ipl-logo

Hubris In The Crucible Analysis

901 Words4 Pages

In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, authority causes hubris within characters which allows them to persuade the witch trials negatively. Abigail Williams, the niece of Reverend Parris, gains authority through her multiple accusations during the trials. Later she uses her power to stretch the witch trials onward by threatening the judges to believe her or go against God. Abigail has caused an uproar in the town which leaves people in fear and torn between what to believe. Judge Danforth, on the other hand, uses his authority in a slightly different way to influence the trials. Danforth believes highly in the law and doing what is right. He does not show mercy for he feels that would be weakness upon his name. This mindset allowed Danforth …show more content…

However Abigail may hold a great deal of authority during the trials, she is not the only character who held authority and used in a bad way. Judge Danforth is another great example of authority leading to hubris in a characters personality. Danforth’s moral are good, however he still tends to make unlawful decisions based off of what the type character he wishes to build. For instance, Reverend Hale requested that Judge Danforth held off on John Proctors hanging because he felt that he was innocent and wanted more time to prove this. Danforth understands Hale’s reasoning, but persist that “there will be no postponement(). This is because Danforth feels that if he is lenient with his decisions, it looks as though he is weak and being unfair to the rest who did not get postponed. Since Danforth has authority over the rest of the court, John Proctor is later executed due to Danforth signature. Additionally, he uses the number of cases he has had in court and the amount he has put in jail as a number to hold over peoples heads. The number Danforth claims is a point of trying to scare those who may being lying and show that Danforth is merciless. He tells the open court, “And do you know that near to four hundred are in the jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature?”(81). Danforth wants the court to understand that he put these people in jail in an attempt to stop those who have been using supernatural powers to corrupt children and others. What he does not see

Show More
Related

How Is Judge Danforth Corrupt In The Crucible

508 Words | 3 Pages

Another viewpoint, maybe that Judge Danforth was just trying to get the Salem witch trials to blow by quicker, but if this was true, he would´ve accepted John Proctor´s evidence showing that the girls were just playing tricks them. This would make the witch hysteria go away much quicker. Instead, he benefits himself by letting the Salem witch trials live longer. If Danforth was a good Judge he would not have acted so adamant and did his job as a judge to interpret the

Read More

Danforth And Hale In The Crucible

533 Words | 3 Pages

Reverend Hale and Judge Danforth are two authoritative figures in The Crucible whose roles in society are to lead the community in the ways and likeness of God so that the people of Salem can, basically, be good Puritans. Despite their similar intentions, there are also blaring differences which distinctly separate the two and their beliefs. To start, both Hale and Danforth work chiefly to serve God and lead his people on Earth to live holy and just lives. When the question of the Devil and witchcraft arise within Salem, both men come to investigate and cleanse the town of evil. While Judge Danforth considers himself “a minister of the Lord” and does “not take a life without there be proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience

Read More

Theme Of Ethos In The Crucible

1198 Words | 5 Pages

In The Crucible, John Proctor the protagonist, becomes a victim of the witch trials when his wife Elizabeth, is accused of witchcraft. In order to free his wife, Proctor must convince Judge Danforth of his wife’s innocence. Judge Danforth does not sign condemnations lightly and takes meticulous inspection of his cases to determine the guilty party. He is also a highly religious man who takes matters between God and men seriously. It is because of Danforth’s dedication to the law and God that Proctor utilizes ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade him.

Read More

Reverend Hale In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

755 Words | 4 Pages

He now feels that humans have more significance than his learnings, as he is using his judgment. Up until this point he has only believed in the total power of the court. Reverend Hale’s view to Judge Danforth appears to be dramatically change by the end of the play. At the start, Reverend Hale held such respect for Danforth, this reversal of feelings is extremely

Read More

Self Reputation In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

1571 Words | 7 Pages

Arthur Miller displayed that Judge Danforth, John Proctor, and Abigail Williams all had different motives but let their pride sway their good judgement from the beginning of The Crucible to the end. Judge Danforth is a self-righteous man, accusing hundreds of people on the accords of another, to prove his christian self. Danforth sent 19 people to hang on the accusation that they were consorting with the devil, in his mind wanting to cleanse the village of witches. People of the town brought to him more than once, reasoning for which people being falsely accused. Danforth would not hear it or listen to them, and just condemned more to prove to the people and himself he was helping them.

Read More

The Crucible Pros And Cons Essay

462 Words | 2 Pages

As time has passed, throughout history, during different periods of time there are parallels. There are three eras that we are focussed on, where there are three types of people during each era. The three different eras that we’re focusing on, are The Salem Witch Trials (1600s), The McCarthy Era (1950s), and Today (2000s); the three types of people are the people who are the reasons why there’s accusations towards the accused, the accused, and finally the accusers.     In The Crucible, or during the Salem Witch Trials, the person that’s the reason why characters were accused is John Proctor. The accuser in the play, who decides to point fingers at everyone, is Abigail Williams.

