Danforth is, as it says in the stage directions, “dumbfounded” by this. This is shown by the way he begins stuttering, repeating himself and is unable to finish his sentences. He asks:
“In-in what time? In what place?”
There is the use of dramatic irony when Danforth says:
“This will not pass”
as eventually it does pass and leads to Proctors death.
Proctor uses repetition when he says:
“I have known her sir, I have known her.”
As the stage directions say at this point he is “trembling” this would have been said in an ashamed tone as, by saying this he is losing a lot of his dignity. This is an emotional point of the scene. It is monosyllabic to put it across to the court in the simplest form. Proctor repeats it, almost as though he is trying to confirm to himself that he has said it aloud. If this were being acted out to an audience following the stage directions, Proctor would be:
“trembling, his life collapsing about him”
This would appeal to the audiences emotions as, although Proctor is confessing to a crime, the emotional way in which he does it causes the audience to feel sympathy for him, causing him to gain respect. This shows that Millers dramatic techniques work on the audience.
The line in which Proctor talks to Francis:
“Oh Francis I wish you had some evil in you”
he lets out all the emotion of shame and regret he is feeling about what he has done and what is happening. The way the other characters respond to Proctors statement is important as it gives the audience a good idea of how serious it is. Such as, the way Francis is “horrified”.
There is the use of dramatic irony when Proctor says:
“You surely know that”
to Danforth, as he does not fully understand what has happened. This demonstrates just how distant and cold he is to human emotion.
The stage directions regulate that John Proctor says:
“his voice about to break and his shame great”
this section of the play will affect the audience greatly, as it is very emotional. They have seen Proctor at the beginning of the play as a very strong and powerful man and now they are witnessing his life collapse around him and his reputation destroyed. This emotion is also magnified due to the vast contrast in the characterisation of Danforth and Proctor. They are both very strong characters, yet very different. Proctor is emotional, and Danforth is very cold and unmoveable.
The playwright invokes intense emotions in the audience when Proctor has to explain his confession as it prolongs his agony, causing him to feel more and more ashamed. The stage directions illustrate how it becomes increasingly difficult for him to carry on:
“to cry out is his only means of speech left”
This makes the audience empathise with him as they see he is a desperate man. Miller uses theatrical techniques to manipulate the audience and change their perception of Proctor. He uses the metaphor:
“She wishes to dance with me on my wife’s grave”
this is where Proctor realises that Abigail is trying to get rid of his wife and take her place. He then begins to excuse her, placing the blame upon himself. Miller is again controlling the audience causing them to feel sympathy for Proctor.
There is the use of dramatic irony when Proctor says to Danforth:
“It is a whores vengeance, and you must see it”
Yet still he does not understand. The playwright knows the audience are aware of this, as this is to make them feel compassion towards Proctor, as no one else in the courtroom fully understands the greatness of what is happening.
Danforth is “blanched” and “in horror” having heard all that Proctor has just said. Danforth refers to what has just been said as “scrap and tittle” as he does not wish to anger Abigail by showing any doubt in her, as he fears her. Abigail has now become very powerful and could easily turn against Danforth and begin accusing him and he is aware of this. This affects the audience, as they know by the way Danforth expresses disbelief that there is no hope for Proctor.
The court proceedings have come to a stage where Danforth cannot afford to have Abigail confess to have been lying all this time and she is aware of this. This gives Abigail power, which she knows she has and uses it, an example of this being when she says:
“I will not come back again”
Danforth begins to put words in to Abigail’s mouth, such as:
“You deny every scrap”
as he does not wish things to go badly for him. This invokes the audience’s emotions as Danforth is obviously being biased towards Abigail. Abigail is now confident enough to threaten not to “come back again!”
In the stage directions it describes Abigail as:
“Stepping up to Danforth”
this gives the audience and Danforth even more sense of her power, as does Danforth’s silence when Abigail asks him
“What look do you give me?”
Danforth then calls for Elizabeth to be bought in to the court. Miller now uses this to create a lot of dramatic tension as it nears to the end of the scene. Parris is, as the stage directions say, “objecting” as Abigail is his niece and is worried about what truths will surface. Arthur Miller has cleverly used Dramatic Techniques to manipulate the audiences emotions to, at this stage feel anger as there is no one in the court who is completely sure of Abigail’s innocence; Danforth is beginning to doubt her, yet has now given her to much power to try and confront her and Parris is unsure of letting things carry on as if Abigail’s name is soiled, as will be his as he is her uncle, however no one puts a stop to what is going on.
Danforth uses the ironic metaphor:
“We shall touch the bottom of this swamp”
This is ironic as it is now that they are at the bottom of this “swamp”, where as before they thought it was about witchcraft. Yet people are being hung because of personal vendettas they have against each other.
Miller begins delaying Elizabeth’s entry to create tension as the audience are anticipating seeing Abigail and Elizabeth in the same room together, as until now they have not.
The playwright uses dramatic irony when Proctor says:
“My wife cannot lie”
This is ironic as indirectly Elizabeth does lie.
The knock at the door adds to the audience’s tension as at this point the play is moving at a slow pace to create more suspense, there fore a noise like a knock will add to the tenseness. Danforth’s call to the door to “hold” also adds to the tension as the audience too are holding.
The stage directions say:
“She stands alone, her eyes looking for PROCTOR”
this emphasises how isolated and alone she must feel at this point and causes the audience to feel sympathy for her. Elizabeth does what ever she can:
“to stall for time”
after Danforth asks each question, such as: pausing, licking her lips and looking around for Proctor, as she wants some sort of indication from him of what to say. Elizabeth begins bringing in irrelevant information to try and stall for time, which slows the pace of the play, therefore building more tension as it keeps the audience waiting. Elizabeth uses such words as “thought” and “think” in an attempt to not commit herself in case she says something that could incriminate her husband. Elizabeth tries one last time to “glance” at Proctor so Danforth holds her face, he then asks her if her husband had:
“ever committed the crime of lechery”
There is a dramatic pause where Elizabeth is to overwhelmed with what she should do to speak, this affects the audience as it shows how much she loves her husband as she cannot speak through fear of what effect what she says might have. Danforth then rephrases his question to the present tense and asks:
“Is your husband a lecher?”
and Elizabeth then answers no. This affects the audience, as it is an extremely dramatic moment in the play as by trying to save her husband, she has just sealed his fate. She has still however, did not lie due to the way the question was phrased; although her husband committed adultery he is not a lecher.
Danforth then calls to the Marshall to:
“Remove her”
as he has got the result he wished for. Proctor then cries out:
“tell the truth”
giving the audience hope that perhaps she will say something to change the fate of her husband, however Danforth does not giver her a chance as he calls to the marshal yet again to remove her. Elizabeth’s line:
“Oh God!”
reflects the audiences’ emotion of what has just happened.
As the stage directions state:
“The door closes behind her”
this comes across, as a striking and symbolic image to the audience as it represents that there is no going back on what has just been done.
In Salem logic has been replaced with disorder and chaos as Puritans are accused of having communicated with the devil. Miller, like many other innocent citizens in America during the 1950’s was persecuted for association with communism. Arthur Miller gives an insight in to the judgemental ways of an extremist government that allows the antipathy that its subjects feel towards others to be used as a weapon to make innocent people such as Proctor the reason for conflict.
