Common Module – Quotes & Analysis on The Cruicble

Resource Description

Irony Quotes

Many of the Crucible quotes fall into the category of “dramatic irony”, which is the irony that’s created when there’s a mismatch between what a character thinks or says and what the audience knows to be true. It’s hardly surprising there is so much irony in The Crucible – after all, one of the central causes of conflict in the play is hypocrisy.

With that in mind, here are some key quotes from The Crucible that demonstrate irony of some kind.

 “We cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone, and I must tell you all that I shall not proceed unless you are prepared to believe me if I should find no bruise of Hell upon her.” (Hale, Act 1, p. 35)

The irony, of course, is that the “marks” of the Devil are nowhere near “definite as stone” – the only evidence to support accusations of witchcraft are the subjective experiences of the “afflicted.” Even in cases when the girls display symptoms (going cold and clammy or having needles stuck in them), there’s never any physical evidence directly linking the accused witches to their supposed crimes.

 “ABIGAIL: Don’t lie! To Hale: She comes to me while I sleep; she’s always making me dream corruptions!” (Act 1, p. 41)

Abigail yelling “don’t lie” at another person is highly ironic, not only because Miller introduced her as a liar (she has “an endless capacity for dissembling“), but because Abigail had just told Proctor Betty’s illness was nothing to do with witchcraft not 20 pages previously.