The fact that Miller uses language from the period in which the play is set adds to the authenticity, giving the characters more credibility and so are more believable - once again this is a device that Miller uses to perpetuate his flair for realism making his work stand out from the popular plays of the time.
Mrs. Putnam: "The Devil's touch is heavier than sick. It's death y"know, it's death driving into them, forked and hoofed." .
Language such as this conveys to the audience the setting and the strong religious and supernatural believes of the people of Salem. The heavy influence of death and the Devil create tension in their own right, but it become even more unsettling to hear such a strong use of imagery and language demonstrating the people's absolute and unquestioning belief in the Devil and witchcraft before anything else. Such a strong use of language coupled with the heavy religious overtones create the feeling, right for the start of the play, that the people speaking are irrational, and dangerously so.
Miller also can use the theme of witchcraft and Heaven vs. Hell to create scenes including vivid imagery. In Act 3 Abigail tells the court that she sees Mary Warren's spirit about to attack, in order to incriminate Mary. The image of a bird is introduced - .
Abigail: " you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin Mary." .
This is a great dramatic devise as it allows Miller to create chaos in the courtroom and demonstrate how easily the order of their society, represented by the courtroom, can be disrupted, by one person playing on a mass fear of their own faith. We see just how far Abby is willing to go to keep up her pretence and people begin to shout over the screaming girls trying to argue both sides of the case. The image of a bird clawing at some ones" face is horrific and induces an emotional response from the audience. Despite knowing that there is no bird the suggestion of one coupled with evil spirits looming over the court heightens the tension with massive dramatic effect.
