The start of Act 3 begins with off-stage acting which is unusual and gives the audience something to think about, they may be wandering what is going on, which creates suspense. This is then followed by Giles being ushered onto stage as if he had forgotten when he was meant to enter creating some confusion in the audience and keeping them engaged. Another clever scene by Miller is when all the attention is on Abigail, when Proctor is testifying that his wife is innocent and she lied to keep his name clear. Abigail quickly gets her out of a tight situation by creating a yellow bird. This quick creation has taken the attention away from her and caused uproar in the room. She knows she is thought of as a child, therefore she appears innocent, and however the dramatic irony is that the audience know she is the cause of the insanity. As a result of this there is dramatic tension due to the audiences' awareness of Abigail's plan. Miller is very careful not to change the tone of the whole scene as he could have made Danforth end the court proceeding by saying the girls were lying and are all frauds but he maintains the tension throughout the Act. The final scene at the end of the Act when Proctor is dragged off into jail ends with Proctor shouting out insults like “God is dead!” here he is portraying life as unfair. The Salem witch hunt will never end as if God has gone and because God is considered to control what happens and what does not happen. Overall Miller maintains tension by controlling action within the Act and the reactions of the audience.
Reverend Hale is an ambiguous figure in the play; he comes to Salem to find the problem of these illnesses and arrives with great authority and respect. At first he hears a rumour and makes a huge commotion creating a lot of hysteria and tension as Giles Corey told Hale about “strange books” his wife has been reading and how he “could not say his prayers and then she closes her book and walks out of the house, suddenly-mark this-he could pray again!” This shows how Giles wanted some advice on what was happening and whether it was mysterious but Hale tells the court and they arrest Martha Corey as she has shown signs of witchcraft. However later in the play Hale seems to come to his senses and leaves his God-driven mind. After Elizabeth tells the court whether or not Proctor has committed adultery, and she replies he has not. Hale is quick to respond saying, “It is a natural lie to tell.” It now seems Hale has found his own conscience and calling a lie, 'natural' forgetting God's law. This shows that he is so sure Proctor is telling the truth, he is willing to act against God and that the Puritans who settled in America were hypocrites and were not extremely committed to God as others say they were. I think Miller decided to add a figure where the audience are unsure about his stance, whether he’s in favour of the court or trying to stop the deaths to create an air of mystery over Hale and to create apprehension in the Acts.
In many communities the elders are treated with great respect. Miller seems to have conveyed his views on how society is changing in the world as he portrays Corey and Nurse to be ill-treated and very fragile. Evidence for this is that they have both been convicted and jailed by Abigail and the girls, testifying that they saw them with the devil. Proctor tells us that, “But who tells us Rebecca Nurse murdered seven babies by sending her spirit out on them? It is the children only.” This turn of events shows the younger generations respect for the elders is very poor. Miller wants the elderly to be represented in the play, like so as it makes the audience stiff and sorry for them, causing it frightening to watch and tension is created which is a reason for Miller to include characters such as Corey and Nurse.
In Act 3 we see the fall of Proctor, who was the hope of Salem, trying to bring the truth out. In the Act, Proctor comes into court to defend his wife, Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse. In the outrage of Danforth trying to blackmail him, telling him his wife may live another month and if she does show signs of birth, she will be able to live another year but only on the terms that he drops his charges against Abigail. In response to the news he replies, “But if she says she is pregnant then she must be! That woman will never lie.” This creates high drama as Proctor had claimed his wife will tell the truth when questioned, however later in the Act, she does lie. Eventually Proctor becomes so angry with Abigail's accusations that he puts himself at risk and tells the court of his affair with Abigail. The court, now knowing that Elizabeth is an honest woman gives her the opportunity to tell the truth, which she abuses. Miller brings this scene to a climax as from the beginning of the play Elizabeth is described as a truthful woman however; her love for John and desire to make sure his name stays “clean” forces her to renounce her high morals and to lie for his sake. Her small lie makes up a big part in the play, the madness which could have ended if she had told the truth. These series of events show us dramatic irony as the audience know Proctor has confessed but Elizabeth trying to defend Proctor’s name, lies keeping her in jail and Procter is later convicted as he is seen as lying. Danforth now sees John as a liar. Danforth is a narrow-minded man. He does nothing to stop the court proceedings because although he is an intelligent man, he refuses to admit the possibilities outside of the church's version of the truth. His character makes him unable to believe that the events might be caused by deception rather than real evil. Danforth is very much a fictional version of McCarthy as both men were enormously single minded and believed only in their description of the truth. Danforth abuses his power by having the chance to put an end to the mass hysteria; however he will not face the facts that madness could be caused by people, not just the Devil. This is much like how McCarthy believed communism was the only cause of the panic, and like Danforth, he had the power to end the “witch hunt”.
