manipulating peoples minds and thoughts, twisting people
around her finger, making them believe everything she says, even to the extent of making a court
believe that Elizabeth is a witch. I put them in that jail so I'm going to do everything I can to get them
all out. 7:30am Of all the souls I signed away, none are left. I think Miller writes about Abigail in
this way to show the audience just how her character resembles that of a stereotype of a young, spoilt
girl who will do anything to get what she wants, but never what she deserves. The legend has it that
Abigail turned up later as a prostitute in Boston. So Abigail can run wild and will be protected by the
man who should be eradicating such behaviour, she must be aware of this fact, as many of her
actions would warrant death. He wanted them brought forward and executed if they would not come
to God and confess their sins. When Abigail calls to God, Proctor accuses her of being a whore and
tells the court of their affair. At dawn today, I saw the last executions of the Salem witch trials take
place, and that is something I will never forget, I will never forgive myself for not doing more to
save the innocent souls of those who have been affected by this tragedy. She just has to feign the
presence of some demonic entity and the accused person will hang. Upon his entrance she and
Mercy are titillated, as soon as Mercy leaves she begins speaking playfully, tauntingly and wittily.
From a powerful envy grew hate and from these emotions she brought a whole town to its knees.
Abigail fabricates her involvement to become the leader of the proceedings, trying to force the other
girls and her into consuming the charm. No one knows what had happened with real Abigail at the
end, but it is known, that she had died at the age of 17-18 years several years after she left Salem.
Betty is making the whole thing look incredibly suspicious. Abigail doesn’t like this state of affairs
and when she finds out that witch-hunt is the way to get power and authority she uses this chance.
However in the real world jealousy can easily creep into our lives and destroy our relationships.
Lauren Shortman - 10R - Crucible Coursework The Crucible - Act 1 - Abigail Diary. Mercy has
arrived with news of Ruth’s sickness, the symptoms of which match Betty’s. At the beginning of the
story, she boldly stated, “There is no reason for me to be ashamed of my reputation,” clearly
indicating her belief in her own perfection. Abigail's false accusation against Elizabeth was out of
jealousy, spite and revenge. She attempted to flee during the first illusion, without Proctor’s
assurance and restraining she certainly would have. If she would confess her life would be saved and
the other seven should follow her example, but she's a strong woman who will stand by her word.
This is surprising because of the way Abigail was portrayed to the audience. Abigail is an orphan,
and she is an unmarried girl. Cheever discovers the poppet that Mary made for Elizabeth, with a
needle inside it. Unable to lie outright for the obviousness of it she makes another at Danforth. I've
told them that Abigail told me it was all sport, yet they choose to believe that she was under the
control of a spirit, and the show she put on to make them believe it. She’s expectant of unbounded
tolerance and sympathy in compensation for her trouble. Abigail Williams, an audacious adolescent,
resorted to personal vengeance to attain what she believed was rightfully hers. Parris is the one who
passes this news on to the reader, as he is seen talking to Danforth. She appears to act like this for
quite some time, and only does she act differently when she does not appear at all, because I see this
as a way of Miller showing that all Abigail wanted is Proctor, and without him she has no further
reason for staying any longer. The jury, however, wrote a statement praying forgiveness of all who
had suffered. Her willingness to accuse innocent townspeople demonstrates a calculated disregard
for the lives she jeopardizes. I think that she is probably trying to shock Danforth into thinking that
Mary Warren’s story is ludicrous. She is sinking now, she can’t perform one of her marvelous
illusions and this then leaves her defenseless. With the help of these girls, she blames others about
witchcraft and does it successfully. Well I couldn't find out whether or not there is any love left
there. It is possible to compare her with a Biblical character, for example, Jezebel, who is driven only
by a lust for power and sexual desire. All due to his precarious position in the Salem community, for
his niece to be discovered of such heresy would cast doubt over his position as reverend. She shows
these traits through her manipulation of others with lies and intimidation.
And so in a last, brilliantly performed illusion Mary Warren is driven back to her, terrified that
Danforth believes Abigail. It does not work, but it is revealed that Abigail and Proctor engaged in a
previous affair and that Abigail still has feelings for him. The younger girls have been frightened into
a trance. This affects the audience by showing them that they had forgotten something about Abigail.
Whether they exist as people, circumstances, or even nature, their purpose is to provide a problem to
be solved by the “good guys”. It's also speculated that she was acting out of a desire for attention
and affection from others, which she'd get when she was hailed as a heroine for outing witches in
Salem. Halfway through the first act, Arthur Miller gives us a brief scene of John Proctor and
Abigail together, revealing they have had a sexual affair. In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, the
unforgettable events of the Salem Witch Trials are depicted through the leading female characters,
namely Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor. Deputy Governer Danforth, Cheever, Reverend
Parris and Francis Nurse enter the vestry room. Write a review Update existing review Submit
review Cancel It's good to leave some feedback. The tragic events in Essex County, Massachusetts
were initiated by ill-behaved girls who accused for sport. When she is summoned and interrogated
nothing of what she says is accepted until out of the sheer fear of hanging she falsely confesses to
witchcraft. It is however not entirely wholesome as she is lustfully trying to tempt John towards her
like a zealous siren, opening her arms of oblivion and working her forked tongue. To fully understand
Abigail character and what led to her actions, we need to analyze her position in the Puritan society.
Use Flickriver Badge Creator to create a badge linking to your photos, your group or any other
Flickriver view. Abigail is vengeful, selfish, manipulative, and a magnificent liar. The younger girls
have been frightened into a trance. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT’s
content guidelines. He is very direct and soon Abigail realises that she cannot avoid his questions any
more. In fact, the erratic behavior and gyrations of the accusers was carefully choreographed. She
does so with impressive cunning and alluring charm but she continues to misinterpret John’s lust for
undying love. No one knows what had happened with real Abigail at the end, but it is known, that
she had died at the age of 17-18 years several years after she left Salem. At least I can help get them
through this with dignity. Her state showed up in psychological disorder, but because of undeveloped
medicine such diseases had not been diagnosed and treated by the doctors. Oh Elizabeth. If only you
knew how much I love you, and how sorry I am. This is when the reader witnesses Abigail emitting
an emotion other than hate. Tituba is not stupid and realises where salvation lies. This ability is tested
regularly in the courts later on in the play but you clearly see it when Hale asks her questions. By
satisfying her interrogator’s suspicions despite their falsehood she can divert attention away from
herself. It's no surprise that a person exposed to such brutality at a young age might eventually act
brutally herself.

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