Abigail’s mordacity is primarily displayed in Act1 as she Mercy and Mary Warren are all in Betty’s bedroom talking of the dramatic progression of events since their trafficking of spirits. Mercy has arrived with news of Ruth’s sickness, the symptoms of which match Betty’s. Abigail asks in hushed trepidation,
‘How is Ruth sick?’
After Mercy reveals what is wrong Abigail attempts to rouse Betty with fear in her voice. She now realises that danger is looming. The younger girls have been frightened into a trance. The odd condition scares the community and soon witchcraft is in the air of Salem. Abigail envisages questioning and hanging and so sets about cleverly constructing her defence.
Usually in the hierarchy of the children age tends to outweigh all other attributes. Abigail is clearly in command here despite Mary being equal in age and Mercy being older. Mary Warren is a lonely, subservient girl but she speaks her mind and seems to have a degree of courage. Act1 shows her desperately trying to persuade Abigail to turn around and confess, terrified of the consequences if they are exposed, she says, ‘You’ll only be whipped for dancin’ and the other things!’ to witch Abigail replies,
‘Oh, we’ll be whipped!’
I think Abigail enlists all these other girls to do her bidding. If it starts to get hot they’ll take the heat, another of her cleverly devised tactics. If they rise up in protest like Mary Warren and Betty, who act out of intense fear, she beats them down like dogs violently and unmercifully. When Betty, Abigail’s cousin of nine or ten years of age starts grabbling about the charm Abigail smashes her across the face and when Mary Warren starts again she advances for her before John Proctor enters. This scene illustrates how immensely intimidating Abigail is capable of being, before they depart she issues them a fearful warning if they should succumb to interrogation. ‘I will come to you in the dark of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you,’
‘I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish that you had never seen the sun go down!’
She assures them she can do it-and they know that she can, this dreadful ultimatum sends Betty back into the trance of witch she woke from because of her intense fear. This in turn sends Mary into a hysterical jabbering of fright. Mercy just stands there awed by her brutal and cool ruthlessness. Abigail contains this terrible talent of brining fear into the girls, which melts their individuality and leaves them reeling at her command.
Despite the solid impediment in the relationship, which only now exists in her mind, Abigail is still vying for John’s affections and when he enters just in time to save Mary from Abigail she crafts a delicate web to ensnare him. This is when the reader witnesses Abigail emitting an emotion other than hate. It is however not entirely wholesome as she is lustfully trying to tempt John towards her like a zealous siren, opening her arms of oblivion and working her forked tongue. She does so with impressive cunning and alluring charm but she continues to misinterpret John’s lust for undying love. After pleasuring himself he lost interest and in recognition of the deeds committed feels incredible guilt. He seems to be a man of devout principles and of strong will power. After having sinned these two aspects combine with guilt and help him powerfully to resist the renewal of a relationship with Abigail. Upon his entrance she and Mercy are titillated, as soon as Mercy leaves she begins speaking playfully, tauntingly and wittily. When she gains a smile from him, which encourages her to be more direct, ‘Give me a word John. A soft word.’
Miller writes ‘Her concentrated desire destroys his smile’. At this moment Proctor realises what Abigail is doing and he begins stoically trying to convince her nothing exists between them. He is adamant about this but so is she that it is untrue. They battle their wills for some time before John calls Abigail a ‘child’. This infuriates Abigail she naturally abhors dismissive treatment as a child would receive but it made it worse because it came from the man that led her into the adult world. And as she argues later, ‘I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart!’
These words sound uncharacteristic of Abigail. They sound like genuine feelings flowing as she weeps. And suddenly you understand her want of John Proctor. You empathise with her feelings of emptiness as his final rejection dawns upon her. She is now in ruin; all hope has vanished, as she must return to the cruel streets of Salem without John Proctors love to guide her. But this abrupt transformation is slightly dubious. How can she be capable of such emotion when she can just as easily perform morbid acts to destroy Elizabeth, John’s wife? This irregularity suggests her emotive performance was simply pretence. Her changing tact during their conversation is suggestive of this also. It didn’t affect Proctor who probably recognised the deception.
This scene showed Abigail’s guileful ability when under pressure. She is flexible and can adapt to a changing situation so as to remain in control of things. She is cognitive and sharp. This ability is tested regularly in the courts later on in the play but you clearly see it when Hale asks her questions. In this scene in Act1 you are also witness to Abigail’s ruthless disregard for others, her merciless qualities in the face of danger. Self-preservation lies at the core and it directs her actions.
