In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, the reader watches as a small Massachusetts village tears itself apart during the Salem Witch Trials. Friends and neighbors accuse each of in fear that they are consorting with the Devil. It is no surprise then, that alliances begin to form in Salem. Some people use the trials as an opportunity to exact their revenge or for their own personal gain. However, these alliances are not as stable as they may seem, and some characters shift their allegiances. As the play continues, the reader gains more insight about the characters and their intentions as they decide where their true loyalties lie. While most of the teenage girls accusing people of witchcraft seem to be pretty evil, if not insane. Mary …show more content…
While the judges on the court should be fair, this is not the case for Judge Danforth. He is the highly respected Deputy Governor and is put in charge of the trials. He is extremely loyal to his position and takes the notion of witchcraft quite seriously. In the beginning of Act III, when Giles, Francis, and Proctor try to prove their wives’ innocence, Danforth is willing to listen to their testimonies. He remains relatively unbiased, however this begins to change. At the end of the act, after Mary accuses Proctor, Danforth sentences Proctor to jail, “What are you? You are combined with the anti-Christ, are you not? I have seen your power; you will not deny it!” (Miller 1338). Despite Hale’s warnings that the girls are frauds, Danforth ignores him and sides with Abigail and the other girls. Even when Danforth has the opportunity to set things right and set the innocent free before they are hanged, he refuses. When Hale begs Danforth to pardon the accused, Danforth says, “I will not receive a single plea for pardon or postponement. Them that will not confess will hang...Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part: reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now” (Miller 1348). Danforth does not want to accept any pleas because if he does, people might think those who have already been hanged could have been innocent. Danforth does not want to put his reputation at stake, even if it means men will die. He, like Mary Warren, is considering his own position and the preservation of his status. In the end, Danforth puts himself above the court and the law, something he would have been strictly opposed to when the trials