rancis Nurse, the focus of Scene 3, has done nothing to feel guilty about. He is given the job of being the first to tell Danforth that the girls are frauds. Judge Hathorne is just like Reverend Parris--to him "every defense is an attack upon the court," and he wants both Giles and Francis arrested for contempt. But Danforth is a bigger man than that. Francis Nurse has a high reputation, and wouldn't make such a charge lightly. He also has courage: "Excellency, I never thought to say it to such a weighty judge, but you are deceived."^^^^^^^^^^THE CRUCIBLE: ACT III, SCENE 4Proctor brings in Mary Warren, the star witness for the defense. A great deal of maneuvering takes place before Danforth agrees to listen to Mary's story. First John Proctor must be tested. He brought Mary here, and both Francis Nurse and Giles Corey look to Proctor to speak for them. Why is Proctor doing this? Danforth wants to know. Just to save his wife? Apparently not, because Proctor won't drop the charge even after he finds out Elizabeth is pregnant and is therefore safe for a year or more. And his charge is shocking: the children are lying. If this charge is true, it will mean that seventy-two people have been condemned to hang on the basis of lies. This will undermine the authority of the court, and Danforth will be lucky to escape Salem with his life. So he must be absolutely certain Proctor is to be taken seriously.Once he is convinced of Proctor's sincerity, Danforth proceeds to investigate the charge without hesitating. Considering what he has at stake, this is courageous.Proctor has built his case carefully. He has prepared three depositions, or written statements, which he hopes will win the court over. This shows good strategy: if the first deposition has little effect, bring in the second; if that's still not enough, bring in the third.The first statement backfires; everyone who signed it will now be arrested. The second fares worse: Giles Corey accuses...
