Cornered in the Roundhouse

“Irony is wasted on the stupid,” Oscar Wilde once said. This quote certainly applies to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, because by carelessly reading this play, you might miss some of its genius. The author uses irony in many different ways to create different poignant emotions. Sometimes he makes a humorous little remark that might fly right over an unsuspecting head. Other times he puts his readers through pure agony as character’s fates are sealed before their eyes. True to form as a skilled author, Miller uses dramatic, verbal, and situational irony.

In The Crucible, dramatic irony is used to create suspense in various situations. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that a character in the play does not know. When used correctly, it will significantly raise the tension of any given moment. This is exemplified by the following dialogue: ”Danforth: Answer my question! Is your husband a lecher! Elizabeth: No, sir.” (Act III). The audience knows that if Elizabeth just tells the truth, it will save her husband. However, without …show more content…
This form of irony is when an occurrence is completely contrary to what the audience expects. Situational irony can be found in this dialogue: “John: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. Hale: You have said that twice, sir. John: Aye. Elizabeth: Adultery, John.” (Act II). John Proctor is struggling to remember the commandment about adultery, even though that is the one that he committed; the very commandment that threatens to ruin his reputation and his life as he knows it. An audience would expect that to be the first one the comes to mind, yet he cannot remember it. Another example of this form of irony is the death of Giles Corey. In life, he was a very outspoken and talkative man, but in his death, he remained silent and did not give the name of his