The Crucible (3 of 4)

Quote 1:
"Francis: We have proof of it, sir. They are all deceiving you.

Danforth is shocked, but studying Francis.

Hathorne: This is contempt, sir, contempt!

Danforth: Peace, Judge Hathorne. Do you know who I am, Mr. Nurse?

Francis: I surely do, sir, and I think you must be a wise judge to be what you are.

Danforth: And do you know that near to four hundred are in jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature?

Francis: I—

Danforth: And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?"

Here we see the weight that Danforth has upon his shoulders. If he accepts that he has been deceived, all that he has done had been done wrongly. It makes sense that he is then so resistant to the idea, but this weight makes him blind to that truth and we see him dismiss good evidence for pointless reasons because of this.



Quote 2:
"Giles, faltering: I cannot give you no name, sir, I cannot"

Here we see a grammar I am used to hearing. Double negatives. I love these! They are so much fun to use when it makes a positive but few catch this and it is interesting to see how they have become so apart of our culture that they are taken as a single negative.