When Reverend Parris confronts Abigail that he saw her and Betty “dancing like heathen in the forest”, she admits that it is true, but she denies everything else, “Let you tell them I confessed it – and I’ll be whipped if I must be … We did dance … And there’s the whole of it … We never conjured spirits.” This is a tactic which becomes familiar throughout the play and she insists the dancing was mere “sport” but tells Parris nothing more. Parris is afraid of what other people will think because he is their minister.
Reverend Parris then questions Abigail about whether her name in the town is “entirely white”. He is hinting to her that there has been gossip, and he is worried it might be true. When she replies ‘there is an edge of resentment’ and she finds it hard to conceal her innocence and subservience which is expected of young girls in the Salem community. Parris goes on to say that there has been speculation in the village about why Elizabeth Proctor dismissed her; there is a rumour that Elizabeth avoids coming to church because she does not want to come into contact with “something soiled”. Instantly Abigail replies to this in a rebellious spirit, one that shows her hatred of Elizabeth “She hates me … for I would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a lying, snivelling woman and I will not work for such a woman.” Here another tactic becomes familiar: when she is under threat, she goes on the attack to deflect criticism and further questioning. She declares ‘In a temper’, “I will not have it said my name is soiled! Goody Proctor is a gossiping liar!”
Mrs Putnam then enters and tells Parris that her daughter has been touched by the devil also. When Goody Putnam and Parris leave Abigail starts to shake Betty in order to get her up, Abigail’s force to wake Betty up as soon as Putnam and Parris leave the room shows how Arthur Miller wants to show us she cannot be trusted as she is turning on Betty. Abigail tells Mercy; one of the other girls who were dancing, that “If they be questioning us, tell them we danced – I told his as much already.” This shows the reader that Abigail is in charge and ordering, she tells others what to do in order to save herself. Mercy then asks Abigail “And what more?” this clearly tells the audience that there are more revelations to come, and it confirms that Abigail’s word is not to be trusted. Betty subsequently wakes and tells her (and the reader), “You drank blood Abby! … You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife!” Abigail in response to this smashes Betty across the face, the violence of Abigail’s response is s measure of her fear and she warns Betty “You never say that again! … Shut it!”
Abigail struggles to take control of the situation telling the girls that “We danced, and Tituba conjured Putnam’s dead sisters. That is all!” Abigail then threatens the girls and tells them that she will come to them “In the black of some terrible night” if they dare say anymore, and she shall bring “A pointy reckoning” that will “shudder” them. She reminds them that she saw Indians smash her parents head on the pillow next to her and she adds “I can make you wish you’d never seen the sun go down!” Here the audience is shown that Abigail is very threatening and dangerous, she cannot be trusted and if something does not go her way she will get revenge.
When John Proctor arrives, the stage direction shows us how Abigail feels about him ‘Abigail has stood as though on tiptoe, absorbing his presence, wide – eyed’. John Proctor enters the room and he and Abigail are left alone together ‘Willingly she comes a little closer, with a confidential, wicked air’. This sort of behaviour shows us why Mrs Proctor sacked Abigail as it would be unacceptable, especially seeing as John Proctor is married. Abigail tells him what happened in the woods on the previous night; only part of the truth and nothing about the charm she drank. When she has finished telling him she begs him to give her “A soft word” (Abigail and John Proctor had an intimate relationship – this was a terrible sin, hence Abigail being dismissed from the Proctor household) We can tell Abigail is deceitful because when left alone with Proctor she tries to tempt him into committing adultery again. ‘Her concentrated desire destroys’ his smile and he hastens to tell her that their affair is “Done with … Put it out of your mind Abby!” She reminds him of the physical intensity of their affair, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I came near!” This speech shows us that Abigail is in love with Proctor and wants his wife dead so she can have him, but the way Proctor responds shows us that the affair to him was mere lust, of which he is ashamed. He truly loves his wife and is sorry for hurting her. John tells her, “Wipe it out of your mind. We never touched Abby!” This shows the audience he never loved her but Abigail doesn’t believe him. Abigail’s resentment towards Elizabeth is emphasised when she repeats what she said to Parris, “She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She’s a cold snivelling woman; you let her bend you to her!”
Reverend Hale arrives, a man who considers himself to be advanced in the study of witch craft and the devil’s work. He questions Abby and she becomes evasive: it was “Common dancing”, there was only soup in the kettle her uncle saw, but she is panicked to making an incriminating admission when she says that “A very little frog jumped into the pot” this shows the audience that when Abigail is put under pressure she admits a little bit of information.
Abigail realises what she has done so she starts to accuse Tituba, she ‘instantly’ declares “She made me drink blood! … She sends her spirit out on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayer!” She interrupts Tituba when she shouts “You beg me to conjure! She begs me make a charm-” Abigail cuts her off and tells Hale “She comes to me at night and makes me dream corruptions! … Sometimes I wake and fin myself standing in the open doorway and not a stitch on my body!” It is obvious to the audience, after what she said earlier to John Proctor, that Abigail is voicing her frustrated desire for him, and pacing the responsibility for it on Tituba and the Devil.
When Abigail hears Reverend Hale tell Tituba “Open yourself … You are God’s instrument put in our hands to discover the Devil’s agents among us … God will protect you!” She sees this as a way out for herself so she shouts! I want to open myself!” She repeats Tituba's accusations against Sarah Good and Goody Osburn and adds the name Bridget Bishop, and then Betty ‘with great relief’ (as she was only pretending to be bewitched) wakes and accuses Martha Bellows.
From all of this it is made extremely clear than Abigail is a deceitful, devious, fraudulent girl and she should never ever be trusted.
To conclude Arthur Miller shows us in the stage directions and in the way Abigail changes her behaviour depending on who she is with, that she’s a liar and she will say anything to get out of being punished. She knows she is not the sort of girl people in Salem would approve of and she knows she will be punished if her affair with John Proctor is discovered. We also know Abigail’s obsessed with John Proctor and she despises his wife. Her cruelty is revealed in the way she treats Betty, threatens other girls and accuses Tituba in order to save herself and this is the way Miller shows how Abigail is not to be trusted.