| Irony has been a part of people’s life. In literary works, many playwrights use irony to create an astounding work. The work that is discussed further in this paper is Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Miller uses irony to frame the totality his work. Since the play is about witchcraft, the irony in The Crucible is investigated among various discourses working in the Salem society which are related to the central issue of witchcraft. The thesis of this paper can be framed: the discourse of witchcraft operating in the society produces irony. In this paper, the writer finds out how the discourse operating in Salem society creates irony. It is analyzed using three conceptual grounds: the historical account of witchcraft, the Foucauldian concept of discourse and the theory of irony. After thoroughly examining the play, the writer found out that there are four discourses working in the play: the witchcraft, the Puritan church, the court, and the anti – witchcraft. The irony comes along with the witch hunt. Since the Salemites are staunch Puritans, they must demolish witchcraft since it is viewed as a devilish practice. However, instead of eradicating it, the Salemites kill many innocent people who do not even know about the truth of witchcraft. In conclusion, the witch hunt happening in this play is a spectacle of tragic irony. The “truth” of witchcraft is thus put into question. |