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The Crucible Act II character development
Character study of the crucible
The crucible character development essay
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In ¨The Crucible¨ Judge Danforth is the head judge and he has to listen to everyone’s plead and demand to see who has done witchcraft or has not. If Danforth had to choose to side with I think he would pick the younger people because I think that he would want to set a good example for the young people. Danforth is complicated. He is the one responsible for judging people´s stories but it is too soft hearted when it comes to certain ones. Danforth is always trying to get everyone to stay on God´s side but he finds out that some of the people in Salem for doing witchcraft. Danforth is in his sixties and is a proud man who has the respect of the people he works with. Judge Danforth is primarily developed through indirect characterization. Unlike …show more content…
the characters introduced earlier in the play, we do not have the benefit of a narrator's explanation of Danforth and his behavior. Therefore, we primarily get to know Danforth by what he says and by his relationship with other characters. Puritan beliefs at the time of The Crucible were very strong and consisted of the idea that one should adhere strictly to the policies of the church.
Any questioning of the church's authority was seen as questioning the will of God himself. In addition, such things as physical gratification or individuality were seen as a threat to their way of life. Danforth is a very sure of himself and his authority. People respect him and his experience. For example ¨Danforth summons Abigail and three of the girls into the vestry room, where he questions Abigail. She denies Mary Warren's charge that she is lying and that she falsely accused Elizabeth Proctor.¨ Judge Danforth is dismayed that people actually fear his court. He believes that himself and Judge Hawthorne are guided by God and hence the innocent need not fear the proceedings. In reality Danforth validates himself through these witch hunts. The more they go on, the greater importance he still has. So Danforth has a vested interest in presiding over the hysteria. He clearly refuses to see the paranoid slanders that are being tossed back and forth. He sees the trial as proof that he is needed as an intermediary between God and the Devil. I always thought that he allows the executions to continue to keep himself in the position of power that he has become accustomed
to. Danforth takes it as disrespect for the court. Giles begins to weep, and says he only said she was reading books and now she's being condemned as a witch. Danforth interrupts and says he can present his evidence but through the proper legal channels. The people of Salem village say that danforth is the most respected man in the village and that he is the one to lead them and make the right decisions. He is the holy man of the village they say. Judge danforth is a well repsected man and tries to help everyone in the village but somethings he can´t do. But danforth is also wanting attention and just wants to everyone to pay attention to him and he likes to be devious person also.
The Crucible was a rather strong book, it had battles both internal and external, there were also betrayals and vendettas… but a few stuck strong to their morals of what was wrong, and what was right. After the girl’s acts were, undoubtedly, in the eyes of the law, seen as entirely real, people who would not otherwise have been accused of witchcraft were now eligible to be under Satan’s spell. One John Proctor, saw himself above the nonsense, that witches could not exist in Salem, his wife, his children nor him; But, when Mary Warren said to the court that he used his spirit to drag her into court to testify against the girls, the judges deemed her word more truthful than his. After actively and repeatedly denying the claims, he was sentenced to death, for only a witch could lie in the face of god.
