...The play The Crucible written by American play-writer, Arthur Miller, is a play in the form of a tragedy written in 1953. It is a very dramatic scene of a small village Salem, Massachusetts and takestaking place in 1692. Written about the ever so fraudulent Salem witch trials, the characters are vibrant and very expressed in their own personalities. Probably one of the most important characters of the play, Abigail Williams displays numerous amounts of diverse personalities. She reveals herself as being truly evil, very manipulative, and overall a liar throughout the play. She values herself very highly being she made up thousands of lies to cover herself and her “white” name. And overall, this is all caused by the horrible affair between the strong John Proctor and Abigail. Meaning, she has very strong and overwhelming feeling of affection towards John. Abigail shows herself as being evil buy at the beginning of the play where Betty is “sick”. She tells the girls there “. . . Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. . .”. (I.463-468). This is perfect evidence for the assumption of her...
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...Abigail Williams V. Elizabeth Proctor Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor from the 1953 play The Crucible could not be more different. Elizabeth is an honest, caring, religious woman, who cares deeply about her husband and sons. Abigail is a lying, mean, revenge-driven woman, who only has her own self interests at heart. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible takes place in 1692, in the village of Salem. It is about a well-respected farmer, John Proctor, who had an affair with a seventeen-year girl, Abigail Williams. Abigail then goes on to accuse Elizabeth, John’s wife, of witchcraft, to have her imprisoned and hanged. From their personality, to their values, to their feelings, Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor are polar opposites. In a village of sinners, Elizabeth Proctor is a true saint. According to her husband, she has never told a lie. “There are them that cannot sing, and them that cannot weep—my wife cannot lie.” (Miller 520). She is also so kind-hearted and caring, that she refuses to be angry at her husband, despite that fact that he had an affair with another woman. (Miller 489) “with a smile to keep her dignity”. Lastly, she only believes in doing what is right. She refuses to...
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... Critical Lens Someone once said “Evil triumphs when good men do nothing” meaning that when a good person decides to do nothing evil will succeed. For example if someone was getting bullied and an onlooker decide to do nothing than evil would prosper. This quote id false because there in no way to know who is “good” and who is “bad” due to everyone having a different understanding of what is good and what is bad. Some people believe that those who don’t go to church are bad but in reality many people who don’t go to church have better morals than those who do go to church yet the fact they don’t makes them seem bad. Another way this quote is false is that if someone were truly “good” then they wouldn’t stand around and watch as evil prospered. One piece of literature that proves this quote true is The Crucible by Arthur Miller through his use of characterization and conflict. As stated above the quote “Evil Triumphs when good men do nothing” is false due to the elusive from in which “good men” is used. In The Crucible Arthur Millers’ use of characterization proves this quote false. The Crucible is a play about the domino affect which wild accusations about witchcraft caused in a small religious town known as Salem’s Village. In The Crucible Arthur Miller shows that people are ignorant and only care about their well being. Arthur Miller shows this through the characteristics of Parris, Abigail, Marry Warren, and the town’s people. The false accusations...
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...Fernando Leyva English III/ Period 8 The Crucible Essay January 3, 2014 Religion is so strong it can lead to great unimaginable things,but the power of religion has the power to destroy good things and cause havoc amongst firm believers. Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, takes place in the late seventeenth century a horrific event occurred known as the Salem Witch Trials in the town of Salem. Abigail and Elizabeth are perhaps two of his most important main characters in the play. These two represent the "good" and "evil" in the society of the town. Although these two characters were very distinct they shared something very big in common, which was the love for the man John Proctor. Perhaps the love for the same man led one of the two females to be of a greater evil than ever imagined. Elizabeth Proctor was a very more understand and good character in the play. Although she is understand and compassionate she is unforgiving and cold. In Arthur Miller's play, John Proctor says "Oh Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer!" This quote clearly shows how John feels that Elizabeth is unforgiving and cold. For the past months John has been trying to please Elizabeth after his affair with Abigail. John shows his frustration after Elizabeth does not forget about the affair John had. Although Elizabeth is understand she does not forgive or forget easily. Abigail Williams is the "evil" character in the play. Her actions throughout the play caused a lot ...
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...The Crucible In the tragedy play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller there were a lot of characters involved with the Salem witch trials, but there were only three characters who were responsible for it. The Crucible is about the Salem witch trials who several young girls were supposedly afflicted by witchcraft. And so the girls accused innocent people in their town for witchcraft also mostly accusing people who they or their families dislike so they would be hanged. In total 20 people were killed due to the witch trials. The three characters who were responsible for the Salem witch trials are Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris, and Betty Parris. Abigail Williams has most part why the witch trials started because she knew this was all a...
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...The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter are two books that are similar, but also different. Both books are set in early America and the main religion is Puritan. They also have characters who are “rebels” and do something against society’s standards. There are also differences in the books such as, the characters who rebel against society changing their ways and becoming better people vs. characters who don’t change their ways. There is also a difference in how the towns treat the people who sin. The two books have similarities and differences, which I will discuss in this paper. The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter are both set in a Puritan community in early America. “...the people of Salem developed a theocracy, a combine of state and religious power whose function was to keep the community together…” (Miller). “...at a later period in the history of New england, the grim rigidity that petrified the bearded physiognomies of these good people...” (Hawthorne). The Puritan standards are very rigid. They believe that if you commit any sin you should be put in jail or killed. Both books contain characters who are accused of a sin that wouldn’t be as big of a deal now - and punishments that would be considered cruel and unusual punishment now - such as public shame and hanging. Abigail in The Crucible and Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter both commit similar sins. Abigail is intimate with a married man and Hester is intimate with someone who isn’t her husband. “I look for John Proctor...
