In the crucible, there are some dramatic and verbal ironies. The dramatic and verbal irony arises when things are not what they seem. Dramatic irony is when there is contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows to be true. Verbal irony is when a character says one thing but means something quite different. These instances of irony help to build a dramatic tension.

Some examples of verbal irony are in Act III. First, Proctor hands Danforth a testament that some people signed declaring their good opinion of Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey and Proctors wife, Elizabeth. Proctor said,."..sir- they've known the women many years and never saw no sign they had dealings with the devil." This testament was supposed to help the women get out of jail. Second, Mary Warren is telling the court that everything was pretense, which caused the other girls to...