There are many characters responsible for the witch trials in Salem. There are three characters particularly at fault. Abigail Williams accuses many people of witchcraft. Parris is aware that the girls were partaking in dancing and possible rituals and he does not mention it to anyone. Mary Warren is at fault because she would not testify against Abigail in court. There are numerous characters responsible for the Salem witch trials, but Abigail Williams, Parris, and Mary Warren are most at fault.
Abigail Williams initially starts the witch trials. She has an affair with John Proctor. She then becomes unhealthily obsessed with him. She decides to try and kill his wife, Elizabeth, by partaking in a ritual and drinking chicken blood. Back in those times, this was a legitimate attempted murder. The people of Salem actually did believe that this would kill someone. Therefore, Abigail is really the only one to ever partake in the dark art of witchcraft in Salem. She blames others to take suspicion off of herself. She threatens the other girls with death should they report her ruse. “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” (20). They believe she will kill them if they say anything to contradict her. She then attempts to kill John Proctor’s wife by accusing her of witchcraft. She causes much chaos within the town. Abigail is the most at fault for the witch trials in Salem, but her uncle, Reverend Parris, is also partly to blame.
Parris is a greedy reverend. He worries only about himself and his position of power. He knows that Abigail and the other girls were partaking in rituals, however, he does nothing about it. He is afraid that if it is found out that his daughter and niece are found out to be lying and sentencing people to death, that he, in turn, will be removed from power as the town’s reverend. Therefore, even when good people’s lives depend upon it, he does not mention what he witnessed. He says to Judge Danforth when John Proctor gives the evidence that Abigail is lying “Excellency, you surely cannot think to let so vile a lie be spread in open court” (89)! He denies that his niece is, even though the evidence against her is immense. Parris is, in fact, a very bad minister. However, Mary Warren does not help to dismiss Abigail’s lies either.
Mary Warren is more or less a friend of Abigail’s. She is a very naive and weak-minded girl. She is not a leader. She is a follower. She follows Abigail out of fear. When John Proctor tells her to testify against her in court, she refuses, saying such things as “I cannot do it, I cannot” (80)! She has a great fear of Abby. She truly believes that defying Abigail Williams will result in her own death. She testifies only because John Proctor threatens her life. “I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me” (80)! John Proctor is referencing the fact that he will kill Mary Warren, lest she testify against Abigail to prove his wife’s innocence. Perhaps, if Mary Warren held her ground and stood firm, the people of Salem would start to notice that the other girls were lying.
Abigail Williams commits the crime of adultery with John Proctor. She then tries to kill his wife by drinking blood. She is discovered attempting to conjure spirits in the forest, however, by her uncle, and is found out. She tries to keep suspicion off of herself by accusing others of witchcraft. Her uncle, Reverend Parris, is afraid of losing his position of power within the town of Salem and so he goes along with her accusations. Mary Warren had many a chance to disprove Abigail’s lies, but she was too frightened to take any of them. She always crawled back to Abby in the end. These three characters are the most responsible for the horrible tragedy of the Salem witch trials.
Abigail Williams initially starts the witch trials. She has an affair with John Proctor. She then becomes unhealthily obsessed with him. She decides to try and kill his wife, Elizabeth, by partaking in a ritual and drinking chicken blood. Back in those times, this was a legitimate attempted murder. The people of Salem actually did believe that this would kill someone. Therefore, Abigail is really the only one to ever partake in the dark art of witchcraft in Salem. She blames others to take suspicion off of herself. She threatens the other girls with death should they report her ruse. “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” (20). They believe she will kill them if they say anything to contradict her. She then attempts to kill John Proctor’s wife by accusing her of witchcraft. She causes much chaos within the town. Abigail is the most at fault for the witch trials in Salem, but her uncle, Reverend Parris, is also partly to blame.
Parris is a greedy reverend. He worries only about himself and his position of power. He knows that Abigail and the other girls were partaking in rituals, however, he does nothing about it. He is afraid that if it is found out that his daughter and niece are found out to be lying and sentencing people to death, that he, in turn, will be removed from power as the town’s reverend. Therefore, even when good people’s lives depend upon it, he does not mention what he witnessed. He says to Judge Danforth when John Proctor gives the evidence that Abigail is lying “Excellency, you surely cannot think to let so vile a lie be spread in open court” (89)! He denies that his niece is, even though the evidence against her is immense. Parris is, in fact, a very bad minister. However, Mary Warren does not help to dismiss Abigail’s lies either.
Mary Warren is more or less a friend of Abigail’s. She is a very naive and weak-minded girl. She is not a leader. She is a follower. She follows Abigail out of fear. When John Proctor tells her to testify against her in court, she refuses, saying such things as “I cannot do it, I cannot” (80)! She has a great fear of Abby. She truly believes that defying Abigail Williams will result in her own death. She testifies only because John Proctor threatens her life. “I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me” (80)! John Proctor is referencing the fact that he will kill Mary Warren, lest she testify against Abigail to prove his wife’s innocence. Perhaps, if Mary Warren held her ground and stood firm, the people of Salem would start to notice that the other girls were lying.
Abigail Williams commits the crime of adultery with John Proctor. She then tries to kill his wife by drinking blood. She is discovered attempting to conjure spirits in the forest, however, by her uncle, and is found out. She tries to keep suspicion off of herself by accusing others of witchcraft. Her uncle, Reverend Parris, is afraid of losing his position of power within the town of Salem and so he goes along with her accusations. Mary Warren had many a chance to disprove Abigail’s lies, but she was too frightened to take any of them. She always crawled back to Abby in the end. These three characters are the most responsible for the horrible tragedy of the Salem witch trials.
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