Read More

Irrationality In The Crucible

598 Words | 3 Pages

Secondly, Judge Danforth’s irrationality and ignorance brings about poor decisions on his part. One of the instances where Danforth reveals his following attitude is when he denies to even look at a deposition presented by John Proctor as described by his words “ No, no, I accept no depositions” (Miller 88). John Proctor hands him a deposition signed by Mary warren, stating that the accusations made by Abigail and the girls are false. In this regard Judge Danforth replies to John Proctor by repetitively says “No” thereby emphasizing his adamant view on this subject.

Read More

Theme Of Hypocrisy In The Crucible

1760 Words | 8 Pages

Do you not know that God damns all liars?" ( Miller 178). This shows that Danforth sees himself so high up in the court and in town that he doesn't even notice that he is making people lie to save their lives. He thinks he has the God gift to be able to decide everything and whatever he says is right. When Hale comes back and tries to make it right and tries to get the hangings postponed Danforth says,"I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime.

Read More

The Crucible Moral Analysis

1064 Words | 5 Pages

For example, Danforth frequently spoke of the importance of fairness and justice, however when he found out that Abigail’s testimony was false, he refused to stop those that had been found guilty through Abigail’s testimony from being hanged. This is shown on page 100 in Act 4 of The Crucible where Danforth says, “Mr. Hale, as God have not empowered me like Joshua to stop this sun from rising, so I cannot withhold from them the perfection of their punishment.” It is assumed that the court will uphold morality and justice, yet Danforth’s character shows the inversion of the normal moral order in the

Read More

Role Of Hysteria In The Crucible

788 Words | 4 Pages

Brook Mills Mrs. Brown English 10 11/03/15 Many individuals of Salem have to deal with everyday hysteria with many people accused of being a witch and being executed. Other than Abigail, three characters who are to blame for the hysteria in The Crucible are Judge Danforth, John Proctor, and Mary Warren. A character that contributed to the hysteria in The Crucible was Judge Danforth. He contributed to the hysteria because he sent men and women to be executed for no reason.

Read More

Who's To Blame In The Crucible

626 Words | 3 Pages

Who's to Blame For the Salem Witch Trails? In Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and John Proctor are responsible for the witch trials. Not only is Abigail one of the characters responsible for the witch trails, but she is the one who instigated the witchcraft fervor within Salem. John is one of the characters responsible for the trails because he has an affair with Abigail.

Read More

What Is The Cause Of Hysteria In The Crucible

1451 Words | 6 Pages

Judge Danforth, he was one of the judges that served on the court when the witch trials were going on and was there during the time of when Abigail had accused all the women, and he had believed her, well the who court believed her. In Act 3 Danforth said “ I judge nothing. I tell you straight, Mister—I have seen marvels in this court. I have seen people choked before my eyes by spirits; I have seen them stuck by pins and slashed by daggers. I have until this moment not the slightest reason to suspect that the children may be deceiving me.

Read More

How Does Arthur Miller Present Hysteria In The Crucible

707 Words | 3 Pages

He believes strongly in his ability to judge the character of the informants. This comes into play when others question his judgement of Abigail and the girls from the woods. Danforth has a great deal of authority over the verdict of the accused, he has the power to judge them as not guilty. Danforth being the primary judge means he could have admitted to his foolishness and told the community that the accused people were not witches, and it would have made the townspeople believe that there was no witch problem in Salem at all. Danforth is too concerned with his reputation to admit that his judgement, at first, was clouded.

Read More

The Crucible Abigail Williams Reputation Analysis

429 Words | 2 Pages

Abigail Williams is not your typical teenage girl. She is a girl that will drink blood to kill someone, accuse people of witchcraft, and have a affair. By looking at The Crucible, one can see that Abigail Williams develops the theme of reputation, which is important because people who fear losing their reputation spread hysteria. Protecting her reputation motivates Abigail Williams to accuse others of being a witch.

Read More

Essay On Judge Danforth In The Crucible

741 Words | 3 Pages

Danforth: Judge, Jury, and Executioner Judge Danforth’s position in the crucible is the Judge assigned to the proceedings of the Salem witch trials. Instead of treating this immense responsibility with the respect and restraint that is needed, Danforth abused his power by betraying the people of Salem and the Law. He did not listen to the people of Salem defending themselves before inevitably being sent to death; and he cared more about his reputation and the law than he did about peoples’ lives. Danforth was a ruthless power over the people of Salem he demanded respect for himself and the court; and nothing was more important than that.

Read More

More about Hubris In The Crucible Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document