The Crucible Is A Good Villain Essay

Hook: Crucible is a book filled with mistakes and the outcomes of those mistakes. Every single action that a person commits leads to either a positive or a negative consequence, and this piece of literature provides readers with an opportunity to analyze some causes and effects.

He is depicted as stubborn, as shown in his response when Giles Corey provides evidence that proves his wife’s innocence. Danforth responds by saying “Do you take it upon yourself to determine what this court shall believe…? This is the highest court…in this province, do you know it?” His refusal to hear evidence that is likely to contradict his guilty verdict indicates that ultimately, Danforth considers himself the final judge of what is right and wrong, reflecting the corruption inherent in Salem’s authority. The authors thus provide valuable insight into the signs and motivations of a corrupt government.

A hero is a person who fights for their people. A hero is responsible, admired, and respected while a villain is the opposite: vile, problematic, and disliked; however, many historical characters can be both. One example could be Commodore Matthew Perry- a high ranked officer. Commodore Perry was both a hero and a villain because he had leadership skills and helped the American people, yet manipulated Japan into commerce with the west.

Judge Danforth is also responsible for the Salem witch trials because his rulings to kill people came with no concrete evidence against them, only unreliable witnesses. Judge Danforth has a very cutthroat way for his rulings. One is either guilty or innocent, no opportunity for a second trial or a review of the case. He openly lets the court know this by saying "If you are not with the court, you are against it"(72). This almost proves that Judge Danforth is ignorant to hard evidence, only wanting people to admit that they are with or against him. Neither option is a just opinion, adding to the hysteria, lie so you can live and others die or tell your truth and die while others live. The people of Salem do not want to make this decision, thus leading to more innocent deaths of the people of Salem. If there had been a different judge in the Salem with trials they would have been over without a death and Abigail's deception would have been brought to light. Judge Danforth decides that many people are guilty, when in reality he should have said he was guilty.

One of many reasons the witch trials were able to continue was because of Judge Danforth’s ignorance towards what was actually going on in Salem. When Francis Nurse and John Proctor try to explain to him the girls are deceiving him, he over rules their ideas by challenging “And do you know that near to four hundred are in the jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature?”(Miller 179). Danforth is proud to say that he has put people in jail, put people to death for witchcraft because his ignorance blocks him from seeing the evidence he is presented with is false. As well as being exposed to false evidence, Judge Danforth also makes the claim that witchcraft cannot be disproved; therefore the court has to rely solely on the girl’s accusations. Danforth declares, “But witchcraft is ipso facto, on its face and by its nature, an invisible crime, is it not?

     Judge Danforth’s conduct during the course of these tragic trials have lead me to be soured of the judicial community’s lack of impartiality. Judge Danforth is not alone in his quest for “justice”. Many other judges have used “divine right” as an excuse for the murder of innocent people. The witch trials are a mockery,that have no proof, evidence, or any other grounds for a trial. The only evidence they have, if we can even call it evidence, “spectral” evidence and hearsay. They be hanging people because a party of 16 year old lying heathens have claimed manifested spirits of the convicted have attacked them. How can these children blind the court, enough to get people murdered, under the guise of being bewitched. God save Salem

Firstly, throughout the play Judge Danforth acts with pride and arrogance. At the commencement of act III Judge Danforth voices his view on the ongoing phase of the witchcraft trials by stating that “Do you take it upon yourself to determine what this court shall believe and what it shall set aside?” (Miller 85). Here Danforth

The blame for the Salem Witch trial and the hanging of innocent people were Judge Danforth. During the witch trial, he put his personal beliefs and opinions first, but did not use facts, barely had any type of eyewitness and didn’t question the victims hardly. And when Mr. Parris told Danforth about how Abigail and Mercy ran off with his money, Danforth reaction should have been to cancel or postpone the execution of the so called witches. But hard headed, selfishness and fearing that the people might overthrow him he continued on with the executions. And called Mr. Parris stupid.

Deputy Governor Danforth is a selfish, arrogant, and corrupt man who only cares about his own goods. His flawed personalities and hypocritical attitudes make him blind and irrational throughout the entire witchcraft, which directly causes the calamity of the town. Danforth feels embarrassing and doesn’t know what to do when Proctor brings Mary Warren’s deposition that shows his previous judgments are wrong. He is baffled and find a reason to defend himself, “ there lurks nowhere in your heart, nor hidden in your spirit, any desire to undermine this court? Are you in all respects a Gospel Christian? Not come to Church?”(94). Instead of taking a closer look at the details and the evidence of the case, he chooses to question Proctor’s credibility, and he believes people who confound his theory are challenging his authority and he will never let that happen. Furthermore, Danforth is somewhat terrified and worried

A hero is a man of courage and ability who is admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. A hero is a person who does not come along very often in any time period. He is a special person, who is a step above the average person in the way that he handles any situation that may arise.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an interpretation of the Salem witch trials of 1692 in Puritan Massachusetts in which religion, justice, individuality and dignity play a vital role. These factors define the characteristics of many of the most significant characters in the play. Some of them being John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Reverend Hale, Danforth and many others. The Salem witch trials were a result of the lack of expression of individuality and the fact that no individual could expect justice from the majority culture as a result of the deterioration of human dignity in the Puritan society of Salem.

Danforth reassures that he “[judges] nothing”, and results in Proctor admitting to lechery in distress of how of the girls were behaving (Miller 1296). Religion is really important to the people of Salem, and by Danforth saying that he does not judge, Proctor also shows his true colors about how he isn’t as religious as he should be. That was a big deal because witches were not religious either, so now Danforth has everyone thinking Proctor is guilty. Having so much power and excellent public speaking skills, he was able to use his logic and think his logic was the only way to approach finding the group who was

Explanation 1: Danforth comes into the trials with the mindset that the victims are telling the whole truth. He even said that witchcraft is an invisible crime and the only witnesses are the witch and her victim; “Therefore, [he] must rely upon her victims- and they do testify” (Miller 100). By thinking this way, Danforth diminishes any chance at anyone denying that what the children are saying is true. The persecution of innocent women is inevitable because Danforth holds all of the power and he is choosing to put his trust in people who are deceitful and selfish.

Hearing of the word hero brings to my mind a good looking man with some qualities of fair, equal, courage, brave, honest and a positive leader. This makes the opposite a villain a person who wishes wrong for someone or a person who creates evil. The event changes dramatically, a hero of the past may not be considered a hero in the present and versa. Hernando Cortes a hero for joining two worlds and conquering the most powerful civilization of America or Hernando Cortes a villain for making the Aztec Empire disappear. Hernando Cortez was an important symbol for the explorations, but killing people, ending the most powerful civilization in America and spreading diseases does not makes him a hero. With

The play, The Crucible, is a fireball of guilt, evil, and good compiled into one magnification. It is a play with tremendous feelings, with many inside twists hidden in the archives of the true story. It is a play with emotional feelings; feelings of anger, hate, and evil, yet also feelings of goodness, and pureness. Undeniably, The Crucible is a play illustrating good versus evil.  The principal characters, Abigail Williams, John Proctor, Ann Putnam and Marry Warren all contain within them elements of good and evil.