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Judge Danforth's Deaths In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

674 Words3 Pages

A big question has been lingering in the air for quite sometime as to who is responsible for all the deaths from the the book called The Crucible, which took place during the Salem Witch Trials back in 1692. The many deaths in the Salem witch trials was the fault of many people but the ultimate responsibility for the deaths of the innocent Puritans is borne by Judge Danforth because according to his rules of the court, if anyone was accused of being a witch and denied you would be hung, also because of his ignorance, he allowed abigail and the other girls to have the power of anyone in the village killed, and he was very reluctant to listen to the opinions of anyone other than the girls on the matter of the Salem Witch Trials. According to …show more content…

Throughout the story, Danforth allowed the character Abigail Williams and the other girls in the story to have the power to have anyone in the village killed. Abigail was searching for revenge to several people throughout the story. This alone resulted in several deaths because people got killed if Abigail blamed a character that she didn’t like of witchcraft. Abigail and the other girls in this story have caused the death of more than 20 people because of Danforth’s ignorance. In The Crucible, Danforth stated, “I have until this moment not the slightest reason to suspect that the children may be deceiving me.” (Miller, pg. …show more content…

This is because he is trying to protect the court’s reputation because the court will look foolish if it was discovered that the girls have been lying all along. He believed false evidence which is why the salem witch trials were allowed to continue. This costed many lives. In The Crucible, Mary Warren stated, “Never, never.” The girls then said, “Never, never.” Danforth: “why can the only repeat you?” (Miller, pg. 1258-1358). Irony is evident in this scene because Danforth is committed to preserving truth, yet he will not acknowledge truth when he hears it. Proctor, who has spent seven months concealing his affair with Abigail, now tells the truth but is disbelieved. And Elizabeth, who has lived by the truth, lies to keep her husband's secret and condemns them both by doing so. And Mary Warren, who had lied and now is finally telling the truth, lies again to save her life. The only winner here is the chief liar, Abigail Williams, who continues to lie. And the court, which should be an instrument of truth, is in the position of condemning those who tell the truth and believing

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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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Judge Danforth was the person who decided what happened to the ¨guilty¨ people, which led to 24 killed, 19 hanged, 1 pressed, and 4 who died in prison. "Near to four hundred are in the jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature...and seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature" ( Page 183). Danforth talks about how with his signature he killed many people and put many people in prison. He shows how he is responsible for many deaths in not just Salem but, other places too. Judge Danforth used his powers as a Judge to his advantage, he was the most corrupt in this story.

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Deputy Governor, Danforth is ignorant to the fact that he believes he is the voice of God. He believes the people of Salem should not fear the court because the court is guided by God, so therefore there will be no corruption or unfair ruling. This thoughts is a lie and shows how much of an ego Danforth has. Even though the people he has found guilty and condemned are innocent, Danforth fails to see that this whole trial is fraud.

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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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During the late 17th century a total of 200 people were accused of participating in witchcraft, while 19 people lost their lives to the mass hysteria. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a group of girls start a huge uproar in Salem, Massachusetts when they start screeching about Salemites being associated with the Devil. Throughout the play write, it shows the consequences of mass hysteria and how it puts people's lives in danger. Abigail Williams causes a wave of mass hysteria and because of her trickery, innocent people have died by her and the other girl’s actions, for this Abigail is the most unforgivable character in The Crucible.

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