What does Danforth represent in the crucible?
3 min read
Asked by: Marisa Gonzalez
Danforth represents the evil of blind certainty in the play: he refuses to accept the truth because to do so would humiliate him.
How is Danforth presented in The Crucible?
In Arthur Miller’s 1953 play The Crucible, Danforth is depicted as the leading judicial figure overseeing the Salem trials. William Stoughton is not a character in the play, and Miller portrays Danforth as an honest but domineering and selfish judge, under whose authority many are imprisoned and sentenced to hang.
Where does Danforth stand on the idea of the witchcraft?
Danforth tells Hale in Act III, Scene 2 that witchcraft is “an invisible crime,” one without witnesses. As a result, once an individual stands accused of witchcraft, he or she is guilty.
How is Danforth manipulative?
Bribery and Manipulation
When bribery fails, Judge Danforth resorts to manipulation in saying, ”a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between” and ”no uncorrupted man may fear this court.
How is Judge Danforth corrupt?
In ¨ The Crucible¨ by Arthur Miller many people panicked from the witch hysteria which caused many to be accused of being witches, Judge Danforth decided what happens to the accused witches and is the most corrupted in Salem because his power of being a judge made him go overboard with his decisions on people.
What is the theme of Judge Danforth?
A constant theme through out the play is your personal reputation, maintaining a good name. Judge Danforth a well respected man in the society that has the supreme rule over the court. He is known for making the right decisions and never going against them.
What is Danforth motivated by?
His character, Miller said, is driven by the idea that mankind must be protected from knowledge, an idea that Miller characterized as believing that “evil is good.”
Why is Judge Danforth responsible for the witch trials?
Abigail Williams is mostly responsible for the Salem witch trials because she was the first person to start accusing innocent people of witchcraft. Judge Danforth is responsible because he is not concerned about justice, all he cares about is being correct about the witch trials.
What was Danforth reputation?
Danforth was known to be extremely arrogant and anyone who questioned him was questioning the court and therefore accused of being ungodly. It is very obvious that if anyone had proved the girls were lying it would mean Danforth was wrong and make him look like a fool.
Who does Judge Danforth accuse?
Danforth summons Abigail and three of the girls into the vestry room, where he questions Abigail. She denies Mary Warren’s charge that she is lying and that she falsely accused Elizabeth Proctor.
