Within Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, tragedy touches all characters of the play. In total, ten characters are killed throughout the course of the witch hunt in Salem. Among the dead, is John Proctor, an honest farmer who has fallen into previous adultery and sin with Abigail, the one who conjures the supernatural lies and condemns her fellow townspeople. John Proctor’s involvement with Abigail, for which he is eventually killed, in addition to his personal qualities makes him the tragic hero of The Crucible. John Proctor can be characterized as a tragic hero by the outcomes of story. For example, though he is seeking justice, Abigail and the girls create new lies that now ensnare Proctor. He is sentenced to death and then killed along with his wife Elizabeth Proctor. The parents lose their farm and family, their two young sons now becoming orphans. The process of losing his life and his family, make John Proctor a tragic hero. Additionally, John Proctor’s personal characteristics, his strengths and flaws, form him into the tragic hero of the play. One of his strengths is strength …show more content…
Some flaws include his pride, adultery committed with Abigail, and the resentment John has towards Abigail for their mistake. John’s pride in his own name causes his death, as he would rather die than have the Proctor name tarnished. This extreme conviction is quite alien to us in the twenty first century but back in the fifteenth century, when The Crucible was placed, society valued their reputation at insane levels. Proctor’s adultery and resentment towards Abigail that later accompanies this sin also leads to his death. John was so insistent that Abigail needed to be brought to justice, though she did, he put himself in a vulnerable position, admitting to the adultery and enabling the girls to turn the blame of witchcraft towards him. Throughout the play, John Proctor battles with his flaws until they result in his
Overall, I believe that John Proctor is a good man who did have a slight moment of weakness. Generally, throughout the play, Proctor is seen as a good man whose character also has the right intentions throughout. Even though he had a moment of weakness he tries to make up for what he has done. He is also seen as the character who talks through wisdom and not Puritan and biblical teachings. The main reason I think he is a good man is because he admitted to witchcraft to stop lots of other people in Salem from being hanged. The character of Proctor is seen as good because he was also innocent just like the rest but thought that he should protect the others.
John Proctor was definitely a tragic hero in the play however reluctant. Proctor has many good qualities as well as flaws. He is shown to be hardworking by working all the time, even on the Sabbath when he is not suppose to, “I labor the Earth from dawn of day to blink of night” (Miller 62).Furthermore, Proctor develops into a noble character throughout the play by
A tragic hero is a noble man who commits a fatal flaw. The hero’s downfall is a result of their choices which leads to a punishment that exceeds the crime. “The difference between Proctor and Willy Loman is enormous; the former is the rather typical tragic hero who is defiant to the end, the latter is trapped in submission and is living a lie” (McGill 4). John Proctor is one of the main characters in The Crucible. he is married to Elizabeth Proctor and they live in Salem. In Arthur Miller’s famous play, The Crucible, John Proctor represents a classic tragic hero because he is a well respected man of noble stature, he is conflicted because of his fatal flaw, and his downfall is a result of his own choices.
Amongst all the characters in The Crucible, John Proctor is the one of the few who tell a story not just in the novel but within himself. While reading this literary work we find there is a lot more than meets the eye to this seemingly antisocial farmer. We discover that through unintentional meaning John is actually the moving point in this plot. If not for his affair with Abigail, the motive of which started the witch trials in Salem would not have come about. John Proctor is a honest, blunt-spoken, and undaunted man.
John Proctor is an honest, though harsh, man who is clearly the protagonist of The Crucible. Before the beginning of the play, John had an affair with Abigail Williams, a girl who worked in his household, which was abruptly ended when Elizabeth Proctor, John's wife, fired her. This event causes Abigail to desire revenge against Elizabeth while she still pines for John. Once the trials are well underway, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of being a witch, which leads to her arrest. John goes to the court in defense of his wife, where he reveals that he did indeed committed adultery with Abigail in an attempt to expose her as a fraud and a liar. Unfortunately, John's appeal falls on deaf ears and he is arrested as well. While his wife manages to get a temporary stay of execution, due to the fact that she is pregnant at the time of the trials, which in the end saves her by insuring her life until the chaos, hysteria, and persecution comes to an end, John is sentenced to death. The play ends with his hanging, but his death puts an end to the trials.
