The Crucible (Salem Witch Trials)

The Salem Witch Trials The play written by Arthur Miller, The Crucible, reveals the characters' true, private emotions and desires for each other and about themselves. The feelings that these characters had contributed to the outbreak of the witch trials in the town of Salem.

For instance, the young woman, Abigail Williams, was completely in love with John Proctor who was married to Elizabeth Proctor at the time. Abigail was the Proctors' maid. John and Abigail had an affair and Elizabeth had pretty good reason to know what was going on between the two. To rid of this affair, Elizabeth kicked Abigail out of her house.

Abigail, clearly being upset by the fact that she could not see the one and only love of her life, held a massive grudge against Elizabeth for kicking her out. Abigail wanted Elizabeth dead so she could marry Proctor despite the large age difference between the man and the teenager.

"The witch no. 1" lithograph

Present-day archaeological site of the Salem Villa...

Digitally restored version of Commons file File:Gi...

The witch trials began in Salem a few months afterward. People were accusing others left and right just because they noticed strange behavior or they might have not liked one another. Abigail had not a second thought about accusing Elizabeth of performing witchcraft. Abigail was determined to get John. Her personal emotions and feelings towards John, and her hatred towards Elizabeth is what landed Elizabeth in jail and soon to be hanged. Luckily, as it turns out, Elizabeth ended up pregnant. Therefore her hanging was to be delayed the nine months that the baby was in her womb. By the time she had her baby, the trials were over and she was free to go.

Another example of emotions taking over involved a man named Reverend Samuel Parris. He was a new reverend that came to the Church of God in Salem. A...