Theatregoers would have a different opinion of Abigail. Firstly, they would not see Abigail as attention seeking. In Act One, when Tituba begins the crying out, Abigail suddenly begins to cry out too. She claims to want “the sweet love of Jesus”:
“I want to open myself! I want the light of God; I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced or the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osbourn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!”
The stage directions just before this paragraph are:
ABIGAIL rises, staring as though inspired, and cries out.
Also on Abigail’s face (film production directed by Nicholas Hynter), shows inspiration, as if an idea has just struck her. I think that the reason that Abigail brings all the attention to her is to verify Tituba’s story.
Abigail has committed several heinous crimes, like dancing (forbidden in the Puritan belief), the affair with John, and the involvement in a situation that strongly resembled witchcraft.
Miller stated in the commentary that:
“Sex, Sin, and the Devil were linked.”
Sex – Abigail’s affair, Sin – dancing, and the Devil – involvement in witchcraft. Abigail was involved in every forbidden thing, socially, morally and religiously, showing that the whole issue of theocracy doesn’t exactly thrill Abigail, which is the basis of Salem town. Abigail knew that her best was out of the situation that she was in, was to shift the blame, and want to return to Jesus, as the Puritans focused on confession and repentance.
I think that Abigail’s crying out is symbolic, for the acts of those Abigail Williams’ during the McCarthy era. I think that Miller has built Abigail’s character in several ways, to get several reactions from the readers and audience, however, underneath all pretences and lies, Abigail is a suspect, and therefore decides to shift the blame onto others, saving herself, yet condemning several others.
When a theatregoer or someone privy to stage direction sees/reads the play, they can form an opinion of the affair very different to the opinion a reader (without stage directions) would form. Whenever Abigail speaks to John (in the film production mentioned before), she looks dazed, and speaks softly, and gently, as if in a trance. Also, she almost lets her love for Proctor ruin everything that she’s worked towards, and she considers telling the truth to save him. She seems to be very upset when he is charged. However, she opts to save her own life, and Proctor hangs.
The difference of opinions of a reader, and a theatregoer is simple; the reader allows the character to be more malicious, as the reader interprets the character into their perception of the villainous role in the play. Several interpretations of the character of Abigail can be made from what is written in the play. However, in the theatre, or on video, the characters are brought to life, and you can see The Crucible as a dramatic piece, rather than just a text. I think that Miller would prefer for audiences to watch the Crucible as a piece of drama, but be able to access the commentary and stage directions, for only then, is it complete, as there are aspects that need to be covered by both forms of media.
When we are first introduced Abigail, she seems like a quiet young lady, who doesn’t speak out of turn, but is soft spoken, and takes small reserved steps, however, when she tells Susannah Walcott:
“Speak nothing of it in the village.”
Her voice is hushed, and hurried. The fact that Abigail thinks that it is best not to speak of the situation shows that the situation is somewhat abnormal, or there is something to be hidden. Her quietness at the beginning enables both audiences to begin with a neutral view on Abigail.
However, Miller’s commentary on Abigail (page 1) states that she’s strikingly beautiful, causing approval and instant attraction from the readers. It also states that she is an orphan, causing sympathetic reactions from readers. But, then it also states that Abigail has an endless capacity for dissembling, provoking the audience into a distrusting, disapproving state.
Next, when Abigail is questioned by Parris about the events of the previous night, she seems innocent, for example:
“A dress?” [Innocently]
The theatre goes would see the look of innocence on her face, and hear a hint of a little girl’s voice in Abigail, but readers would not trust her, due to the commentary on her. One simple line leads the theatregoers to trust Abigail further, despite the knowledge that Abigail knows what Parris is referring to. However, this same line causes the readers to trust her less.
Abigail seems like a caring cousin, and says to Parris:
“[Quavering as she sits] I would never hurt Betty, I love her dearly.”
This is another point where Abigail seems sincere in her choice of words, action, and tone of voice. However, a little while later, Betty is upset, and Abigail screams:
“…Your mama’s dead and buried.”
A reader, who dislikes and does not trust Abigail due to the commentary, is easily thrown by her outburst but the audience who trusted her more sees an evil glint in her eyes, and a malicious tone in her voice, as she screams the words cacophonously.
