Revenge in The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Exercising revenge and exacting punishment on persons or groups that have conveyed physical or emotional mistreatment. Throughout Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, Abigail demonstrates vengeance through her power to manipulate people with lies and threaten punishment on those whom she envies. In her desperate attempts to preserve her identity, Abigail uses revenge to abuse others, threatening acts, and makes constant false accusations.

Rather than describing an intent, revenge is an act that involves retaliation to some extent, such as vengeance. After having an affair with John Proctor while working at the Proctor house, Abigail is determined to eliminate Elizabeth, John Proctor's wife, leading her to allege and frame Elizabeth of witchcraft. Parris notices Abigail and informs her about the witchcraft accusations in the forest. Parris and Abigail discuss the Proctor’s service:

Abigail, with an edge of resentment: Why, I am sure it is, sir. There be no blush about my name.

Parris to the point: Abigail, is there any other cause than you have told me, for your being discharged from Goody Proctor’s service? I have heard it said, and I tell you as I heard it, that she comes so rarely to the church this year for she will not sit so close to something so soiled. What signified that remark

Abigail: She hates me, uncle, she must, for i would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman! (12)

Parris is confronting Abigail over the rumors going around Salem about her service with the Proctor household and allegations of witchcraft in the forest, which she quickly denies, attacking Elizabeth directly, calling her a bitter woman, causing her to become overly aggressive. All of Abigail's ill intentions of hateful, bitter and vengeful feelings towards Goody Proctor are significant for her desire for John Proctor.

When using threats to generate fear or a lack of security within an individual, it can play a large role in gaining vengeance by attracting weak and scared individuals to help. Due to Abigail's need for multiple people to plead her case to hang Elizabeth, she threatens the girls to side with her and lie whenever she needs to. Once Betty had finally woken up surrounded by the girls after the witchcraft incident Abigail outrageously pointed out "And mark this. 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). In order to create an impression of fear and intimidate them, Abigail threatens the other girls with violence if they refuse to follow her plans, and she does not hesitate to accuse them of witchcraft if their loyalty proves untrue. This is how Elizabeth and Mary Warren are put under false accusations. All of the occasions convey greatly how she can make herself innocent, but play the role of the villain through her vengeful acts and menacing schemes.

In order to get revenge on someone or achieve vengeance, a lie can help create a false argument leading to an untruthful defense. Abigail uses her status to manipulate the entire town, more than Danforth or Parris. She uses her manipulation to defame people of Salem of witchcraft, including John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor. During dinner at Reverend Parris’ house Abigail had used the needle in the poppet to stab herself. Cheever explained “She was screaming and weeping. When she was examined, they found a needle in her belly. When asked how she was stabbed, she testified that it was Elizabeths’s familiar spirit that pushed it in”. (74) Watching Mary Warren sewing the poppet and giving it to Elizabeth, Abigail can even see the needle being inserted. During dinner with Reverend Parris, she uses this knowledge to fall and get the needle stuck into her abdomen. She claims Elizabeth was torturing her with the voodoo doll. Abigail frequently devices people in Salem and lies about them and what they do, manipulating others by the things she has done.    

In The Crucible, Abigail Williams is the antagonist of this play, greatly contributing to the civil disorders in Salem, Massachusetts, using her vengeful schemes to lie and threaten the weak people in Salem. Abigail actions caused terror to the people of Salem, causing harm, disoder and innocent deaths. Exercising revenge on people that didn't deserve it in the first place.