After these events Abigail screams in court accusing Mary of sending out her spirit. Near the end of the act after the commotion, Proctor asks Mary to tell the Governor what they were doing, but to everyone’s surprise she “rushes out of his reach, screaming in horror” calling him “the Devil’s man!” This eventually leads to Proctor’s arrest. In these swift turn of events Miller has changed the mood and atmosphere in the final moments when the curtain falls. Proctor is portrayed by Miller as another victim of the girls’ testimony. When Proctor is about to be marched to jail by the marshal, this creates suspense which keeps the audience engaged, maintains the intensity of the atmosphere and creates a mysterious tone. At the end of the play when Proctor is hung, he is considered by Miller to have become “purified” which relates back to the title as a crucible is a heat-resistant container in which materials can be heated to very high temperatures to get rid of impurities. In this case Proctor is considered the object being heated and purified but by the price that he hung in the end.
In the town of Salem where puritan religion is taken very seriously, children were to be very respectful and the word of God was law. Abigail Williams is portrayed by Miller as the stray sheep in the flock which begins to lead others into her beliefs and acts. When the audiences watch the play within the first few scenes we learn of her demonic acts, dancing in the woods which was considered the last stronghold of the devil and drinking charms to kill. Betty says, “You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor” which shows how she is different. Soon after the audiences are told about her affair with Proctor and her disownment from the Proctor family yet she denies it defending her name saying, “Goody Proctor is telling lies about me!” Miller conveys Abigail Williams as the leader of these events and seemingly has an effect over the whole community. The girls for one are controlled by Abigail once by force but by Act 3 they follow her every footstep this is shown in the courtroom when “Abigail, with a weird, wild, chilling cry, screams up to the ceiling”, as soon as she does this the girls follow her “the girls are doing the same.” This shows us she has an aura over the girls and in the courtroom too. Judge Danforth seems “unsteady” when dealing with Abigail as she threatens Danforth by saying “I will leave and I will not come back” and Danforth tries to calm the situation as he knows Abigail is a figure who is needed as she is the main witness. Abigail also tells Danforth “I’ll not have such looks!” This shows Abigail’s authority over the most powerful of figures in the community. This situation where the court’s authority is being questioned by children is very worrying. I think Miller uses the idea of having children as the witnesses and the holders of authority to show the weaknesses and fears in modern day society. During Act 3 the relationship between Abigail and Proctor becomes very fragile leaving Abigail in grave danger. Abigail Williams is in real danger in Act 3 as she has met a worthy opponent that may reveal the truth behind the witch hunt in Salem, John Proctor and Mary Warren who she eventually overcomes. Proctor comes to court with Mary Warren who can testify that the girls are “frauds” which other townspeople have already been accusing the girls of. Proctor also brings with him a petition, signed by many townspeople about how his wife, Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse are all innocent. Abigail also knows that John may tell the court that she confessed that the dancing and conjuring in the forest were just act of “sport”. In this Act Abigail is in a fragile position as she could lose all her authority and be jailed or escape and become even more powerful, as Proctor’s evidence would be seen as a plot against the court. I think Miller uses Abigail’s character to create much of tension as Abigail creates many problems which spark discomfort in the atmosphere.
Finally the last instance of tension in Act 3 is the incident involving kindness, love and innocence, which unknowingly spread evil within the Salem community. The most notable case of this was between Abigail, Mary and Elizabeth. In this case Mary had knitted a poppet for Elizabeth, but she left a needle stuck in it. Abigail then accused Elizabeth of cursing it, to stab her. The court believed this, and accused Elizabeth of communicating with the devil and of witchcraft. This part of the play shows how Miller kept this scene ambiguous as the audience could have portrayed it as Elizabeth being a witch or Abigail being cunning and mischievous seeing Mary put the needle there for safekeeping and Elizabeth convicted and be another innocent victim of corruption in the town. I think many believed the latter as Abigail had been already been portrayed as the ring leader of the girls and the main cause of this outrage in an otherwise quiet, uneventful town. This is a case of dramatic irony which creates anxiety that follows other cases that create apprehension in the act.
In conclusion the intentions of Miller writing this play were to describe how he was treated when he was jailed in America as an accused communist, to the world and what he thought of the accusations against him. In the play Miller creates and maintains tension to keep the audience in suspense and excitement he does this using a variety of literary devices such as setting, dialogue, characterization and action to make the audience aware of his views on McCarthyism and the likewise witch hunt in Salem. Miller has also made clear his argument that no person can be given so much importance and control over other’s lives as Abigail and McCarthy were.