This certainly depends on the
Act.
Act I opens up with feelings of havoc, fear,
uncertainty, suspicion, and concern. It feels unsettled, like there is a big problem
that truly needs resolution.
Throughout the middle of the
Act, we see moments of the girls alone and conspiring. Within these moments, we see Abby
controlling the others and trying to lie her way to a solution. For a few moments, the
audience may believe she can pull it off.
By the end of Act
I, the girls are naming good people in the town who many respect but they girls are
acting as if they are conjuring spirits.
In the beginning
of Act II, we are introduced to the marriage relationship between Elizabeth and John. It
feels cold. They are in a struggling marriage, and for obvious
reasons. You could cut the tension between the two with a knife. This is not a good
place for marriage partners, but their Puritans so they have to deal with
it.
As the Act continues, Mary Warren reveals what she
knows and commits to go to court on behalf of the Proctors to tell the truth and clear
all of this up. Once again, we feel a sense of relief. We believe the situation is going
to be fixed.
By the very end, Danforth is giving orders and
directing that Goody Proctor will have to come and testify. John gets defensive and
demands Mary Warren's obedience. This feels like a lot of pressure for Mary because it
pits her between her friends and her boss.
I don't want to
give much more of the play away if you haven't read it. You can see how these first two
acts go from a feeling of uncertainty to seeming resolution, and back to heightened
struggle. This is how an author keeps you in their work. You want to know what's going
to happen next.
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