Hale, newly arriving in Salem begins to interrogate Abigail. He is very direct and soon Abigail realises that she cannot avoid his questions any more. She knows she must escape his attention but she cannot flee. Instead she cleverly implicates Tituba. Abigail fabricates her involvement to become the leader of the proceedings, trying to force the other girls and her into consuming the charm. The brilliance in this simple move lies in Tituba’s social status. She is a black slave girl therefore she bears no status whatsoever in the community. Her word is inapplicable against Abigail’s and I don’t think she would be aware exactly how sinful their actions were. When she is summoned and interrogated nothing of what she says is accepted until out of the sheer fear of hanging she falsely confesses to witchcraft. Tituba is not stupid and realises where salvation lies. After confession she is pressed for names. Mrs. Putnam inquires whether her past midwives had been in contact with the devil. Upon the names of Sarah Good and Goody Osburne she quickly reveals that they are in contact with the devil. By satisfying her interrogator’s suspicions despite their falsehood she can divert attention away from herself. And presently Abigail realises that Tituba may counter by speaking her name. With her devious plan failing she must find another way to avoid interrogation. The only other option is to confess. It saved Tituba and it would save her. Her calculating wit and precocious influence is demonstrated as she does so and sends the professional men of respected stature into frenzied excitement. She then begins to call out more names, adding to Tituba’s list. This rouses Betty whom immediately rises and joins in the chanting of names. She is described to be calling out ‘hysterically’ and ‘with great relief’. Then their ecstatic cries attain a gleeful tone, adding an evil edge. Abigail has forged her way out of trouble and Betty has picked up on the plan, assured that she is safe from punishment and joins Abigail. They are now beyond accusation or danger and elated to call names out. Betty is following Abigail, but why should Abigail be continuing to call out names. Names of people she has no involvement with and crucially people who bear no importance in Salem and are vulnerable to accusation. It is a demonic scene, as if the girls are possessed. They are not however and that leaves only one reason, that Abigail is wreaking her characteristic revenge for he parents deaths. It is one of her more evil actions in the play, as it can’t be accounted for.
Now that the illusive truth is out Salem’s ‘system of justice’ starts to function, trying whoever Abigail decides to name and hanging those who wont confess. She can whisper doom to anybody she wishes. When Abigail realises the power she quickly puts use to it. She names a name which has respect within the town, a name which could lead to her down fall, Elizabeth Proctor. The prospect of seeing Elizabeth hang excites Abigail, allowing her to take her rightful place alongside John Proctor. When Mary Warren bring s this news back to the Proctors they both immediately know what plan Abigail is conjuring. This prompts John to enter the court in a bid to save his wife and to end Abigail’s terrible regime.
Abigail enters the court with a following of girls, all of whom were involved in the dancing. These girls all do exactly as Abigail would have them do, she has obviously issued the same warning as Mary Warren, Betty and Mercy received. They came across as brainwashed as they all say exactly the same words in unison. Abigail holds great weight in the courts with so many ‘witnesses’ behind her. This is not the only weapon she commands in the court however. Her uncle, Reverend Parris defends her name and supports her accusations in the interests of his own self-preservation and his words carry considerable weight. Also the judge, Danforth can be seen as one of Abigail’s weapons as she manages to manipulate him quite thoroughly. He sees himself as the one to seek out the devil and destroy it, and then send it back to Hell. This makes him slightly elevated in his opinions and others. He feels he has the definitive view of right and wrong, good and bad, this then makes him merciless; he doesn’t seem to be a man of reason. However his belief in witchcraft and the devil makes him slightly paranoid that the devil should be scheming to use his servants and destroy the court, this then makes him even easier for Abigail to mould into whatever she wants him to be. She just has to feign the presence of some demonic entity and the accused person will hang. This is what she does whenever the truth is close to being discovered. It then illustrates her powers of deception. During the court scenes Abigail teeters on the edge of exposure, but she survives, due to her cold connivance and not to mention, luck.
The courtroom scenes focus on Mary Warren’s conversation and presentation of a testimony that Abigail and the girls’ claims were all false and their behaviour pretence and how John Proctor and Giles battle with her against the obtuseness of the judges and Abigail.
