Sunday, December 2, 2012

In Act III, what is Danforth's reaction to the document and its 91 signatures?

Danforth's reaction to the document with the signatures in
support of the accused is akin to his reaction to Proctor, Corey, and Francis Nurse
throughout their questioning of the proceedings.  Danforth cannot separate the falsehood
of the criminal proceedings with how such acknowledgement will reflect on his own state
as a judge.  He consistently finds opportunity to extol the virtues of the hearings as a
pursuit for truth and justice and refuses to grant that the nature of the evidence, the
evidence itself, and the accusers could be disingenuous.  Danforth is not entirely
persuaded by the document in support of the accused and the many signatures that Francis
Nurse obtained on it.  In fact, Danforth calls for the arrest of the 91 people who
signed the document in support of Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Martha.  I think that
Danforth's true nature is revealed with his position on the issue, sounding more like an
ultimatum than a statement of cooperation and
collaboration:


a person is either with this court
or he must be counted against it, there be no road
between.

In this, Danforth is shown to be a
character who will not listen to evidence or reason, so long as it undermines his court
proceedings, his adjudication, or the perception of how he is in power and
control.

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