Abigail Williams as a Femme Fatale in "The Crucible"

Abstract

In this paper, I intend to analyse the configuration of the character of Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible. The essay will attempt to show to which extent Abigail conforms to the stereotype of the femme fatale in her transgressions of sexuality and desire for power in the Puritan, patriarchal society of Salem. For this purpose, similarities and differences will be drawn between the character of Abigail Williams in The Crucible and typical femme fatales of hard-boiled detective fiction and film noir.