Abigail seems to develop into a form of a bully when she is around “the girls.” She seems to be “the leader” and “in charge of the situation.” Not only does she force them to confirm her version of the truth, but she also threatens them:
“…And I will come to you, in the black of some terrible night, and I will bring with me a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know that I can do it; I saw Indians smash my dear parents’ heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some blackish work done at night, and I can make you wish you never saw the sun go down.”
Abigail is wonderfully graphic during this paragraph, using words like terrible night and pointy reckoning. She is very violent, and the tone of voice is harsh, like the look on her face, in the film. Also, readers can imagine her being exactly as she is portrayed in this scene in the film, causing pity and resentment towards Abigail. She uses language that exaggerates her power, and makes it more dramatic. The word black shows evil, and relates to the supposed evil of Abigail’s character. Pointy reckoning suggests some instrument like a dagger, or knife. It also relates to the ceremonial dagger that witches use, which is called an athame. This also proves Abigail has violent tendencies.
When Abigail speaks of the death of her parents, she does it with a shocking lack of emotion; however, she chooses some interesting language to describe the event. For example, she speaks of her parents’ heads being “smashed.” This is a violent word that has excellent imagery. She is very graphic here. All of a sudden, Abigail uses an intimate, soft word like pillow, therefore having a combination of a graphic, grotesque image and a soothing, calming object. This shows the severe psychological damage done to Abigail, therefore adding a LOT of sympathy to the other opinions of audiences and readers.
Abigail’s affair is the largest development of all. To readers, Abigail seems like a girl with a crush on the strong man that John is. However, the audience is able to see and feel her emotions:
“Gah! I’d almost forgotten how strong you are, John Proctor!”
Abigail seems to be seducing John here, and she also seems to have a little control over him, as she causes him to be excited and alert. However, in the production, she seems dazed, and on edge, suggesting some emotion deeper than lust.
However, Abigail lets much of her actions to be controlled by the hatred she has for Goody Proctor:
“Oh I marvel how such a strong man let such a sickly wife be – “
And:
“She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, snivelling woman, and you bend to her! Let her turn you like a –“
Abigail speaks so passionately both times, and the stage directions show bitter anger when she speaks, showing envy of Goody Proctor, and a love for John. This is an unexpected turn in the play, as this adds more sympathy for Abigail and also helps the audience and readers to relate to her more human side.
Abigail speaks passionately for a hate of theocracy, which is the basis of Puritan life, and life in Salem:
“I never knew what pretence Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men!”
As John opened her eyes to the real ways of Salem, and due to the way that she speaks of him, it makes it sound like John was Abigail’s first love. This again adds sympathy to her character, as it also shows her as a misfit in the religious ways of Salem.
In Act One, Abigail denies the involvement in Witchcraft to Parris, confirms it in her conversation to “the girls,” denies it to John, and then confirms Tituba’s confession. Both the audience and the readers would know that there is a hint of hypocrisy in everything that Abigail does.
By the end of the play, when Abigail does not confess, and Proctor hangs, Abigail runs away to Boston, showing that she was lying all along, and the side of her that was least visible, the cowardly side. Abigail was seen as the strongest character in the play all along, however, at the end, she was revealed to be what Miller had been building up to, a scared little orphan. All the violence and confidence was just pretence, like Salem. She was a little girl who was attempting to run from her past, problems and sins.
Miller develops her character well, showing every possible human emotion, and causing the audience to have a wide range of reactions to Abigail. In the end, the amount of sympathy the audience has outweighs everything else, and Abigail is stripped of her evil, and shown to be scared.
In Act One alone, Abigail is seen as a lady like young woman, a caring cousin, a fierce, short tempered, violent girl, a seductress, and lover, and finally, a scared little girl.
Proctor and the others all take advantage of Abigail, so then, she tries to take advantage of Betty and the other girls in return. In the end, Abigail is the victim, ho in turn causes there to be other victims in Salem. She is blamed and shifts the blame instead of accepting her punishment.
The last reaction the audience has to Abigail, when she runs away, is to view her as a victim. This relates to McCarthyism. Those who were blamed (justly or unjustly) of having Communist/Satanic links blamed others, therefore saving themselves. These people were victims too, although they caused there to be other victims in the process.
