Another reason their relationship is dangerous is that if John Procter were to prosecute against Abigail Williams saying that she is in fact a witch, Abigail Williams could very easily tell the entire town that she and Procter have been having an affair to get revenge on him. It wouldn’t really affect her too much, but on the contrary, it would ruin his reputation in the town and his relationship with his wife. Later in Act I, Abigail is being “interrogated” by Reverend Hale and she claims “I never sold myself! I’m a good girl! I’m a proper girl!” (Miller 40) in this statement, Abigail is defending herself that she never sold herself to the devil.
In Arthur Millers play The Crucible, Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor are two very different characters. Abigail being a selfish and heartless girl, Elizabeth is a kind and honest woman. Abigail used her own personal grudge against Elizabeth motive for accusing her of witchcraft. Their hatred had been long standing, mainly because John Proctor Elizabeth’s husband was having an affair with Abigail. Elizabeth’s coldness was the main cause of her husband’s disloyalty but she forgives him and does what is possible to keep her family together which is the most significant thing to her.
The main person behind the accusations is Abigail Williams, the head minister of the town’s niece, she watches cold heartedly innocent people being hung for her false indictment. Thus, Abigail’s lack of guilt is her despicable quality. Primarily, the girls promised each other to keep the secret of the night they danced
Hale claims that Tituba is “‘selected’” and is “‘chosen to cleanse our village’” (848). She knows that by calling out names of people who are the “‘devil’s agents’” (848), she will not be in trouble. She cries out, “and there was Goody Good” and “‘Goody Osburn’” (848), in front of everyone. Being that she is God’s representative to accuse the witches, she has the power to make everyone believe in her. Before, no one will listen or take her seriously to a word she said, but she now has a position of authority from which to name the secret sins of other Salem residents.
When Proctor had to go to the court to get his wife out of being accused of upholding witchcraft he eventually confess to his sins he committed. Talking to Danforth, Proctors says “I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweet. But it is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands” (page 49 act three) confessing to the crime he did. He realizes what he did was wrong which was why he tried to hide it for so long. But the only way for
Hester is the least sinful because she only committed adultrey and that she never told Arthur chillingworth was her husband. The next most sinful person is Reverend Arthur dimmesdale. For example, When the puritans trusted him and thought " Wow he is an amazing minister!" little did they all know that he was a father to little pearl. He hid behind religion and he couldnt be honest with the puritans and confess his sin of being a father.
Miller portrays the start of her vengeful needs through an intimate love and hate scene between the two characters, resulting in Proctor disowning their previous relationship: “Abby, I [Proctor] may think of you softly from time to time, but I will cut off my own hand before I’ll ever reach for you again… we never touched, Abby.” Proctor rejects any attempted reconnections with Abigail, implying he is committed to his wife, Elizabeth. This honesty from Proctor, whom she revered and adored, pains her in ways she cannot comprehend, leaving her cold and merciless as she attempts to shield herself from the unbearable scars Proctor left her. Miller’s use of “cut of my own hand” reveals Proctor’s emotions during the scene: exhaustive and slightly guilty. However, he feels frightened by Abigail intense pressure to make him hers, and
Abigail purposely plants false evidence inside the Proctors’ home by manipulating Mary Warren, the Proctors’ teenage servant. In Act II, Abigail gives Mary a poppet – a doll typically associated with witchcraft – who in turn gives it to Elizabeth. Later, this poppet is used as a weapon against Elizabeth because Abigail accuses her of using the poppet to bewitch her. “‘Stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. 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).
Though John had already confessed his affair in front of the entire court, when Elizabeth is questioned she denies it, claiming that “[her] husband is a goodly man” (3.949-50). Her lying is understandable though because naturally when people are placed in situations where their words literally determine the life or death of a loved one, they will lie to protect them. However, it is not seen that way, and causes controversy since Proctor previously claimed that his wife never lied; this is a turning point in Elizabeth’s character because it proves Elizabeth still loves her husband enough to even defy her commitment to always tell the truth. Later, after the court deems John as a threat, both Elizabeth and John are sentenced to prison allowing Elizabeth ample time to properly assess her marital problems. She eventually comes to the conclusion that the affair was partially her fault and confesses to John that “[she] counted [herself] so plain, so poorly made; no honest love could come to [her]”
Not only did Abigail accuse innocent people of witchcraft, but also had an affair with a married man, John Proctor. In the late 1600’s it was said to be a sin to sleep with a married man. Because of her affair with John Proctor, I think that Abigail ended up falling in love with John and wanted his wife out of the picture, hence the reason why she falsely accuses her. “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men!