The people of the town were pressured, accused, and tested simple tests but the girls would scream with such pain whenever the accused spoke. The victims, the girls, and the judges all were consumed in the anarchy and lost all sanity. Were people convicted of not only being witches in Salem but across the country suspicion arose and people convicted women of being witches for the simplest causes. Two girls took a joke way too far and caused disorder across the country. Not all "witches" were from Salem, MA.
Hysteria in Salem In 1692, in Salem Massachusetts, the superstition of witches existed in a society of strong Christian beliefs. Anybody who acted out of the ordinary was accused of being a witch and the accused would actually be forgiven if they blamed their accusations on another individual. In this play, a group of young girls is accused of being witches. These girls then blame other people in order to get out of trouble and even pretend to be "bewitched" in front of the court during a trial. This leads into the deaths of the innocent people who are accused and automatically found guilty.
His fickle favor toward his servants, and not to mention his family, proves his inconsistency and instability. Although appointed by the gods, his reign has exposed the abused and misused privilege of representing the gods in his earthly position. King Creon’s irrational edict stated that any man who dares to bury Polyneices would suffer death by stoning. Is it a mere human’s prerogative to determine another man’s eternal fate? Because Antigone had nothing left to live for, while knowing the sentence of stoning, Antigone defied King Creon’s edict in order to fulfill her duty.
Because he was blind to the prophecy, he blinds himself to remember everything he had done. His fate would have been execution, but by punishing himself, he makes other believe that he is punished. In addition to Oedipus avoiding his fate he is a coward in terms of his actions. He tells Creon to exile him far away because he is too afraid to deal with all that has happed. When he says “Drive me out of this country as quickly as may be to a place where no human voice can ever greet me.” (Ln.
Symbolism in The Scottish Play In this dark play, the symbol of blood becomes quite apparent. Not only is this dire word mentioned over forty times, but it is also a driving and reoccurring figure that greatly affects a number of characters. Both Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, deeply feel the guilt and sin that is caused by this symbol. Blood is a haunting stain that symbolically does not leave the hands of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as it drives them to their downfall. The idea of blood in other works and novels typically evokes the idea of slaughter and massacre.
John also detests vanity and greed. He completely stopped going to church because Parris would “…preach nothin’ but golden candlesticks until he had them.” he said “…it hurt my prayer, sir…” to “…see my money glaring at his elbows.” John Proctor’s motivation in the play was to save his wife from being accused as a witch in court. At the end of Act II, his wife is taken by Danforth because she was accused by Abigail of practicing voodoo, and attempted
A Grave Repercussion Emotions can be fatal when left to fester. Often, people’s feelings can cause their rationality to decay and drive them towards abnormal behavior. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia snaps under the heartache of her fathers’ death, forcing her into madness. Eventually, her anguish throws her into a grave with which she cannot escape. The grief she suffers is what leads to her derangement, and in turn, her own death.
He even gets mad at her, saying that he “will not have [her] susp[ect] any more” (Miller, 54). To stop the reminders his wife gives him of his infidelity, he upbraids her. Elizabeth becomes the innocent victim of Proctor’s wrongdoing. Guilt affects others, not only the sinners. Furthermore, Proctor is guilty of dishonesty because he is the only person who knows that Abigail’s allegations of witchcraft are fraudulent but he is too afraid for his reputation to tell the truth and risk exposing his adultery.
Mike McCracken American Literature Who is to blame? In The Crucible, the character Abigail Williams is to blame for the 1692 witch trials. Abigail is a mean and vengeful person who always wants her way, no matter who she hurts. Throughout the play her accusations and lies cause many people pain and suffering, but she seemed to never care for any of them except John Proctor, whom she had an affair with seven months prior to the beginning of the play. John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth had employed Abigail, until Elizabeth found out the affair and threw Abigail out.
Although his wife, Elizabeth Proctor is nice enough that can forgive his sin, John Proctor has his mind set that he will not confess to anyone else, in fear of running his good name. The affair between John and Abigail causes the start of chaotic witchery and accusation. Abigail became very jealous of Elizabeth Proctor. John realizes there is only way to stop all the witch hysteria in Salem, and that would be to confess adultery. He knows what he should do, but he continues to deny, until his wife is put into jail.