Crucible Essay

Michael Ramirez

Period 2

            Often when reading a book or a play, readers are faced with situations that they perceive to be ironic. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Miller uses three different techniques of irony. The types of irony are verbal, dramatic, and Irony of situation. When all three are present in a play, they often draw the reader into the literature.

            Verbal irony is when one of the characters makes a statement but means something totally different, sort of like sarcasm. Abigail uses verbal irony when she says, “I will not black my face for any of them” (1178). What she is saying can be taken as she doesn’t want to get dirty, or the real meaning that she will not go down to a slave’s level. John Proctor also utilizes this concept when Mr. Parris becomes overly suspicious that there id a faction in the church out to get him. “Why then, I must find it and join it” (1188). This statement is ironic because John knows that there is no such faction.

            Dramatic is probably the most used form of irony. It appears in nearly every movie, book, poem, or play, ever written. When Dramatic irony occurs, the reader is aware of something that a character in the book or play is not. For example when Marry Warren gives Elizabeth the puppet, Elizabeth exclaims’ “Why thank you, it’s a fain puppet” (1209). This is ironic because when Ezekiel Cheever comes to arrest Elizabeth, one of the first things he says is, “so will you hand me any puppets that your wife may keep here” (1214). The reader knew the whole time that the puppet wasn’t just a gift, but that it would symbolize something else deeper and more sinister keul.

            The last form of irony is deemed Irony of situation. Irony of situation occurs when a character believes something is going to happen, but something totally different occurs. Near the middle of act II, Elizabeth tells her husband, “Let you go to Ezekiel Cheever” (1269). At this point in the play it appears to the characters as well as the reader that Ezekiel Cheever would play a protagonist’s role in the story. Later on during the play, Ezekiel shows up at John Proctor’s door with some men. Everything seems okay to the characters until Ezekiel Cheever tells John, “I have a warrant for your wife” (1211). It was ironic that the same person they thought would save them dammed them.

            Because Arthur Miller used irony so many times throughout the play The Crucible, The play become so much better Dramatic irony brings about suspense and wonder, while verbal irony shows the character of people in the play. Irony of situation is used a lot as well but people don’t pick up on it as easily.