In the beginning of act 3, we cannot see Hathorne and Martha Coreys actions. This leaves you guessing how they how they are acting. You can listen to their voices and imagine what they are doing. The audience want to know what is going on behind the wall, this builds tension in the audience because anything could be happening.
The opening argument in act 3 sets the trial up to be noisy and confused because when Giles comes in and starts shouting, this “winds” the townspeople in the court up and builds tension. Being a witch would be hard to prove in the court because there is so little evidence to base it on. The only evidence the court can use against the girls is the fact that they were dancing in the woods. If the girls confess to Abigail, drinking blood, then there is a lot more chance that she will go to jail.
When judge Danforth enters the court room, it falls silent. You can tell he is of high authority because the book says, “He comes down to Giles, who awaits his wrath.” Giles knows he has done wrong and knows he will be punished. However, any other judge may not be as harsh on him. When Danforth asks, “Who is this man?” The audience are wondering what will happen to Giles.
When Giles barges in on the court shouting, “I have evidence”, the court does not want to hear what he has to say. The judges have already made their decision about Martha Coreys guiltiness. Giles gets very frustrated because he is trying to protect his wife and the court wont listen to him. The audience know that she is innocent so this builds tension. The audience is in suspense because you don’t know whether the court is going to let Giles speak.
When Hathorne is described as being “remorseless” it means he is almost inhuman. He doesn’t seem to have any feelings. He can sign away a persons life without showing any emotion, as if he does this kind of thing everyday.
When Danforth asks, “Who is this?” about John Proctor, Parris interrupts and says, “Beware this man, Your Excellency, this man is mischief.” When Parris keeps interrupting, this causes tension in the audience and court room because you can tell there is an argument brewing.
When Cheever went to Proctors house, Elizabeth and John were acting quite suspiciously. When in court Danforth says, “I pray you, Mr Parris. Do you know, Mr Proctor, that the entire contention of the state in these trials is that the voice of heaven is speaking through the children>” What he is saying is that he is taking the word of children rather than looking at the facts. If Proctor does tell the truth about himself and Abigail having an affair, this will blacken his name and he will lose respect. This will mean that people are going to be less likely to like him.
When Proctor says, “That women will never lie.” He is trying to protect his wife. If he says she is pregnant then she gets to stay alive for at least another year. This adds tension because the audience are not sure whether he is going to admit to his wife being pregnant.
Proctor has three attempts at telling the truth to the court. His first attempt is when the court reveal that everyone who signed the paper to say that Proctors wife is innocent, will be arrested. Proctor doesn’t want this to happen but still doesn’t tell the truth. His 2nd attempt at telling the truth is when Giles gives Proctor his deposition to hand to the court. He knows that when he hands his deposition in, he will be summoned for questioning. Proctor knows this but still says nothing. The third attempt at giving the truth is when Hathorne asks Giles who gave him the information. Hathorne wants a name but Giles refuses to give one. This would be frustrating for Proctor because he knows he should tell the truth but never really gets the right moment.
Most of the time Proctor does speak reasonably but he is prone to having angry outbursts. I think he has these outbursts due to frustration. Near the end of act 2 on page 83, the court are discussing the poppet. Proctor is speaking quite calmly until Parris says, “Why could there not have been poppets hid where no one ever saw them?” Proctor is furious at this. He thinks that Parris is trying to be awkward. Proctor is in danger of losing his credibility if he carries on having these angry outbursts. This adds tension because you don’t know whether Proctor might let slip the truth at any second.
On page 80 Hale says, “I have signed seventy two death warrents; I am a minister of the Lord, and I dare not take a life without there be a proof so immaculate no slighted qualm of conscience may doubt it.” He is trying to say that he has never hung an innocent man.
When Danforth asks Parris if he did see the girls dancing in the woods, he replies unwillingly, “aye sir.” Now Parris admitted that he saw Abigail and the other girls dancing in the woods, Danforth will look at Abigail as a guilty girl, who has lied to the court.
Hathorne asks Mary, “Then can she pretend to faint now?” The audience are tense now because they want to know whether she can actually do it or not. Mary continually says, “I-cannot faint now, sir.” The pressure has got too much for her.
Mary Warren is on her own in the courtroom. All the judges think she is lieing because she can’t faint. Then, when the girls are brought in they are all furious at her for telling the truth. Abigail starts pretending to be bewitched by Mary. This adds tension to the scene because the audience know that Abigail is lieing but you don’t know whether the judge will believe Mary or Abigail. Danforth is believing Abigail when he says, “Mary Warren, do you witch her? I say to you, do you send your spirit out?”