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...Movies tend to represent pieces of literature very different than the original piece writing. As a result of this, the movie version of a piece of literature may alter one’s view of the original writing due to many different factors. In the movie version of the crucible one may tend to see left out or added scenes that differ from the play. However, although the movie version of a text can sometimes be drastically different than the original piece, just how similar and different really are these two mediums in The Crucible? Despite the altering of some elements of scenes in the movie version of The Crucible, characters tended to remain more similar than they did different. One example of this is portrayed in the character of Abigail Williams....
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...2014 The Good, the Bad, and the Witches Buddha once said, “There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.” His words describe how there is both evil and good in the world. There is also both good and evil in Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible. In 1692, the witch trials played a huge role in the lives of people in Salem, Massachusetts. The townspeople feared witchcraft so much that it created confusion regarding who was actually a witch and who was not. Many accusations were made leaving innocent people responsible for the mysterious acts of witchcraft. Abigail Williams reveals her impurity by doing just this. Abigail constantly lies to the court and does everything in her power to save herself, even if it means falsely accusing others. In Miller's play The Crucible, Abigail Williams proves her impurity of soul by having an affair with John Proctor, lying to the townspeople, and attempting to kill Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail first reveals her impure heart through her love affair with John Proctor. Although Abigail is aware that John is married to Elizabeth Proctor, she does not let their relationship get in the way of her own selfish desires. Johns fends off Abigail when he says “Abigail, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. We never touched Abby” (15). Abigail argues, “Aye, but we did” (15). Here Abigail shows no guilt for her sinful actions. Clearly, she only cares about herself...
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...In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the tone of irony boats from every corner you look, this story casts a mirror onto McCarthyism and reflects the outcomes of this ironic process. The Crucible depicts the reality of the Salem Witch Trials in a time of hysteria and fear. Miller uses a past event to emphasize the effects of unnecessary fear imposed by McCarthyism, indirectly relating to the Salem Witch Trials. Miller’s, The Crucible, is one of irony in which it obliquely equates to the consequences of fear and blaming others by relating the Salem Witch Trials to McCarthyism. Abigail’s intentions regarding John Proctor are nothing if not ironic, you can see this perfectly in which Abigail acted out in a complete façade so that she could be...
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...Fear can lead good people to do horrific acts, especially when religion is involved. For example, in the play The Crucible the girls who was following Abigail knew dancing was considered in Salem as an act of the devil. When they got caught dancing in the forest, they began to think about their punishments in this case, were whippens, jail, or even worse death. They decided to keep following Abigail's lead and began to claim that the devil and these images of the people from Salem tried to make them do horrible things. Soon Abigail started to take advantage of this power and used it for evil. Millers play The Crucible shows us how vengeance and land can determine weather some one lives or dies. It also shows how many accusations can lead...
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...Lindsey Sibille Ms. Gonzales AP English III, 1 16 October 2015 The Crucible Book Card Assignment Authorial Background Arthur Miller is the award-winning playwright of The Crucible along with many other famous plays such as Death Of a Salesman and All My Sons. Born in Manhattan in 1915, Miller experienced the pressing and devastating times of the Great Depression and both World Wars. His first two plays were The Man Who Had All the Luck and All My Sons, with the latter being performed on Broadway in 1949. His next play, Death of A Salesman, received a Tony award, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the Pulitzer prize. These awards allowed him to rise to fame and helped his career skyrocket. Despite his successful playwriting...
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...Centuries of art, literature, thought, and religious doctrine have painted women as temptresses and wicked witches. The female characters in Arthur Miller’s 1953 drama, The Crucible, reflect these ‘evil’ women of myth and legend. The patriarchal, austere society of the Puritan town of Salem during the witch trials demonstrates the societal effect of centuries of female vilification. Powerful women have historically been branded as witches or accused of evil deeds as a way to...
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...“The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.” - Joseph Conrad In The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, the whole town is captivated by paranoia. This play is based on the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 in a small Puritan town in Massachusetts. When a young girl named Betty Parris falls ill, the entire village suspects witchcraft. Even though Betty’s cousin, Abigail Williams, recognizes that the illness is the result of fear and not black magic, she begins blaming innocent people of collaborating with the devil. This quote by Joseph Conrad expresses his thought that a supernatural source of evil is not necessary and that humankind is entirely capable of the depravity in...
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...Condemned Do you know the story of the crucible, if so do remember abigail williams. I just wanted to tell you do you think that abigail is guilty for the lies she made. She has committed in the town of salem. Is Abigail to blame for everything is she responsible? Abigail in the crucible is a very chaotic girl. She is a girl that hates everyone she wants everyone to do what she wants to do. She is a girl who will do something bad and she will get in trouble and she won’t get in trouble. Abigail is a horrible girl she made up a lie to get out of trouble and it cause many of innocent people to die for it. How much is Abigail to blame for the events that took place? She is all to blame for all of the horrifying events that happened in the town of Salem. She did...
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...The endless battle of good and evil is seen everyday, not just with God and Satan or with feuding countries, but with man. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the town of Salem, Massachusetts is facing the dilemma of good vs. evil. Repeatedly, because of the mass hysteria, people of Salem are falsely accused of witchcraft. Unfortunately, with the feud between good and evil, it may seem that evil is winning as one innocent person after the next is persecuted, but we also see the power of the martyrdom. Although “Do that which is good, and no harm shall come to thee” seems to be a logical statement it is incorrect, since bad things do happen to good people, because in the Salem Witch Trials, guilty people are rewarded and innocent people are punished....
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