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”. He tersely identifies the main cause for the witch trials to be directly linked with a spurned lover, who has become disemployed by Procter after having a brief extra-marital affair with her. Still overwhelmed with lustful feelings for John Procter, Abigail decides to manipulate the situation by accusing innocent people of witchcraft, to achieve her own revengeful goal. Abigail is not the only one who takes advantage of the witch trials, to accomplish their revenge. Thomas and Ann Putnam, as a resentful and greedy couple, will take it out on anyone who has caused them trouble.
Throughout the entire play, Abigail Williams uses her good name to control Salem by accusing people of witchcraft, which results in the deaths of many people in the town. After witnessing Tituba confess to Reverend Hale, Abigail confesses “I saw Sarah Good with the devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the devil!” (Miller 189). Abigail realizes that by giving the names of people she saw with the devil she can control Salem because she has a good name and people will listen to her.
Near the end of the play she admits to her crimes, further solidifying her guilt. Still, however guilty she may be, Lady Macbeth’s greatest skill lies in her aptitude for deception and cunning. During Macbeth, Lady Macbeth forces her husband to do her bidding and commit vile murders using a variety of methods and means. Chief amongst her tools are the arts of persuasion and deception, both of which she teaches to Macbeth. As she receives a letter from her husband, she says, “...I may pour my spirits into thine ear and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round”(I v 25-26), proving that she plans to convince Macbeth to remove all that impedes him from the crown, clearing the way for her to be queen.
A crucible is a severe test as of patients or belief, a trial. The play The Crucible is a journey through the trials of many townspeople caused by the superstitious belief of witchcraft. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller progresses and evolves the outlooks and views of the townspeople of Salem and shows how events, people, and catastrophes cause the characters to change their views on whether the people prosecuted were guilty or innocent of witchcraft. Reverend John Hale changes his view, more and more drastically as the play advances, as a result of the events that he underwent and the experiences he had. Soon he had total belief in the innocence of all those convicted and hung in Salem.
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
Many of these characters go through life changing events that change them forever. Even the neighbors suddenly turn on each other and accuse people they’ve known for years of practicing witchcraft and devil-worship. The town of Salem falls into mass hysteria, “an uncontrollable outburst of emotion or fear.” Arthur Miller’s play, “The Crucible” is about the Salem witch trials in 1860. These were classic examples of mass hysteria, resulting in the hanging of a great many respectable men and woman of charges of “trafficking” with the devil. 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.
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. John Proctor died a positive role model for the community and his children, and went to death with his soul and integrity. Similarity, In “Macbeth” individuals are killed for greed of power. Macbeth makes foolish decisions that lead him to paranoia, grief and his downfall. “Where our actions do not, our fears do make us traitors.” (Act IV, Scene 2) Macbeth’s downfall is attributed to a sense of over-confidence and ambition Macbeth’s destruction.
Brooks contrasts a strong feminist theme and positions us to see their heroic gestures to the weaknesses of men as the villagers are faced with great tragedies. Joss Bont is one of the villains of the plague year. Brooks positions us to see that Joss views the tragedy merely as an opportunity, and his extreme greed and insensitivity know no bounds. His exploitation of the dying and their families makes us see that Anna is glad she no longer shares a last name with him. When Bont adds attempted murder to his other crimes, the demoralized village finally calls him to account.
Yet with all his educations, he still believes the girls lies. Later in the play, John Proctor comes to him and tries to expose the girls as frauds. However Danforth has already said that these people are witches, and to admit that he was wrong would be to undermine his authority. Danforth says to Proctor: “Do you take it upon your self to determine what this court shall believe and what it shall set aside?” (Miller 79) Again we see the essence of The Crucible, people placing their reputations or their longing for power before truth and
And demandin’ of her how she come to be so stabbed, she testify it were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in’” (Miller 71). Spoken by Ezekiel Cheever, a clerk of the court, this dialogue shows that Abigail purposely stabs herself to make it seem as if it were the evil act of Elizabeth’s spirit. When the townsmen search the Proctors’ home, they discover the poppet with a needle poked in it (Abigail’s doing). Elizabeth is arrested, and Abigail is satisfied – for the time being. John Proctor, on the other hand, is outraged because he clearly knows the real motive behind Abigail’s deceitful