Act III Arthur Miller does a fantastic job at maintaining tension in this act. He does this in several ways. There were two events that stick out in my mind. One was when Abigail denied Mary's confession. I figured she probably would deny it, but what I didn't expect was that the girl would gang up on her and accuse Mary of witchcraft. The other event that I did not expect to occur was that John Proctor confessed to having an affair with Abigail. I thought he would want to keep his name "white." Arthur Miller is a great author that really knows how to maintain anxiety with his readers.
In Act III, Mary Warren testifies that she and the other girls were only pretending to be afflicted by witchcraft. Mary does this under the pressure of John Proctor. He wants the truth to be told about Abigail. Abigail is a good liar.
Arthur Miller, American playwright
ABIGAIL SPEARS
AbigailShe denies Mary's testimony. Then, she begins to shiver and the other girls follow her lead. When asked by Danforth what she was doing she responded, "I-I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. Her eyes fall on Mary Warren," (108). They are accusing Mary of witchcraft. This made me realize how vindictive Abigail can be. I was flabbergasted at the idea of betraying a friend, just for telling the truth. As shocking as it was, it doesn't even compare to the shock I got for what the betrayal lead to.
After seeing Abigail continually lying to the court, John Proctor cannot stand it any longer. He leaped at her and cried out, "Whore! Whore!" (109). John could not take it anymore. He confessed his affair with Abigail and explains that she wants Elizabeth to be hung so that she can take her place in his home. This was definitely a striking development that kept me interested. Arthur Miller continues to prove to be a superior writer in Act III; he did a good job of maintaining tension in this act.
ABIGAIL SPEARS
Map of West Peabody, MA, indicating the 20th centu...
A photograph of the historic John Proctor House in...