The highest level of tension in Act Three is probably as Abigail, along with the other girls, enter the courtroom; Mary is trapped in the middle of Proctor and Abigail, being threatened by both to either keep quiet or tell the truth. We are still feeling sympathy for Mary as she has completely broken down by this point, and she is unable to articulate herself to answer any of Danforth’s questions, yet the audience is all too aware that any crack in her story will result in him disbelieving her; she can’t win either way. Tension reaches breaking point as it becomes apparent that Abigail is the most powerful person in the room; she begins threatening Danforth the judge, so what chance does Mary of all people, have of beating her? The stage direction, ‘silently they sit,’ builds tension by making the audience completely silent as well, so they don’t miss any revelations; they’re hanging on every word, and sensing the ‘wall’ of tension dividing Mary and the other girls. Danforth adds to the tension by repeatedly pausing, so just as the audience thinks he will say something, he pausing again, building the anticipation too. Abigail rises slowly, not detracting any tension, appearing completely composed, unlike Mary who is speaking ‘faintly,’ causing the audience to become concerned; Abigail seems invulnerable.
Danforth proceeds with interrogating Abigail; Parris’ reaction to which is ‘smiling nervously,’ as he knows that Danforth has been ‘struck by Mary Warren’s story.’ Will Danforth realise Abigail has been lying; the audience is tense, wondering if the truth will prevail. Danforth pauses, dubious as to Abigail’s innocence, and Proctor and Parris break into an argument, which is almost humorous; ‘There might also be a dragon with five legs in my house, but no one has ever seen it,’ which drops the tension slightly. As Danforth continues, Abigail becomes more arrogant; ‘With a slight note of indignation; “It is a lie, Sir” as she believes these questions are beneath her; she is so used to having power- it is almost commonplace to her- how dare anyone question her? Of course the audience’s reaction is to feel resentment towards her, as they have the precious knowledge that she is the one in the wrong; she had an affair with Proctor, and her claims of Witchcraft are a selfish attempt to keep him for herself. There’s a sharp increase in tension as Miller uses the dramatic technique of a gesture; ‘shocked, turning to Abigail,’ forcing everyone to look at her involuntarily, as all focus is on her. With all the attention firmly on her, the audience are holding their breaths; surely Danforth will pass judgement on her now, he seems to be seeing through her falsehoods, which is demonstrated by his actions; ‘pointing at Abigail incredulously.’ As the illicit dancing is revealed, we see Parris instantly defending himself, now his precious reputation is at stake. This revelation adds to the tension as Danforth is once again angry with Parris for ‘condoning’ the dancing; will he finally act upon his feelings of contempt for Parris and condemn Abigail for her increasingly evident lies? However, Abigail is unwilling to be beaten, so she continues with unnerving Mary; ‘staring down at her remorselessly,’ showing the true light of Abigail. Everyone in the room can feel the tension radiating from Mary and Abigail.
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