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Judge Danforth In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

661 Words3 Pages

In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible we are introduced to a few dynamic characters, but the character that I will be focusing on is Judge Danforth. Thomas Danforth who’s in his sixties, and is very gullible is the deputy Governor of Salem, Massachusetts. We are first introduced to Judge Danforth in Act Three of the play. He is the Judge of The Witch trials alongside Judge Hathorne. Our first meeting with Danforth is in the courtroom. The situation that’s taken place is the questioning of Martha Corey, who is the wife of Giles Corey. Martha is being questioned about being a witch which she denies. Giles Corey later enters the courtroom saying he has evidence for the court, but his evidence is denied by the court, and he is escorted out by Cheever. Judge Danforth thinks of himself as a very even-handed person , but he is, in fact, a stubborn Judge. Danforth is guided by God in the play; therefore, he believes that nobody will be judged unjustly, but at this result he fails to analysis evidence justifiably. Danforth has too much pride. …show more content…

He's guilty of Pride or Vanity, both are the same. Danforth is a prideful man and he express it constantly throughout the play. Being too prideful and having a prideful court can lead to much harm. Thomas Danforth is not an honest man. He fails to see the truth that is behind the lies. He is convinced that the girls hysteria is true which leads him to condemn those who are falsely accused of being a witch. In Act IV in the final scene Danforth forces John Proctor for a false confession that he has seen the devil. Danforth knows that it is a lie and with doing so we are revealed to the true weakness of his character. Danforth solely wants a signed confession to the reinforce the crumbling townspeople of Salem. This only goes to show you that Danforth only worries about his authority and that he too has the same motives as Abigail, Reverend Parris, and

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254 Words | 2 Pages

This goes for Judge Danforth, too. He worries more about his reputation as a judge that he is willing to hang innocent people in the community. For example, when John Proctor confesses his affair with Abigail and how she hopes to take Elizabeth’s place, Danforth purposely chooses not to believe Proctor. He, even, says, “She [Elizabeth] spoke nothing of lechery, and this man has lied,” (Miller 114) without holding further investigation of the confession! Danforth believes Abigail and the girls because he does not want to publically admit he was deceived by them, for it will harm his reputation.

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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

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106 Words | 1 Pages

In our society, many people rely on the power of law and justice in order to protect themselves. Some powerful men abuse and misuse their power which brings many unfairnesses and tragedies. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Judge Danforth is a deputy governor of the state, and he is also the judge for the witchcraft trail. Judge Danforth represents the authority and supremacy in the entire play. Throughout the play, Danforth’s tyrannous and stubborn personality caused many wrong decisions that he made in the court.

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447 Words | 2 Pages

Overall, Danforth was wrong. He faces many difficult descions throughout the play, and yet he stays mostly consistent. He chooses to save his own reputation over the lives of innocent people. He knowingly sends three people to die, just so that he can look good. Danforth was the main cause of all of the heartbreak and struggle endured in Salem.

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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.

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622 Words | 3 Pages

Unfaltering conflict between authority and personal conscience is embodied within the play most prevalent in Miller’s characterisation of Deputy-Governor Danforth. Danforth is a figure of jurisdiction representative as the

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110 Words | 1 Pages

Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense. In the book the Crucible there are many hypocrites some dishonest some just following any one to be guilty, but one of the many character is Judge Danforth he mocks Marry when he ask "How were you instructed in your life? Do you not know that God damns all liars?"(3-84), since Danforth is in power for being the judge he thinks that everyone else is ignorant and not being equal as him.

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598 Words | 3 Pages

In this situation, Reverend Hale voices his concern by saying that it is a natural for her to lie in order to save her husband’s name (Miller 114). Here, Judge Danforth refuses to listen to Reverend Hale and inconsiderately dismisses his logical argument that given the circumstances a wife would lie to save their husband’s

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1788 Words | 8 Pages

“Excellency, we have proof for your eyes; God forbid you shut them to it. The girls, sir, the girls are frauds.” For this reason, Francis Nurse identified to the court that the Judge and governor have been deceived in an attempt to save his wife. Ultimately, Francis Nurse is aware of the dilemma in which he has placed himself in, but due to his morals and values of the roles in which he needs to fulfil he sacrifices himself. Another example of an individual whose personal identity determines their actions is Danforth, who is introduced into the play as a well-informed and structured man; this also assists with the attribution of his role as a Judge, and is implied to be a man of his word.

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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.

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363 Words | 2 Pages

One part where Judge Danforth decides the people punishment, Judge Danforth says “Hang them high over the town!”(144). This quotes says that Judge Danforth had these prisoner hanged, but before these he decided to have Giles Corey “Press”(135), “They press him, John”(135). “Press” in the play refers to having someone crushed to death, and with this Judge Danforth has the most power in the play The Crucible, because he was able to decide the punishment of the one found guilty, this shows how powerful he is, because he decided this punishment specifically for Giles Corey and once he decided the punishment and gave the other,his orders were final, no one argued or tried

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561 Words | 3 Pages

The play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller demonstrates the implications of a society in complete chaos over an irrational fear of witchcraft in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Fear plays an immense role in the way people make their decisions, such as when the characters of Danforth and Mary Warren resort to hypocrisy when no other options remain. Danforth and Mary Warren both embody hypocrisy, as seen when Mary says she cannot lie anymore and then lies when she becomes scared for her life, and Danforth when saying lying will send a person to Hell, but then forcing people to choose between lying and death. Mary Warren exemplifies hypocrisy extraordinarily well in the scene when she and Proctor travel to the courthouse so she can confess that the girls have pretended everything and they never actually saw spirits.

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615 Words | 3 Pages

Evidence proves this when Giles says "say nothin' more, John.(pointing at Danforth) He's only playin' you. He means to hang us all!" (Miller 513). Giles is trying to point out that the court is not listening and not believing the evidence that is given.

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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.

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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.

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