ow they're playing (What plays are they running? Is the other team playing fair?).A courtroom drama works in much the same way. In the first place, there are two sides--prosecution and defense--and only one side can win. Usually we've already taken a side before the trial itself starts. Because we care which side wins, we follow each argument closely, look for loopholes, and try to anticipate how the case will unfold.In Act III we have on one side the victims of the witch-hunt, represented by John Proctor. On the other we have the witch-hunters themselves. The difference between this courtroom drama and most others is that the court itself is one of the contestants. The court, in effect, is the witch-hunt. Without it there would be no arrests, no jailings, no trials, no convictions, no hangings.If John Proctor loses his case, he and all the people who support him will be destroyed. Reverend Parris repeatedly accuses Proctor and his followers of trying to overthrow the court. We may not like Parris very much, but here he's telling the truth. For Proctor to save himself and his friends, he has to convince the court that everything it has done so far is wrong. And if the court is wrong, then a lot of people have suffered--and some have been put to death--for nothing. If Proctor wins, all belief in the court will be destroyed, and the judges themselves could be charged with murder.The odds against Proctor are overwhelming, but there is reason for hope. First of all, Proctor has the truth on his side. Abigail actually told him there was no witchcraft involved. We also know that Proctor is willing to risk everything--his good name, even his life--to bring this truth out. Second, Deputy Governor Danforth, for all his sternness, is an intelligent and just man. He will give Proctor a fair hearing, even though it may mean the total overthrow of the court.Some say that the outcome of this act depends on the answer to the question, "What kind of ma...
