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The Assassination Of John Proctor In The Crucible

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Introduced in the first act, Abigail, in tears, is begging John Proctor to accept her as his lover once more. They are watching over Betty Parris, the Salem minister’s daughter and Abigail's cousin, as she is locked in a state of unknown hysteria. The pair have confirmed Parris’ suspicions and are arguing about their affair. Abigail begins with separating the John Proctor of the past to the present one. She is hysterical, as if this “past” Proctor has died or disappeared. It is unreasonably dramatic and shows the audience Abigail’s lack of maturity. Abigail then goes on to mention her sleeplessness, alluding to their sexual endeavours. However, the audience is introduced to to a new layer of their past relationship when Abigail mentions knowledge. One is reminded of the biblical allusion when the Devil, disguised as a serpent, gives Eve the apple of knowledge, leading to humanity’s demise. This could be an act of foreshadowing as we can assume the oncoming witch hunt will lead to many deaths. …show more content…

Before this conversation, we are lead to believe that their relationship was purely motivated by lust, rather than infatuation. This is the first time we see Abigail willingly displaying weakness and vulnerability. Alas, she does use it as a last resort, trying to get the older farmer to take pity on her. Nevertheless, Proctor seems to be the only individual introduced that has any control over the scheming girl. This relationship has already shown its roots in the town’s current predicament and, if the foreshadowing is correct, it will cause even more trouble in the

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