As most stories or plays have a hero, so does this one. His name is John Proctor. He is an honest and law-abiding man however his lust for Abigail Williams leads to an affair and the jealousy that Abigail has over John’s wife, Elizabeth causes her to accuse her of witchcraft. Another problem that John has is that he is a committed Christian even though not making an appearance in the church in a month. He says this is to having three children and his land giving little in that month. Earlier on in the play John is asked to give the Ten Commandments. At first he is uneasy but complies with this nevertheless. He is only able to give nine and is stuck for one more. This is very ironic as the one he forgets is the 7th commandment ‘ thou shalt not commit adultery’. This irony is almost humorous because that is what John has been doing with Abigail Williams. John feels the only way to stop Abigail is to confess to adultery even though he knows that this will ruin his reputation and good name in the town. This leads to the courtroom trial of the citizens of Salem who are now being questioned.
Throughout Act 3, the characters are scrutinized and many of the characters true selves emerge. At the beginning of the court session judge Hathorne is questioning Martha Corey. Hathorne is in his sixties. He is a ‘bitter and remorseless judge’ Martha has been accused of reading fortunes therefore of witchcraft. At the point of Hathorne asking questions, Giles Corey bursts in (Roaring) ‘ I have evidence for the court!’ He says that Thomas Putnam is only getting Abigail to accuse up-right people in order to get more land. Obviously Giles is angry, easily seen from the exclamation marks at the end of this speech. I think that Giles feels much guilt due to the fact that he announced that his wife reads books. The court was mystified with what type books she was reading therefore confirming some of their suspicions that she was dealing with the devil. However we all know this to be untrue but the town of Salem had gotten mixed up so badly that even small accusations such as fascinations with reading books led to suspicions of witchcraft.
As the trial continues, various characters are brought in to help with the decisions. One of these is Mary Warren. She was with the young girls when they were dancing in the forest and they pretended that people sent their spirits out to them. Mary warren explains that they were only pretending. Mary warren’s lines are short which may mean she is shy or under the control of Abigail Williams who seems to be the leader due to her lies and sly control over the situation in Salem. Parris says that they are trying to overthrow the court, which he has expressed many times. The first time was when a list of names was shown to the judge. Parris reads the names and is quite nervous, as he doesn’t want to damage his reputation. Parris is a reverend however is a greedy and power-hungry man who only cares about material possessions and not the duties of being a reverend.
I believe this to be a dramatic scene from the language used. This is shown when John proctor breaks down and confesses his affair with Abigail Williams. Proctor says ‘It is a whore’s vengeance’. This means that Abigail is a prostitute and is only saying these things to get back at him for ending the affair. This particular scene is the most dramatic as it shows John Proctor to be a liar. However his honesty and hunger for justice come to late when he is accused of meddling with witchcraft.
In this play the stage directions play an important role in making act 3 more dramatic by setting the scene. From these we can clearly see the frustration from Giles Corey and John Proctor knowing they cannot do anything to help their wives but only to reveal Abigail as a liar and cunning actress. It seems that from the stage directions we have a greater insight into the characters reactions to what is being said but also to the feeling around the courtroom. This makes the audience be right there with the characters and feel sympathy when things don’t go the right way. A stage direction after John Proctor’s outburst into the court ‘voices of townspeople rise in excitement.’ This stage direction shows the dull life of the town as the town becomes alive at just new evidence. The whole play centres around the court room which makes us think that very little happens in the town therefore thinking that some of the characters have manipulated situations to bring spirit into the town as they are exasperated with their own lives.
Another stage direction which sets the scene is on page 68 ‘enter deputy-governor Danforth and, behind him Ezekiel Cheever and Parris. On this appearance silence falls. This shows us the power Danforth has over the time and respect he has earned from the town. Danforth is also in his sixties although more humorous than Hawthorne it does not interfere with his position. This makes me think that the people defending their wives and innocent people would be happier if Danforth was there, as a fair decision would then normally be made.
There are many quotes in the play, which represent how the characters are feeling and also give us an indication into the atmosphere of the play. One of these in act 3 is ‘ it is a whore’s vengeance’ said by John Proctor. John finally breaks down and tells the court about his affair with Abigail Williams. He did not inform anyone of this before, as he would have ruined his reputation. John finally admits it now as his concern for justice overpowers his pride and reputation. The word ‘whore’ is a powerful and negative word and is used to discredit Abigail. He is not only fighting for his wife’s sake but for all the other people that Abigail has accused. From this we can see just how good a man John Proctor is his courage to be honest despite the consequences. This is a dramatic quote and for many people sums up the attitude of the people of Salem and the play.
The pace of the act differs between scenes to portray the panic and confusion of the people in the town. Until Act 3 the play is slow which builds up the accusations and ideas about inhabitants in Salem. This gives the reader a chance to analyse the characters to assess how they handle situations they are put in so we can understand the time in Salem in the 1692. in act 3, the court room scene we see straight away how it picks up pace from Giles Corey bursting into the court room. From here we can establish the importance of the scene and it is easy to see how the judges are deceived despite there good and fair reputation. Among the frustration of characters such as Giles Corey and John Proctor who are only there to save their wives we see the continuous revenge scheme of Abigail Williams and how she maintains her act despite knowing the trouble she is in.
Overall I believe that times in Salem were ruled by jealously and hatred among characters and that accusations from character such as Abigail Williams led to the death of innocent people just to cover up her own sins. Characters like John Proctor showed great courage despite risking and losing it all to the court, not only that but he stood up for every member of Salem and fought for them. Despite his affair with Abigail Williams, the audience can clearly see the good Christian man that John Proctor is. Abigail Williams is easily seen as wicked but clever girl despite her age. She knows how to get what she wants and doesn’t care who she hurts along the way. Her greed for power led to jealously for Elizabeth Proctor as which John Proctor sad she only wants rid of Elizabeth to take her place in his home. Finally I believe this to be the most dramatic act as everyone’s characters emerge for the better or worse and the anger and bitterness between characters makes this play a book worth reading.
