Dramatic irony is a huge part of 'The Crucible' as throughout the play, there are many ideas and notions that the audience knows but the other characters do not. In many scenes, especially scenes with Abigail Williams, there is an ounce of dramatic irony that causes frustration among the audience, whilst also creating a story line. An example of this is when the audience knows Abigail and "the girls" are lying about witches in Salem because of the scene in Act One describing how scared they were about people finding out what happened in the woods. The audience, Abigail and "the girls" know the whole witch idea is a huge rouse but the other characters in the play do not have any idea. This causes the audience to become overly frustrated and
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.
In the late 1940’s, Senator Joseph McCarthy began a tyrannical attack against the people of America. McCarthy went through the nation and accused powerful people of being a part of the communist party. McCarthy had no grounds for his accusations; he would just keep accusing people until they broke down and just said they were a communist to end his attacks. His form of “trial” worked until he tried to accuse Arthur Miller, a brilliant play write, of being a communist. Arthur Miller was livid and fought against Senator McCarthy and his House Committee on Un-American Activities the only way he knew.
Judge Danforth held the highest position of authority. He was the only person who ultimately had the power to stop the craziness, but he chose not to; therefore, even though others were partially responsible, Danforth was most at fault. He liked being in power. In Act 3 he even bragged, “And did you know that four hundred are in jails… upon my signature?... And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?”
In Act 3 of The Crucible, Arthur Miller reveals that the arbitrary power structure in Salem causes an abuse of power and an erosion of justice in the courtrooms. Judge Danforth is approached by Francis Nurse and Giles Correy because they want to prove their wife’s innocence in court. They explained that Danforth was deceived by the girls and Danforth exclaimed “Do you know who I am, Mr. Nurse?” (87). Danforth's own belief in his abilities makes him appalled at the thought of him being deceived.
The Devil has returned putting children under his control is what many people believed in Salem village in 1962. In ¨ The Crucible¨ by Arthur Miller many people panicked from the witch hysteria which caused many to be accused of being witches, Judge Danforth decided what happens to the accused witches and is the most corrupted in Salem because his power of being a judge made him go overboard with his decisions on people. When he starts to realize he continues to avoid people from getting mad at him for putting innocent people in jail and killing them. To begin with Danforth became a megalomaniac a person crazy with their own power. As the Judge he gets to pick the punishment of the person accused making him feel superior to others.
Judge Danforth’s unwavering egotism culminates in the unfortunate deaths of Salem townsfolk. Arthur Miller’s classic play The Crucible demonstrates how the actions of one person can affect many others. Judge Danforth cares more about his own reputation than what is right. Often times people try to think of what is right instead of saving their own face, Judge Danforth is an exception to this stereotype. The Salem Witch Trials were a horrible time where many people lost their lives due to an unjust court system.
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.
Power is something that allows the one with it to control and oppress others. In the play The Crucible by author Arthur Miller, use characters from the play to show power. However the character with the most power is Judge Danforth. The reason Judge Danforth is the most powerful out of all the characters in The Crucible is because, Judge Danforth has the power of speaking, the power of speaking is where Judge Danforth decides who is able to speak or who is able to be heard, where Judge Danforth says “Turn your back.
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.
Whilst trying to prove Abigail and the other girls were pretending, John confesses, “I have known her [Abigail], sir” (3.110). The fact that he is willing to confess such a heavy sin for this purpose is a huge deal. He willingly, albeit reluctantly, soils his name and reputation to bring the truth to light. In the end, Proctor refuses to give a false confession that would condemn the others who were falsely accused. He decided what he felt was right and refused to stray from it.
If he did confess, he would ruin his and his family’s reputation. John Proctor was very conflicted. He came to his wife looking insight. Elizabeth was untrusting of John because of his affair with Abigail. She said, “John, you are not open with me.
Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953, as a response to McCarthyism, which is, in general, accusing people of crimes with little to no proof. It ran rampant through the United States during the Second Red Scare through the early 1950s (exactly when Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible). In The Crucible, Miller juxtaposes the leaders, who rationally think for themselves, and the followers, who believe what everybody else believes, through irony, imagery, and denotation. The Crucible is riddled with irony, and Arthur Miller utilizes situational and dramatic irony to show the difference between followers and leaders.
Also, in attempt to tell the truth about Abigail, John Proctor admits to cheating on his wife with Abigail, but Elizabeth lets her fear assist her in lying. John Proctor tells everyone in the court, previous to Elizabeth arriving, “she [has] never lied” (III.891.). With everyone now knowing that she does not lie, it makes her trustworthy and believable. Deputy Danforth then brings Elizabeth in to confirm what
The Cask of Amontillado is about two men named Montresor and Fortunato. As hate and revenge take over their lives because of wine. Montresor tricks Fortunato by telling him he has Amontillado in his cellar but he doesn't know if it's the real or not and he wants Fortunato to test it. Fortunato's favorite wine, and tells Fortunato that he will have someone elsa to taste the wine.
