One important theme of the play “The Crucible”, written by Arthur Miller, is revenge, as is shown in the jealousy and hatred that turn people in the Puritanical township of Salem against each other, resulting in the deaths of many innocent lives. For such an idea to be made effective to the audience, the playwright chiefly relies on the characterizations of Abigail Williams, the Putnams as well as Reverend Paris, who manipulate the prevalent superstition as well as people’s ignorance to successfully carry out her malicious revenge. Abigail Williams, a strong-minded young woman, is committed to her personal vendetta as she has a strong physical desire for John Procter. She is a vindictive and ruthless character, and will not hesitate to put anyone to death if they stand in her way of revenge. This vindictive hatred from Abigail soon prompts a witch hunt involving many innocent people: “Twelve have already hanged for the same crime.” While many panics, John Procter knows this from the start ; “this is a whore’s vengeance”.
One of the girls, Abigail Williams, is the cause of all wrong accusations and innocent deaths in Salem, thus making her the antagonist of the play. First, Abigail conducts in a brief affair with John proctor; then, she seeks vengeance
She shows that she is determined by trying her best to condemn Elizabeth Proctor to death just to be with her husband John Proctor. She threatens to death any girl who goes against her revealing that she is extremely controlling. Abigail is also a very dishonest person because she steals all of her Uncle Reverend Parris money, leaving him penniless. This also shows that she is ungrateful because he took her in, and now does this to him. This quote “[…] Let either of you breathe a word and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.” Shows her desperation and truly violent mind while she tries to control the mistake she’s made, but to control this mistake she must control those around her who know of it.
Towards the end of Act II he starts to have some suspicion on what is going on because now Elizabeth Proctor is accused of witchcraft. During the middle and end of Act III when John Proctor is testifying and Abigail is doing her hallucination. Hale begins to join John, Giles, and Francis against the court. He sees the truth on why the trials are happening and he tries to help them out. “I beg you, stop now before another is condemned!
Abigail’s greed was the most destructive to the outcome of this story. She destroyed most people’s reputation in the town. Many innocent people are hanged for crimes they did not commit including John Proctor. Abigail wanted to get rid of John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth, and Elizabeth was charged with consorting with the devil. Abigail new the punishment for the crime of witchcraft was hanging and carried out her accusation so that she and Jon could “dance upon her grave together.”(Act 3) John Proctor is also charged with witch craft; he had a choice of lying about consorting with the devil or keeping his integrity.
They were convicted by people at least as themselves, largely on the evidence of four young girls who had been caught dancing in the moonlight and laid their dissolute behavior to the influence of Satan. Innocent people are accused and convicted of witchcraft on the most
Abigial really ignites the fire by blaming Tituba for "bewitching her". As soon as Tituba confesses to witchcraft, to save her herself, and tells Mr. Hale and Rev. Parris that she saw Goody Good and Goody Osburn with the devil, all the girls start naming off names of women all around Salem that they supposedly saw with the Devil. Mary Warren is to blame for many innocent deaths as well. Mary was the housewife for John and Elizabeth Proctor.
In order for Abigail to enact revenge, she starts malicious rumors about Elizabeth. Abigail claims that Elizabeth was performing witchcraft
The Puritans in The Scarlet Letter ironically condemn Hester by hypocritically reacting to her sin and by foolishly praising the preacher who actually committed adultery with her. Once the puritans realize Hester was pregnant, they began to condemn her and give her harsh consequences. All together they banished her from the town and tried to take her daughter away from her. These consequences were given hypocritically since the majority of the town participated in witchcraft. The town, in order to justify it's sin, acted like they actually held standards by harshly attacking Hester's sin.
A crucible represents the events in the town because it suggests how the town is boiling due to all the incidences going on within the society and how the court is trying to purify Salem of witchcraft and evil. The poppet represents the witchcraft within the play, because these types of dolls are connected to voodoo and other superstitious deeds that the Puritans considered evil. As it was found in the hands of the accused Elizabeth Proctor, they immediately concluded she was associated with witchcraft, this is obvious when Ezekiel Cheever says “’Tis hard proof! I find here a poppet Goody Proctor keeps.” When Abigail accuses Mary Warren of sending her spirit out to harm her in the church, Abigail uses the symbol of a bird and relates it to evil when she says “Why do you come, yellow bird?” Throughout history, bird