He uses the emotional fallacy of the slippery slope which is when during an argument progresses it then leads to devastating consequences results. This happens to Procter when he attempts to get his wife out of prison. He tells the court about his sinful ways. “Gold help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s venge-ance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands, I know you must see it now” (Miller 111). He put all of name on the line during his case with the court. He admits to breaking the seventh commandment which is a very big deal to people in the village; one must not commit adultery. However, he does not care about the repercussions as long as his wife is out of jail. To make sure his claim was true Danforth brings in his wife to validate his claim. If she told the court he cheated on her then she would be taken out of jail, but if she did not it would prove Abigail to be truthful. Being the good wife she is though, she attempts to save her husband’s name by lying in front of the court. Procter trying to prove his wife was a good woman evidently led her to more time in prison, tarnishing his name, and giving Abigail more
In the Crucible there are two quotes Parris says “You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!” So what this means is that anybody accused of witch gets hanged. People really do not have a choice. Putnam says “This woman must be hanged! She must be taken and
Firstly, throughout the play Judge Danforth acts with pride and arrogance. At the commencement of act III Judge Danforth voices his view on the ongoing phase of the witchcraft trials by stating that “Do you take it upon yourself to determine what this court shall believe and what it shall set aside?” (Miller 85). Here Danforth establishes an ultimatum to Giles Corey when he comes to defend his wife Martha Corey from the accusation of being a witch. Danforth sarcastically questions Giles Corey whether he has the authority to make any decision on the ongoing matter and thereby silences him. He makes it clear that no one else can determine what and how the court should act. In addition, the tone with which he delivers this dialogue is filled with arrogance as displayed by the movie “The crucible”. Overall, the picture profile of Judge Danforth created while saying these lines reveals his pride and haughtiness. Another instance where Judge Danforth reveals this attitude of his is when he snubs Francis Nurse for questioning his judgment and wisdom during the trials. In return Danforth replies “ And do you know that near four hundred are in jail... upon my signature”(Miller 87) and “ seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?” (Miller 87). These lines show that Judge Danforth is proud of his actions and his power as a judg...
Arthur Millers The Crucible possesses many examples of interesting character development. A character who one initially finds to be worthy of mercy or pity can easily become the last person deserving of sympathy. This relationship is not only formed between the reader and the characters, but between the characters and the scenario of the story itself. The victim may become the accuser, or the scholar may become the humanitarian. This manner of characterization is best shown in the relationship between Reverend John Hale and Deputy Governor Danforth. Each is objectified to the events in Salem as they come into the situation with no attachments to any of the other characters and are unfamiliar with any of their mannerisms or personalities. Hale is a well-read minister who relies upon his books. Danforth is a reputable judge who relies on consistent input and prodding. Both of these men enter the trials with very similar goals. The places they stand at the finish, however, could not be more different. This is due to the personal relationships and opinions Hale develops concerning Salem. Reverend Hale is a dynamic character who learns his role as a minister while Judge Danforth is a constant force who voices others opinions through his authority.
After all of the witch trials in 1692 concluded a total of 20 people were hanged all because of people craving attention and personal gain. There are three people depicted in Arthur Miller's The Crucible that are most responsible for this and they are, Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Thomas Putnam. Abigail Williams is mostly responsible for the Salem witch trials because she was the first person to start accusing innocent people of witchcraft. Judge Danforth is responsible because he is not concerned about justice, all he cares about is being correct about the witch trials. Lastly Thomas Putnam is guilty of causing the witch trials because he was able to have people accuse other people so he could claim their land for himself. The witch trials were a senseless massacre and all because Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Thomas Putnam were only concerned about them selves, not the innocent ones around them.
The justice system is designed to protect the people that it serves but during the trials the accused witch had two choices, death or imprisonment.
The Crucible also brings to light the theme of injustice in society. Not only does Judge Hathorne and Deputy-Governor Danforth have no proof of the crimes other than the word of the girls, but they leave the accused no options -- they either lie to save their lives, and hence 'admit' to the crime, or they die telling the truth which will not be believed by the public anyway. Even when Reverend Hale becomes suspicious that it is a hoax and informs the court of his fears, Danforth and Hathorne ignore his pleads for extra time to investigate and continue on with how they best see the court's proceedings.
Danforth tells Proctor “Courage man, courage-let not her witness your good example that she may come to God herself. Now hear it, Goody Nurse! Say on, Mr. Proctor. Did you bind yourself to the Devil’s service?” (Miller 128).