Danforth seems to be quite a strong character but he is being swayed by Abigail. The court is already quite biased against Mary because the judges have already decided. When Abigail starts acting, pretending that Mary is bewitching, she does it very realistically, and the judges are believing her.
In the court room things are getting chaotic, loud and hysterical. Mary Warren is being pressured to tell the truth. She runs out but Proctor grabs her. Proctor shouts, “How do you call heaven?! Whore! Whore!” He has finally revealed that he is a lecher. The whole court is shocked by this because they don’t know but for the audience, the suspense is finally over. It says in the book that Danforth is “dumbfounded”. He is obviously greatly shocked by this. Proctor is saying that he “lusted”. This means that he wanted her. But then he also says that it is a “whores vengeance”. He means that Abigail is the whore and she is having her revenge.
Abigail starts demanding power on page 89. She is demanding attention by saying, when asked if she denies lechery, “If I must answer that, I will leave and I will not come back again.” The court cannot let her leave because they have just discovered the truth. She also says, “What look you give me? I’ll have no such looks!” She is obviously very angry about being stopped from walking out on the court. All attention is on Abigail now and the atmosphere is very tense. John Proctor has admitted to lechery and if, when Elizabeth comes in, and tells the truth, they are both off the hook. When Proctor was brought in he admitted to lechery, the courtroom was chaotic. However, when Elizabeth was brought in, there is a lot of contrast in the atmosphere and when she is talking. When Danforth tells Elizabeth to look into his eyes only, she replies (faintly) “Good sir” She is speaking very quiet and in contrast to when John was in the courtroom. Danforth keeps looking at Elizabeth in the eye and telling her to look into his eyes. This is because she might look to Proctor for a cue of what to say. She does not know whether Proctor has admitted to lechery or not.
Proctor says that his wife will never tell a lie. This is ironic because this must be the first time in her life that she has lied. She says, reluctantly, when asked if her husband is a lecher (faintly) “No sir.” If she told the truth then they would both be free to go. She was saying that John was not a lecher, to protect his name. The audiece will be wondering for a moment whether the truth will be told. Elizabeth would have been tempted to tell the truth because they would have been able to go. When she finally says, “No sir”, Proctor shouts out, “Elizabeth, I have confessed it!” At this point she is being taken out and so there is nothing they can do. She is in total despair because if she had known that John had confessed it, she may have told the truth.
Abigail seizes the opportunity of the quiet court room to gain power again. She points up to the ceiling claiming that Mary is up there in the shape of a yellow bird. At first the judges are confused and then they start getting worried. Danforth shouts at Mary to stop her. However, Mary is not doing anything, the girls are making it up and following their ring leader. When Abby points up, there is a stage direction “(on her feet with a spring, and horrified pleading) Abby!” Mary has just said this because she is obviously very surprised that Abigail has suddenly turned on her. This makes the audience feel tense and sorry for Mary because, she is obviously innocent but the whole court are against her and the girls are stopping her saying anything.
The group of girls start copying Mary after Abigail “sees” the yellow bird. Mary, “Never, never.” The girls, “Never, never.” The girls repeating Mary stop her saying anything because she cant get a word in. The yellow bird is very effective because it would have been very unusual for there to be a bird in the courtroom. This will get the whole courts attention and Abigail has control of the whole court room at the moment.
On page 95, the worst possible situation has happened. Mary has had so much pressure put on her, she finally cracks. When the girls say that the bird is coming down, they all scream. This time, Mary screams with them. She has finally surrended. She says, “No, I love God; I go your way no more. I love God, bless God. (Sobbing, she rushes to Abigail) Abby, Abby, Ill never hurt you more!” In this scene the worst possible outcome has happened. This makes the audience feel shocked and, sort of, betrayed.
At the end of Act 3 it ends in mayhem and madness. Proctor also cracks, he starts saying mad things. “(Laughs, insanely, then): A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face…and we will burn, we will burn together.” Proctor has had one of his angry outbursts again. He has finally been beaten but is trying one last desperate attempt to clear his name. “You are pulling down Heaven and raising up a whore.” He says this because he is saying he is good and he belongs in heaven, whereas Abigail, the whore, is being encouraged and she is going up in the world. John, who belongs in Heaven, is being pulled down for doing the right thing.
At the beginning of act 4, the scene is set early on in the morning and the atmosphere is very quiet and calm. The room is dark, quiet and gloomy. This is an example of pathetic fallacy. It is reflecting the mood of the characters. It is a contrast to the end of the last scene because it is completely different. At the beginning of act 4 the audience is in suspense and are very tense because you want to know what has happened to John Proctor after he was arrested.
