Do you know that near to four hundred are in the jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature?…And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?
– Arthur Miller
The Crucible, Act 3. Deputy Governor Danforth proudly boasts to Francis Nurse about the number of people he has convicted and sentenced to death for witchcraft. Danforth represents rigidity in interpreting the law, excessive pride and refusal to allow anyone jeopardize or question his authority. It seems that justice in his court is all about maintaining high conviction rates, and has little to do with fairness or truth. Drunk on his own power, Judge Danforth has used his position to promote a climate of fear and hysteria in Salem and towns around.