Abigail Williams is seen as the protagonist in some eyes, and an antagonist in others. Her actions lead to the justification that there is Satan and witchcraft present in Salem. As a result of her false accusations, the obliterations of innocent people became more evident than ever witnessed before. Vengeance, selfishness, and arrogance are just a few of several attributes Williams displays in the play. Throughout The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrays Abigail Williams as these character traits, and along with proof, there can be enough to say that she is the only one to blame for the deaths in Salem.
Abigail Williams uses vengeance as a lethal weapon to bring people face to face with the noose. In the first act of the film, she accuses Tituba …show more content…
Williams’ selfishness is represented in the text when Betty Parris awakens from being “bewitched” in the beginning of the story. Parris yells at the top of her lungs, saying how Williams drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife. Williams’ pure jealousy of Elizabeth Proctor’s covenant with John stirred the creation of a new motive: to drink a potion and murder Elizabeth. This is a clear act of selfishness. When she goes to look for John Proctor after this scene in the film, people turn to her, men stare at her, and girls whisper and gossip about her. She acts like she is used to being admired and loved by complete strangers; this is the origin of an egotistical personality. Abigail Williams will definitely go out of her way to eliminate anyone standing in the path between her and her goal. Another example of selfishness is when Williams confronts John Proctor behind the house in both the play and the film. She talks to him about “seeing” her. Williams says, “ ‘And you must. You are no wintry man. I know you, John. I know you.’ She is weeping. ‘I cannot sleep for dreamin; I cannot dream but I wake and walk about the house as though I’d find you comin’ through some door.’ She clutches him desperately.” Notice how it says that she clutches him desperately. This action illustrates that she wants Proctor for her own selfish reasons. In order to achieve the status of being Proctor’s …show more content…
Williams reveals her character as superior to the entire town, but she actually comes off as arrogant to John Proctor and to the audience. When Williams engages in a conversation with John Proctor behind Betty’s house, she compares herself to Elizabeth, referring to her as a “sickly wife” and presenting herself to Proctor as a superior character over his own wife. As he hears this, he is angry at himself for getting into this situation because he realizes what a great mistake he has made, and he snaps back at her. Williams then continues on and says how her name is “blackening in the village” by Elizabeth. Williams puts herself at the top as someone who everyone should be expected to know and adore. Her arrogance gets the best of her when she is talking to people older than her. Another example of arrogance Williams presents in The Crucible is when she decided to face Judge Danforth while he was accusing Mary Warren of being a witch. Williams continues to say that Warren is lying, whilst Danforth grows suspicious and ends up questioning Williams about the purity of her choices and her credibility. She was arrogant enough to temporarily question Danforth’s accusation when he judges one innocent or guilty to witchcraft. This is a huge advancement on Williams’ part, considering the huge age difference and contrast between the social status of both of their
Abigail Williams uses vengeance as a lethal weapon to bring people face to face with the noose. In the first act of the film, she accuses Tituba …show more content…
Williams’ selfishness is represented in the text when Betty Parris awakens from being “bewitched” in the beginning of the story. Parris yells at the top of her lungs, saying how Williams drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife. Williams’ pure jealousy of Elizabeth Proctor’s covenant with John stirred the creation of a new motive: to drink a potion and murder Elizabeth. This is a clear act of selfishness. When she goes to look for John Proctor after this scene in the film, people turn to her, men stare at her, and girls whisper and gossip about her. She acts like she is used to being admired and loved by complete strangers; this is the origin of an egotistical personality. Abigail Williams will definitely go out of her way to eliminate anyone standing in the path between her and her goal. Another example of selfishness is when Williams confronts John Proctor behind the house in both the play and the film. She talks to him about “seeing” her. Williams says, “ ‘And you must. You are no wintry man. I know you, John. I know you.’ She is weeping. ‘I cannot sleep for dreamin; I cannot dream but I wake and walk about the house as though I’d find you comin’ through some door.’ She clutches him desperately.” Notice how it says that she clutches him desperately. This action illustrates that she wants Proctor for her own selfish reasons. In order to achieve the status of being Proctor’s …show more content…
Williams reveals her character as superior to the entire town, but she actually comes off as arrogant to John Proctor and to the audience. When Williams engages in a conversation with John Proctor behind Betty’s house, she compares herself to Elizabeth, referring to her as a “sickly wife” and presenting herself to Proctor as a superior character over his own wife. As he hears this, he is angry at himself for getting into this situation because he realizes what a great mistake he has made, and he snaps back at her. Williams then continues on and says how her name is “blackening in the village” by Elizabeth. Williams puts herself at the top as someone who everyone should be expected to know and adore. Her arrogance gets the best of her when she is talking to people older than her. Another example of arrogance Williams presents in The Crucible is when she decided to face Judge Danforth while he was accusing Mary Warren of being a witch. Williams continues to say that Warren is lying, whilst Danforth grows suspicious and ends up questioning Williams about the purity of her choices and her credibility. She was arrogant enough to temporarily question Danforth’s accusation when he judges one innocent or guilty to witchcraft. This is a huge advancement on Williams’ part, considering the huge age difference and contrast between the social status of both of their