The Crucible And Rsquo Analysis

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‘Abigail Williams is the most important character in The Crucible, whether she is on stage, or not.’ Discuss this statement, with reference to language, structure and dramatic devices. The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller, and is about the persecution of persons falsely accused of being witches in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, based on a true story. Many people died in villages after a series of lies and unjust practices, which is the core foundation of the play, the illusory untruth and the dishonesty of sly females to their male counterparts, and in some extent to other females; trying avoid the unmerited punishment of execution. Abigail Williams, after having had an affair with a married man named John Proctor,…show more content…
By this I mean she has the ability bring the audience out of their comfort zone. Examples of this are, when Abigail is threatening Betty and the girls. As one of the main characters in the play, “The Crucible”, many of the significant events which include in Abigail’s life are offstage. For example; the death of her parents, her affair with John Proctor, the girls dancing in the woods, and her final disappearance in Act 4. This could be hindsight of her unimportance, or whether the director is suggesting that showing Abigail’s life is unnecessary. Or it could be interpreted that Abigail is influential even when she is offstage. We initially see Abigail in moments of high tension and anxiety which is built when she is offstage. Examples of this are when the Proctor’s are arguing. She has the ability to build up a climax into a higher level and then to defuse it by ending an act – turning it into an anti-climax. Moments of high tension include the initial accusations of witches, and John Proctors attempt to undermine Abigail. This could suggest that Abigail Williams is only part of the play to relieve or exacerbate problems occurring in the play, demoting her from the category of being the most important character in, “The…show more content…
In the 1690’s, the character of Abigail Williams would be dreadful and obnoxious. Her actions of adultery would deem her imprisonment not only for herself, but for John Proctor. It is her latter actions of perverting the court of Justice which would sentence her for imprisonment in the 21st century. Her criminal offence and her personality of being malicious and wicked, however powerful and mature, allow the audience to appreciate the story and realise that she is pivotal in the play. She is a character who appears in critical parts of the play, and adds crucial information by her language, gestures and actions. Her importance is so much to a great extent that her presence is felt on stage even if she is not in reality on stage. The foundation of the story would be inconclusive without her additional lies and secrets, which she is able to puppeteer into a web of fiction and falsehood, fabricating the facts. Her great looks and her use of pity allow her a stranglehold on men, showing that she is more than capable of “dissembling” even the respectable of males, such as reverend Samuel Parris. Her minor role in speech can be compared to the vast dialogue of other characters such as Proctor. However, it is for John Proctor who is most notably in each and
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