As people were condemned for witchcraft, jealousy ravaged the village of Salem in 1692.
Arthur Miller expands on this time of great resentment in his theatrical drama The Crucible, particularly in Abigail Williams, who uses the witch trials as a catalyst to achieve her own personal agenda. On the receiving end of Abigail’s wrath is rival Elizabeth Proctor, wife of the man she had an affair with and complete opposite in both demeanor and character development. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor grows into a woman who respects her husband’s decisions from a frigid and paranoid wife while Abigail attempts to use the trials to her advantage but eventually spirals out of control. In the beginning of the play, Elizabeth Proctor …show more content…
When word of their actions from the previous night spreads as talk of witchcraft, Abigail threatens to “bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder [the other girls]” if any of them “[breathes] a word, or the edge of word about the [anything other than the dancing]” (19). By threatening the other girls, Abigail takes a commanding lead into a situation that could damage her image if the truth is revealed to the people of Salem. She also uses her influence over the girls to protect her reputation in the town and from a possible death in a society where witchcraft is the ultimate sin. When being questioned for possible false accusations, Abigail questions Deputy Governor Danforth if he “think [himself] so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn on [his] wits” (100). As Abigail attempts to keep herself in charge, she also threatens the lives of people who are being accused in the trials, valuing her own reputation over life and potential murder. Furthermore, she speaks out against and even threatens authority as a young woman in the Puritan era where women were not expected to be seen or heard, which the extent to which she is willing to keep her authority in the court because Abigail would not have any power otherwise in this society. Because of the trials, Abigail
Arthur Miller expands on this time of great resentment in his theatrical drama The Crucible, particularly in Abigail Williams, who uses the witch trials as a catalyst to achieve her own personal agenda. On the receiving end of Abigail’s wrath is rival Elizabeth Proctor, wife of the man she had an affair with and complete opposite in both demeanor and character development. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor grows into a woman who respects her husband’s decisions from a frigid and paranoid wife while Abigail attempts to use the trials to her advantage but eventually spirals out of control. In the beginning of the play, Elizabeth Proctor …show more content…
When word of their actions from the previous night spreads as talk of witchcraft, Abigail threatens to “bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder [the other girls]” if any of them “[breathes] a word, or the edge of word about the [anything other than the dancing]” (19). By threatening the other girls, Abigail takes a commanding lead into a situation that could damage her image if the truth is revealed to the people of Salem. She also uses her influence over the girls to protect her reputation in the town and from a possible death in a society where witchcraft is the ultimate sin. When being questioned for possible false accusations, Abigail questions Deputy Governor Danforth if he “think [himself] so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn on [his] wits” (100). As Abigail attempts to keep herself in charge, she also threatens the lives of people who are being accused in the trials, valuing her own reputation over life and potential murder. Furthermore, she speaks out against and even threatens authority as a young woman in the Puritan era where women were not expected to be seen or heard, which the extent to which she is willing to keep her authority in the court because Abigail would not have any power otherwise in this society. Because of the trials, Abigail