During the Salem Witch Trials, innocent lives were taken at the hands of mass hysteria. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams started to accuse people of witchcraft and more girls followed her lead. Most people would think that because of this, Abigail is the only one to blame for starting the hysteria.While Abigail is to blame for her actions, the true root of her motivation can be traced back to John Proctor. He cheated on his wife with Abigail but broke it off after she found out, causing her to want his wife out of the way so she could be with him. He let the witch trials go on, even though he knew Abigail’s real intentions the entire time. John Proctor is not a tragic hero. John’s affair with Abigail caused the Salem Witch
