The trials start, in which the girls act as though they have a direct connection to God, led by the now powerful Abigail. Townsfolk soon have suspicions of Miss Williams affair with John, Abigail finds this power she has and takes advantage of it. One accusation against even the most well-respected villagers accused of devil worship was prosecuted. Abigail is convinced that after her affair with John Proctor, that he is in love with her, her jealousy of his wife and desire for him gets out of hand, she is labelled a “whore” and a “harlot”. John Proctor – John is an honest, blunt-spoken, good man with a temper.
Othello was not a guillable man but he was a believer in anyone. But Desdemona had the bad end of it all because she got blamed for being disloyal to her husband. Iago was a selfish man but more importantly he was a cold hearted man that wanted everyone to feel the same way as he did. Iago had a jealous heart as well and couldn't stand the fact that love was in the air. In Othello, both themes of jealousy and hate were amoungst the main characters and developed new accuasations throughout the play.
John is a vainglorious man, but love makes him brave to face his sin. This is also one of the biggest severe tests John confronts. John died for his name, and many other reasons. He is a man of pride. John is given a chance to confess himself of witchery.
The judge wanted everyone to think he was so innocent, but in fact, he was overwhelmingly selfish. Judge Pyncheon is similar to Cap, from The Pathfinder. Although he is not the most visible antagonist in the novel, his attitude of greed, superiority, and ignorance, cause him to be intellectually blinded. He is unable to judge the people around him, and puts his trust in the worst villains, such as the Tuscarora Arrowhead, and Corporal Muir, while being suspicious of the faithful Jasper. Cap and Judge Pyncheon are similar because they both have their outrageous moments.
The perhaps most critical theme in ‘The Crucible’ is the role that hysteria can play in tearing apart a community. Hysteria replaces logic and enables people to believe that their neighbors, whom they have always considered upstanding people, are committing absurd and unbelievable crimes—communing with the devil, killing babies, and so on. In ‘The Crucible’, the townsfolk accept and become active in the hysterical climate not only out of genuine religious faithfulness but also because it gives them a chance to express repressed sentiments and to act on long-held grudges. The most obvious case is Abigail, who uses the situation to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft and have her sent to jail. But others thrive on the hysteria as well: Reverend Parris strengthens his position within the village, albeit temporarily, by making scapegoats of people like Proctor who question his authority.
Claudius is revealed to be a two-faced character and a ‘smiling damned villain’. The word damned suggests that Claudius has damned himself to hell in a religious sense, as he has committed murder of the king which is seen as very punishable also in a superstitious sense. This demonstrates the problems existing in the ruling class, and how they aren’t necessarily good people, just because they have a lot of power in that society. The Queen is described as a ‘seeming-virtuous queen’ , and this suggests that she acts like a good queen but isn’t grieving enough for her deceased husband; as she has quickly re-married to his brother. This is seen as disrespectful from Hamlets point of view throughout the play, as he never accepts Claudius to be a replacement to his father, and never really approves of his mother’s re-marriage.
Arrogance in pride has the potential to ruin a man’s integrity, destroy his life, and even drive a settlement to insanity. Salem experiences all of the previous and more because of the arrogance of those involved in the Salem Witch Trials. Nathan Hale is one of the few men involved in the trials who had potential to prevent its tragedies from ever occurring. When Reverend Hale was summoned to Salem, he was quick to let his “extensive” dealing with witchcraft be known. Though he is more a man of God than Parris, he is not without his faults, and his faults will prove fatal.
Now from those brief descriptions we can already see the difference in the characterization of all three characters. Although Abigail’s character appears to be one that is instantly dislikeable because of her selfish ways, she is by no means stupid. She knows how to manipulate other people into acting the way that she wants them to act and her control over them is what makes her an effective antagonist. Mrs. Putnam on the other hand appears not to have been as well educated as Abigail. She instantly jumps to the conclusion that witchcraft is afoot, which is apparent when she states “Mark it for a sign, mark it!” when Betty thrashes in her “trance.” She is also paranoid by the fact that there must be some paranormal reason as to why her babies have perished.
Firstly, Deception is a major theme within the play. Despite Richard’s physical deformity he was still charismatic and could effectively play with people’s emotions. Richard, after killing Anne’s husband seeks to gain her hand in marriage but was cursed by her saying "Never hung poison on a fouler toad. Out of my sight! Thou dost infect mine eyes.” In spite of her obvious dislike towards him, he successfully wins her over by falsely proclaiming his love for her saying “Your beauty was the cause of that effect; Your beauty: which did haunt me in my sleep.” The diction used in this scene highlights Richard’s deceiving skills.
He sins against his whole family and by thinking that love can be quantified. And as it turns out, Lear isn’t only separating his family but power and responsibility as well. His very unpredictable, easily aggravated temper causes him to act wrongly and irrationally towards Cordelia, his favorite daughter who, he believes has betrayed her. Lear cannot understand that anyone’s, let alone his daughter’s, love for him could be ‘nothing’. I think pride, anger and greed for power prompted Lear to make the decision of giving up the kingdom to his malicious, hateful and ungrateful daughters, Regan and Cordelia.