Throughout The Crucible, Miller is concerned with conscience and guilt. Through the character Abigail Williams, he shows how people are willing to abandon their firmly-established values in order to conform with the majority and protect themselves. Those who refuse to part with their conscience, such as the character of John Proctor, are chastised for it. For this reason, the Salem witch trials raise a question of the administration of justice. During this time in the late 1600’s, people were peroccupied by a fear of the devil, due to their severe Puritan belief system. Nineteen innocent people are hanged on the signature of Deputy Governor Danforth, who has the authority to try, convict, and execute anyone he deems appropriate. However, we as readers sense little to no real malice in Danworth. Rather, ignorance and fear plague him. The mass
Even though The Crucible is not historically correct, nor is it a perfect allegory for anti-Communism, or as a faithful account of the Salem trials, it still stands out as a powerful and timeless depiction of how intolerance, hysteria, power and authority is able to tear a community apart. The most important of these is the nature of power, authority and its costly, and overwhelming results. “But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or against it,” says Danforth conceitedly. With this antithesis, Miller sums up the attitude of the authorities towards the witch trials that if one goes against the judgement of the court they are essentially breaking their relationship with God. Like everyone else in Salem, Danforth draws a clear line to separate the world into black and white. The concurrent running of the “Crucible” image also captures the quintessence of the courtroom as Abigial stirs up trouble among the people that have good reputation and loving natures in society. In a theocratic government, everything and everyone belongs to either God or the Devil.
Pride does not only cloud ones judgement, but it also can cause worse situations such as death or unnecessary punishment. In the play, The Crucible, a lot is caused because of a characters pride; for instance, when all was coming to place: Abigail running away, no one willing to confess to witchcraft, and three well known people in line to be hung, Danforth would not postpone nor completely stop the hangings of Proctor, Rebecca, Goody Nurse because if he did the other twelve hangings that were for the same reason would not be “just.” Danforth’s “pride” was not only to be “just,” but to not look like a weakling in front of the town’s people. Danforth did not “yield” because he did not want to but because if he did it would not seem like the “right” thing to do. Pride overpowered Danforth’s judgement and made him arrogant all he wanted to do was to seem fair and please the townspeople; which caused the death of innocent people and the freedom of t...
"Them that will not confess will hang. While I speak with God 's law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering. I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law, and ocean of salt tears could not the resolution of the statutes." (Miller 129). Judge Danforth is not afraid to kill those that stand in his way. He is very similar to Abigail in that he will have innocent people killed to prove a point or to get what he wants. Its his way or the highway. If you do not cooperate, you will die. He abuses his power to get people to talk and give names. He is also very similar to Parris in his concern for power. Danforth holds all the power in the courtroom and basically forces you to talk and confess. If you don 't cooperate, then you will suffer the consequences. Ergo, it is a win-win situation for the accuser. "You are the high court, you word is good enough!" (Miller 143). Proctor later denounced himself for saying this, but the phrase is completely true. This quote is a reference to Danforth 's abuse of power throughout the witch trials. The high court deeply resembles the courts during the McCarthyism era. They held all the power and had the people 's lives in their hands. Danforth was prideful and believed himself to be a honest man. So whatever he thought was right, was declared as right. If they said you were guilty of being a witch, and hanged you, then no one in Salem did anything about it. They couldn 't say or do anything because the high court was always right. Many innocent people died because Danforth couldn 't admit he was wrong. If he did admit to being wrong, then the high court would lose power and it would of hurt his
Danforth’s has too much confidence on his ability to distinguish the truth. His strong puritan beliefs blinds him from reality and considers people who goes against him as suspects. This demonstrated when he says, “But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between.” (94). This quotation proves that his decisions on court is mostly bias and he is against anything that violates his puritan beliefs. In addition, he also uses his authority as a Deputy Governor to maintain his reputation. He does not want to accept his mistakes and try to correct it because he does not want his reputation to be tainted. He displays this character by saying, “you misunderstand, sir; I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just.” (129). Danforth is too concerned about his reputation and he is afraid to that he will lose it if he admits that he has made wrong judgements. His bias opinion on what is right plays a vital on the mass hysteria that happened in
Danforth claims “Postponement now speaks of a floundering on my part” this shows Danforth’s incompetence is caused by his fear of losing power and how it has subconsciously influenced his actions and rulings in the proceedings of the witch trials (1158). Correspondingly, Judge Hathrone also seems to be power blind like Judge Danforth. Hathrone dismissed any evidence and defense presented as being in “contempt of the court” (1138). This shows how unjust he was in his rulings by favoring one side over another. He continues to deny witnesses and seems to be most excited to see John Proctor falsely confess, saying “It is a providence!...