According to Terry Otten, “a tragic hero is both weak and strong, innocent and guilty,” indicating that a tragic hero must appeal and remain perceptible to the average, everyday man (3). John Proctor, a man of pride and courage, has a concealed sin that remains hidden from the public eye. Throughout the novel, Proctor connects himself to the main theme of intellectual unjust and hypocrisy by enduring the guilt and sin of adultery that remains inside himself. As he continues to right his wrongs, Proctor begins to face the injustice of his society, and relentlessly stands up to save his wife and the people of Salem from the ignominious reign and consequences of his immoral offense. Some characteristics that allow John Proctor to identify as a
In the play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller there is a character by the name of John Proctor (a sinner at first but then dies with dignity). Throughout the play he changes personality, how is as a person, and how he thinks about life. In this essay I will talk about how he changes from the beginning of the play to the end.
John Proctor is portrayed throughout the play to be a man who has high moral values that he must abide by. He can spot hypocrisy in others easily and judges himself no less harshly. Elizabeth Proctor says to him in the second act:
John Proctor fits into a couple different categories; of the two given he better fits with the American Romantic Hero category, do to the way, the character responds to others in the play. It also shows when people turn against him he still shows a self-defense type of emotion towards everyone by trying to protect his name over anything else. He feels so much pride in having a good reputation, so he has other people lie for him and accepts death rather that sign his name to a false confession.
Another important work Miller wrote, The Crucible, takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, during the 17th century. It is a time when jealousy and suspicion poisoned the thinking of an entire town. Neighbor turned against neighbor when events happened that could not be explained. Accusations turned into a mad hunt for witches who did not exist. One of the main characters of the play is John Proctor, a well-respected man with a good name in the town. As the play develops, John Proctor’s moral dilemma becomes evident: he must decide whether to lie and confess to witchcraft in order to save his life, or to die an honest man, true to his beliefs.
John Proctor isn’t considered a tragic hero as stated as Aristotle says. Infact i believe that John Proctor is in fact a tragic hero because of how he saved his family name instead of just living with shame and wished he did it. One of the reasons i think he is one because of Aristotle said that “Suffering,the second important constant of tragedy),” (Bhatia). John proctor stuffers from facing the
In essence, John Proctor was in fact a tragic hero, he successfully saved the life of his wife and children. His tragic flaw was that he chose lust over his family, which ultimately caused the series of events that occurred. He chose to die rather than to have his name ruined and for his wife to be punished for something that he did. He admitted to himself that he done wrong, and for that, he chose to end his
John Proctor was just one example of how the characters in the play underwent changes in regards to selfishness and he exhibited the most change. He showed it is important to think of others before you think of yourself and that past sins, motivated by your own wants, can come back to haunt you, and in his case cause a great number of problems.
John Proctor is a good man. He is a puritan, a husband, a citizen, and an all around valuable member of the community. All of this is represented by his name. The name of John Proctor could be considered his most prized possession. It is his most priceless asset. Proctor is very strong-willed and caring. He does not set out with any intentions of hurting anyone. He is a farmer and village commoner who is faced with incredible inner turmoil. He has committed adultery and had absolutely no intentions of joining in the witch trials. After his wife got involved and eventually was set free due to the fact that she was pregnant, he feels that he can't sit back and accept what is happening to the town. John Proctor is a good and noble man and because of this he believes that he can't be hanged and die a martyr when he has this sin blooming over him every waking moment.
Throughout history there have been many tales of heroes meeting a tragic end, but it’s the heroes who show us that they can defy all doubt who really deserve the spotlight. In Andrew Miller’s The Crucible the townspeople of Salem, Massachusetts are all riddled with doubt and the suspicion that the devil has sent witches to live among them. The man who is in the middle of it all though is John Proctor. Throughout the play, some characters try to blame John and the people around of witchcraft, leading him to deny all accusations and he ends up paying the ultimate price. Miller shows that John Proctor does not qualify as a tragic hero because even though he is riddled with pride and guilt, the end he takes is in no shape or form tragic. It is in a way, very beautiful.