n at the beginning. She says to John, "You are no wintery man. I know you, John. I know you(She is weeping)." She obviously cares about him until she realises he really loves Elizabeth and then she becomes intent on hurting both of them. I think that her mean streak comes from seeing her parents killed when she was younger. This made her grow up quickly and she resents it. This is why she seems intent on hurting other people so they have to suffer like she did.Elizabeth is a very weak person compared to Abigail and perhaps this is why John was tempted to have an affair with Abigail. However, Elizabeth is still the person that John loves and is married to and he has to stay with her. This is a problem for Abigail and that's why she names Elizabeth as a witch.Abigail, while subconsciously wanting to hurt as many people as she can, has a reason for naming Elizabeth and then John as witches. She hates both of them at the end of the play but by naming John, a respectable figure in the community, she makes people doubt her credibility. After John is in prison, Abigail runs away with Mercy because she knows that the people don't believe her anymore and she loses all trust when she steals money from her uncle. I'm not convinced by the legend that Abigail became a prostitute because in the play she is portrayed as intelligent and quick-witted so I'm sure that she could think of a better way to earn money.From the evidence in the play, I have concluded that Abigail was a symptom of the problems in Salem society and that her personality, her background and growing up in an oppressive society all contributed to what she did and her part in the Salem witch trials....
