The Crucible tells the story of power and revenge. Abigail Williams uses the power of her desire to control the entire town and get her man. Through her selfishness and deceit, Abigail becomes a major antagonist in the play. The Crucible’s plot is driven by Abigail’s motivations, character traits and conflicts.
Abigail Williams is easy to describe in many words. One is deceitful. Abigail is described immediately as someone “with an inexhaustible capacity for dissembling” when she meets us. This manipulative and deceitful behavior is what caused the Salem Witch Trials’ hysteria. Vengeful is another characteristic. Abigail loved John Proctor. Elizabeth, however, started spreading rumors about him and threw Abigail out. Elizabeth accuses Elizabeth that she is a witch to take revenge on her and get John. Abigail makes a spiritual attack on Mary Warren, trying to keep her from telling the truth. Abigail Williams’ selfishness is the final straw. Abigail Williams is selfish and doesn’t feel sorry for the 20 innocent victims she caused to die. This was all because she wants John and her reputation. Abigail’s motives are rooted in her character traits. She is clearly motivated by her character traits. Abigail believes she can finally dance with John Proctor on her grave and be with her lover. This was the motivation that Abigail had from the beginning of their relationship. When Abigail accuses Elizabeth witchcraft, John agrees with her and says that he is not with Abigail. Abigail’s motivation is also to protect her reputation. In the first few moments she meets you, she tells you that there is no need to blush at my name and that her name is well-known in the village. Then, when you ask about Goody Proctor’s rumors, Abigail gets angry. She also claimed she was forced to practice witchcraft after being discovered in the woods. This motivation is apparent throughout the play. Whoever accuses the girls of being frauds or tries debunking them is immediately charged with witchery. Abigail is forced to flee town in order to start a fresh life.
Abigail’s motives directly correspond to her conflicts throughout play. Her internal conflict centers around her insecurity. Abigail is so insecure about her ability to secure John for her, she accuses his wife of being a witch to get rid of him. She also begins to accuse others of lying and witchery because she is insecure about her reputation. Abigail eventually leaves Salem to resolve this issue. She flees because she is afraid of being labelled a “whore” and is insecure about her reputation. John is her primary external conflict. He rejects her, and she calls her a liar. She says he “put knowledge into my heart” and she wishes he didn’t take that away from her. Abigail loves him still, and he abandoned her.
Abigail Williams’ selfish and complex character are well-executed in the Salem Witch Trials. She orchestrates the devastation of a entire town through her character traits and conflicts as well as her motivations. Abigail is Abigail’s main antagonist and puppet master behind the entire play.
Some people live in absolute darkness and will torch others to find light. To achieve their goals, cheating and lying has been a common strategy throughout history. Twenty-four innocents were killed by Abigail Williams, a young woman. One was tortured and one was hanged. Four others died while waiting for trial, including John Proctor. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible depicts Abigail Williams as she causes destruction and death in Salem Massachusetts. She is unconscionable. She is self-centered, manipulative, vengeful and a great liar. Abigail has a tendency to let her jealousy overtake her and doesn’t know what love is. John Proctor was killed by Abigail’s wickedness and obsession.
Abigail Williams is a distortionist from the very beginning. She’s a distorted truth-teller.
She is about to be arrested for witchcraft fiddling. But she blames Tituba for everything. Parris asked Abigail if she conjured spirits. She reluctantly replied, “Not sir,-Tituba, Ruth… she made it happen!” (Miller 43). Tituba responds by saying that witchcraft is not used and claims that “somebody else is witching these kids” (Miller 45). Tituba says she denies witchcraft out of fear for her safety, but she also claims there are witchcraft practitioners. This was how the rumors that witchcraft had spread through Salem. It is a clear sign of Abigail’s ability to manipulate people to her will. Abagail is starting to see that she can use witchcraft rumors to get John Proctor.
Abagail was one the first Salem witch trials victims. Abagail shifts her focus from herself to accuse others of witchcraft. Abagail loses herself in the play more and more throughout. Abigail tells the young girls what they should and shouldn’t say about Tituba. They are threatened with execution if they divulge anything. Abagail states that she will visit them in the darkness of a terrible night and will bring a pointy reckoning to shake you. (Miller 20). Abagail begins to have a romantic relationship with these girls. They accuse others of witchcraft. This creates an corrupt society filled envy, jealousy, and lying. The town of Salem becomes dark and the residents are determined to get their way, regardless of who is killed. Abagail was John Proctor’s accelerant and match, and it eventually caused the fire to burn.
Abagail will do everything necessary to remove John Proctor’s obstacles or people. Abagail Williams claims Elizabeth hates Elizabeth. She describes Elizabeth as a dark and lying woman who is sniveling. Elizabeth learned that Abagail had an affair and forced Abagail to leave the Proctors’ house. Abagail developed an obsession with John Proctor as a result of the affair. Abagail felt an inexorable anger towards Elizabeth Proctor after she stood between them and John Proctor. Abigail might pretend she is mad at Elizabeth Proctor, but the real emotion is her envy of Elizabeth Proctor’s marriage. Abagail Williams attempts to make John feel bad by calling John names and telling lies about Elizabeth, but it doesn’t work. Abagail is a wicked woman who stabs herself in stomach. Elizabeth was also accused of stabbing Abagail. John discovers that his wife was arrested and he rushes to court to rescue her. John was later convicted of witchcraft after Abagail’s malign actions.
While some may argue that John Proctors is responsible for John’s death, this is absurd since Abagail is what caused it. John was hung because of Abagail’s sexual desires and lust after power. Abagail was granted power and she becomes sinister.
Marry Warren is often believed to have caused John Proctor’s suicide. This is however far from reality. Marry Warren said John Proctor was evil, but this was because Abagail had accused her witchcraft. Mary was transformed into an animal by Mary, she claimed. You can be hung if you’re charged with being a witch but don’t say so. Marry Warren did not do this to save her life. She was afraid and didn’t know how else to proceed.
Abigail’s lies resulted in John Proctor’s passing. It caused greed and jealousy to spread throughout the community, which ultimately led to his death. John Proctor died due to the suicide of Abigail Williams.
