How is Tension Created in the Film 'The Crucible' and What Effect Does This Have on the Audience?

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How is Tension Created in the Film 'The Crucible' and What Effect Does This Have on the Audience?

In the film, 'The Crucible,' the actors change their characters to affect the audience by creating tension. The first character I'm going to talk about is Parris. Parris used to be a confident, reliable man. Now due to the witchcraft rumour, he seems to have lost that confidence and is unstable. He is scared. He shows this when he enters the Act. It says 'he is gaunt, frightened and sweating in his greatcoat.' This stage setting informs the audience that Parris is really nervous and he is scared for his life. Another stage setting when Parris feels scared is shown when 'he hurries back and shuts the door.' This again is effective towards the audience as one of the most confident men in the film, is frightened for his life. To the audience he would seem frail and they would be frightened for his life. He is normally calm and he takes his time. Another scene setting where Parris is acting scared, is when he is 'prayfully holding up his hands.' This shows Parris is frightened as he is seeking for God's guidance. The thing that makes this so dramatic is that the audience see that he is doing this infront of Danforth, and Danforth still rejects him. He normally does things without help and he is quite helpless in this situation. When Parris says 'But I thought to summon you, sir, that we might think on whether it be not wise, to - (he dares not say it...'), the effect of this is that the audience would hear a slight pause and know that something is worrying him. This adds to the drama as Parris has been worried a lot at the start of the fourth scene. When Parris speaks to Danforth again, his language seems to be disjointed by the use of the dash. Another scene when drama is added is when Parris speaks disjointedly again. He says to Danforth ' there is news, sir, that the court - the court must reckon with. My niece, sir, my niece - I believe she has vanished.' This adds drama due to the repetition of phrases and the use of dashes, which shows Parris' worry, by the use of disjointed language. The second drama added here is that Parris says his niece has 'disappeared.' Parris feels worried again. When he says to Danforth, 'I tell you true, sir, I fear there will be riot here,' the audience would feel scared for Parris, as they know that the riot would be about Parris. They know he will be in danger. This adds suspense to the plot. Further on in the scene, the audience gets a sense of time. When Parris says 'there is not sufficient time till dawn,' the audience can be relieved that there is still some time left to save Proctor. This adds to the tension as there is only a small amount of time left, even though there is still time to save Proctor. Another dramatic part to the scene is when Parris claims that someone wants him dead. He says to Danforth, 'you cannot hang this sort. There is danger for me. I dare not step outside at night!' The language is very harsh as there is a use of an exclamation mark. The audience have now realised that Parris is only trying to save Proctor for his own benefit. They would feel Parris is selfish and this would make the audience feel betrayed, as they thought he was saving Proctor for the good of everyone. When Parris 'rushes out of the door' it shows how worried he is. It says 'Proctor! Proctor!' This language is very harsh and forceful and the 'burst of drums' adds to the tension as it sounds like his heartbeat beating away. The audience would know how petrified he is now.
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Similarly to Parris, Hale loses his confidence and gets worried too. When Hale says to Danforth, 'Better you should marvel how they do not burn your province,' the audience would be saddened and shocked as both Parris and Hale have lost their confidence. Hale uses forceful language when talking about Proctor. He says to Goody Proctor 'if he is taken I count myself his murderer.' This is a sigh of relief for the audience as they know that someone cares for Proctor and they want him saved. This is forceful language, as he says he will kill Proctor ...

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