The Crucibles Verbal Irony Essay, Research Paper

Arthur Miller, one of America s greatest dramatists, populating or dead, is a maestro of verbal sarcasm. An scrutiny of three strong illustrations of verbal sarcasm in Millers drama, The Crucible, will turn out this out. While Miller started the genre of the calamity of the common adult male, and is besides know for his thoughtful and decisive secret plan lines, much of his celebrity, perchance can be attributed to his superb usage of linguistic communication by and large, and his usage of verbal sarcasm in peculiar.

Amidst the play of the tribunal scene in Act III, Proctor and Mary Warren are being questioned in relation to Elizabeth s ownership of poppets. Parris is seeking to turn out the fact that possibly they were unaware of her ownership of these, that she could hold hidden her poppets. In a response to Proctor, Parris sites that We are here, Your Honor, exactly to detect what no 1 has of all time seen. Parris significance is really simple ; he is merely noticing that the tribunal is seeking to detect the poppets that purportedly Elizabeth had hidden at her house, that no 1 has seen. But to read Miller, one must be more perceptive, and in analyzing this quotation mark by Parris, there is another significance behind it. As most know of the Salem enchantress tests, they specifically know the unfair and misled tribunal system that was used to impeach the enchantresss. The words uttered from Parris oral cavity at that case are so contradictory of the tribunal and ironic that from a reader s point of view, one is mixed between the emotion of laughter and cryings. For the cognition of the enchantress tests would let one to cognize that they were nil but a fraud. The tribunal is out to detect what no 1 has seen. Knowing that there are no enchantresss, so Parris is exactly right when he says this. It s merely the sarcasm of Parris ignorance that makes this quote affective.

The relationship between John and Elizabeth is brought to prove throughout this drama. The fact that John cheated on his married woman and the fact that Elizabeth can non forgive him for this is the footing of the struggle.

In Act II, Reverend Hale comes to see the

Hosek & # 8211 ; 2

Proctors on his ain history to alarm them that Elizabeth s name was mentioned in tribunal. Deep in the conversation, Hale asks John to declaim the Commandments with the purpose to turn out he is a covenanted Christian adult male. John can retrieve merely nine of the 10. It says in the phase waies that Proctor is lost, and is thrashing for the last commandment. Then finely, Elizabeth says, Adultery, John. Of the Ten Commandments he was declaiming, the individual 1 he forgot was the individual 1 he had broken. Add to this, to hold the primary individual it affected other than him remind him of it is great sarcasm. The Guilt that the irony brings on here is astonishing work on the portion of Miller. To tackle the already blackened ties between John and Elizabeth to bring forth such a powerful line is mastermind.

Miller, in Act III shows another fantastic illustration of sarcasm. The verbal sarcasm portrayed earlier by the Proctors is one time once more affectional here and in some instances even more powerful. John admits to lechery, and the tribunal brings out Elizabeth to vouch for this offense. Elizabeth is a Christian adult female who has ne’er committed a offense, or interrupt a commandment. Loyal to her hubby, when asked if John has of all time committed the offense of lechery, she faintly answers, No, sir. To travel through life ne’er stating a prevarication, and to hold to first and merely lie you tell be the 1 that condemns your hubby is atrocious, but written attractively. The ideas that must hold been traveling through Elizabeth s caput at the clip of the inquiry must hold been impossible. Choosing whether to dishonor her hubby s name or to salvage it is a tough pick. Miller takes advantage of every small item he can and work it to bring forth as much daze as possible.

Miller and his modern-day mentality on playwrighting has allowed him much celebrity in his life-time. In retrospect, his usage of verbal sarcasm in his authorship has greatly contributed to this celebrity and has made a considerable part to his repute as a author.