The Cruicible

Several characters in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible contribute to the theme of abuse of power, and how it can corrupt a society. Throughout the play Abigail Williams abuses her power and shows what it can do to a community. When Abigail is speaking to Danforth she threatens “Think you be so mighty that the power of hell may not turn your wits?’(Miller 872). Abigail implies that despite Danforth’s high position she could have him put on trial too, Abigail fails to take the trials seriously almost ignorant to the fact that she is putting lives at stake. Another time when we see Abigail abuse her power is when she falsely accuses people of witchcraft “I saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil!.. I saw Goody Booth with the Devil!”(Miller 849).Abigail’s actions demonstrate her selfishness and how it contributed to corruption of Salem, she put innocent people through trial because of how she abused her power. Danforth also abuses his power in the play and contributes to the corruption of the trials and the village. Near the end of the play after it is discovered that Abigail was lieing, Danforth still has John Proctor hang “Hang them high over the town”(Miller 886), even with the obvious fact that Abigail lied about everything Danforth still comands that Proctor be hang, this is a grossly wrong act and complete abuse of power on Danforth’s part. Danforth does wrong again when he is talking to Francis Nurse and says “Do you know that near to four hundred are in the jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature?… And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?”(Miller 864). By saying this Danforth sounds accomplished to have sent so many to jail, and to be hanged. Something that suggests he is interested in finding people guilty for his own self-prosper and reputation as a judge, a wrongful abuse of his powers. In the play The Crucible there are multiple characters and multiple actions that show abuse of power, the corruption of an entire society and legal system