How Does Abigail Williams Use Power In The Crucible

Power in the wrong hands is a dangerous weapon. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, one of the key focuses is the abuse of power. In the play, one character who shows the abuse of authority or power is Abigail Williams. Abigail consistently demonstrates a cunning and manipulative nature, using lies and deceit to maintain her reputation and to accomplish her selfish objectives. In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, Abigail Williams illustrates the danger of unrestrained power and authority by abusing power through exploitation and duplicity, which ultimately leads to a tragic ending. Throughout the play, Abigail Williams goes to great lengths to preserve or maintain her reputation. In the beginning of the play, Abigail coerces the other girls into lying to conceal the truth about …show more content…
On page 1156, in Act 1, Abigail says, “I saw Sarah. Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” This evidence proves how Abigail started to accuse a lot of people and took advantage of the situation to protect herself. Therefore, Abigail's ability to manipulate and exploit gives her power, showcasing her determination and willingness to do whatever it takes to protect her reputation. Over the course of the play, Abigail consistently deceives others to maintain control over the situation. She lies about seeing spirits and pretending to be attacked by supernatural forces. On page 1177, in Act 2, Cheever says, “[Paris] draw a needle out. And demandin’ of [Abigail] how she come to be so stabbed, she testify it were [Elizebeth] familiar spirit pushed it in.” This evidence exposes Abigail's deception by inventing false stories of being stabbed by Elizebeth's spirits and faking supernatural attacks to manipulate others. Another indication is when Mary Warren starts to tell the truth, Abigail falsely accuses her of bewitching