You need to remember what stage the Salem witch trials
have reached at this time - more and more people are being denounced as having been seen
with the Devil and are being brought to trial by the group of girls, of which Marry
Warren is one. Hysteria and fear are sweeping through Salem, and the group of girls has
incredible and frightening power - the power to denounce you, leaving you in the
position of either facing death or "confessing" your supposed crimes of being in league
with Satan. Also, Elizabeth has just been told that Abigail has charged her with
witchcraft. John Proctor thus decides to sort out this "madness" and go with Mary Warren
to tell the court that this was all made up. Note how she
responds:
I
cannot charge murder on
Abigail.
When pressurised by
John Proctor, she goes on to say:
She'll kill me for sayin' that! Abby'll charge
lechery on you, Mr.
Proctor!
Mary Warren
identifies that it is Abigail who is leading the group of girls and is directing their
wrath of denunciation. For her to go against the group by herself would be very
dangerous, as we go on to see in Act III, when the girls turn on her, exactly as Mary
predicted.
No comments:
Post a Comment