Irony-Crucible Act 1

Parris: " Go directly home and speak nothing of unnatural causes."

Situational Irony: People will assume the worst anyway even if they're told that witchcraft isn't involved.

Tituba: "rocking and weeping: aye, sir, and Goody Osbourn."

Situational Irony: Tituba confesses to seeing Goody Osbourn working with the Devil. This is situational Irony as Mrs. Putnam hired Osbourn as a midwife and has had many stillbirth babies. This is ironic as her babies were stillborn under the care of a midwife who works with the Devil. Implying that the children were stillborn because of the fact that Osbourn is working with the Devil and was her midwife.

PARRIS: ''Then you were conjuring spirits last night.'' ABIGAIL: ''Not I, sir, not I.-Tituba and Ruth.''

Dramatic Irony: Abigail lies that she did not use witchcraft, but the audience knows that she was trying to "conjure spirits."

Parris: "Why would he choose my house to strike? We have all manner of licentious people in this village!" Hale: "It is the best the Devil wants, and who is better than the minister?"

Dramatic Irony: Paris doesn't see his own poor character, and Hale assumes that he is the best person in Salem, even though this is far from true.

Hale:''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."

Verbal Irony: 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."