The initial conversation of Mary Warren is damaging to Abigail. She is in true danger of being exposed. However Mary presents herself weakly at the hands of Hathorn she crumbles but she still arouses enough doubt in Danforth’s mind to force him to question Abigail. He then asks her so directly, if she is deceiving them that she is taken unaware. She stalls for time by feigning hurt that after all her trouble to aid this cleansing of the devil’s presence she should be doubted. Her power over Danforth is exemplified as he weakens. This seems to give her courage and unbelievably threatens Danforth, ‘Let you be aware Mr. Danforth. Think you be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits?’ It seems strange to say something so reckless. I think that she is probably trying to shock Danforth into thinking that Mary Warren’s story is ludicrous. She may cause him to doubt himself for a moment, but whatever its purpose, she quickly assumes a stronger means of defence. In mid-sentence she brings on one of her frighteningly realistic illusions. Her sudden quiet raises apprehension in Danforth. The sudden apparent appearance of the devil must unnerve him slightly, and soon after contributions from all the girls he is engaged and turns on Mary Warren. Mary, being familiar with this routine knows it to be foolproof and could spell her doom. John however, aware of Abigail’s insidiousness and outraged by her temerity when calling heavenly father seizes her by the hair and wrenches her to her feet, dispelling the illusion and shocking the court. He calls, ‘How do you call Heaven?! Whore! Whore!’ Danforth pursues this radical statement and is enlightened as to Abigail and John’s previous involvement. The revelation of this scandal would undoubtedly be detrimental to Proctors cause, as it would label him a sinner and therefore untrustworthy and possibly in league with the devil considering his position. However by sacrificing his name he also casts doubts over Abigail. Then she realises and instantly pleads with Danforth that he is lying. She is sinking now, she can’t perform one of her marvelous illusions and this then leaves her defenseless. When Danforth learns the truth of the lechery and John’s conjecture of Abigail’s motive he is described as ‘blanched, in horror,’ He must see sense in this accusation and he asks Abigail if she denies it. She replies:
‘If I must answer that, I will leave and not come back again’ in my opinion she is hinting that she wants to leave Salem. She can sense the impending danger that her enemies are about to expose her and she would rather not be around when they do, so she must use the last of her warning power to exit the courts and flee. Unable to lie outright for the obviousness of it she makes another at Danforth. She is confident of her power over him from her last threat. And sure that it unsteadies him. After another heavily persuasive and insistent contribution from Proctor she knows its time. She shows outrage at the doubtful and possibly disgusted looks from Danforth’s direction and makes to leave before being stopped by Herrik. She is now imprisoned in her former playground. Desperate and afraid she must wait for Danforth’s ascertain the truth of Proctor’s claims. This is where her luck helps her to over come her enemies.
Danforth summons Elizabeth Proctor to reinforce or possibly to John’s argument. Without being informed as to the present condition of the court or having the ability to communicate with John she in her faithfulness does the latter. One word would have sent Abigail straight to the gallows, as Danforth had warned her. And I expect that to her surprise that one word was not spoken. She is relatively safe now and she knows it but she still yearns to be away from the court as the threat has not yet completely passed.
Hale and Proctor immediately try to explain Elizabeth’s lie. Hale continues, presenting his opinion of Abigail despite Danforth’s unswayable decision. Abigail is not willing to risk him ending his opinion. She now knows that Proctor’s argument is disintegrating and she realises without Mary it would be destroyed completely. It was clear, earlier on, that Mary almost succumbed to Abigail’s silent threats. The remorseless look she received enfeebled her; also the mere presence of Abigail probably did this and the prospect of having to face her in the testimony failed. She attempted to flee during the first illusion, without Proctor’s assurance and restraining she certainly would have. Abigail is perfectly aware of this; she seems capable of targeting people’s weak spots. And so in a last, brilliantly performed illusion Mary Warren is driven back to her, terrified that Danforth believes Abigail. Which he evidently does, as the presence of the devil always excites to engage him. The method that Abigail uses is to pretend Mary has sent her spirit in the form of a bird to haunt them. Then she repeats everything Mary says, frustrating her, draining her, and scaring her. Until in a climax of hysterical screaming she breaks and runs back to Abigail’s arms, denouncing Proctor as the devil’s man showing real fear for him. Abigail seems to have gained control over Mary’s mind. She has traumatised it so intensely that Mary has become delusional, insane even. In reclaiming Mary she has finally rendered Proctor’s case useless. In the process she has blackened his name to condemnation and hoodwinked the most respected men in the state.
In a final analysis I believe that Abigail can only be seen as evil. I previously mentioned the view some may take that she has been hardened by the death of her parents becoming vengeful. You may argue that this therefore states she cannot be called evil as her actions are due to circumstances beyond her control. That at birth she was a different child to the present day Abigail. I feel that she has always had a sense of evil within herself. Her parent’s deaths only heightened this sense and sharpened her intent, gave her the opportunity to exercise at her own will. From a powerful envy grew hate and from these emotions she brought a whole town to its knees. And she revelled in it, before it became too dangerous. She, unblinkingly, sent countless people to their deaths; she effortlessly imposed dreadful fear upon the young girls in the village, to the extent that one was reduced to insanity. She thought not once to stop, the euphoric indulgence was too great for her, because she could, she did. Ironically throughout her diabolical reign the one redeeming feature she possessed enforced her actions and accusations most powerfully, her illusive childlike innocence.
