John Proctor the Tragic Hero
“The Crucible” is a play written by Arthur Miller that is set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The play focuses on a small community where some members have been accused of witchcraft. One of the main characters, John Proctor who is a farmer, is one of the accused of witchcraft along with his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. In this story, John Proctor is seen as a tragic hero, who is someone who is of noble stature, has a tragic flaw that ultimately leads to a downfall and experiences meaningful suffering. The tragic hero is someone great, but not perfect, and is often someone the audience can see themselves as. John Proctor is a tragic hero because he is noble in character, he has a tragic flaw, he suffers greatly, and
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We can see where Proctor struggles with his pride in Act II, when he says to Elizabeth, “I'll not have your suspicion anymore” (Miller). Proctor gets defensive when Elizabeth questions him about his relationship with Abigail, even though he knows he has done wrong and sinned, he refuses to confess to the affair publicly. His pride gets in the way of him doing what’s right and confessing the affair to the community because he is afraid of ruining his reputation and suffering the consequences. Proctor's unwillingness to put his pride aside is one of his tragic …show more content…
In Act IV, when John says, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!” (Miller), it shows his commitment to his integrity. Proctor finds redemption here because he is willing to die for his beliefs rather than lie to save his life. By choosing death, he is making the ultimate sacrifice to save his reputation. Proctor proves his redemption for his past mistakes, by tearing up his confession and choosing to die to maintain his
Was John Proctor a Tragic Hero? Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" is a powerful exploration of the Salem witch trials of 1692, in which innocent people were accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death. One of the central characters in the play is John Proctor, a farmer who is caught up in the hysteria and ultimately faces his own downfall. This essay will argue that John Proctor is a tragic hero, using the elements of tragedy and Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero to support this claim.
John Proctor does not qualify as a tragic hero. While he possesses many character traits of a tragic hero, he lack one important factor. He admits to lechery. Therefore giving up his pride. His pride is his tragic flaw, however it does not cause his downfall like a tragic hero's tragic flaw should.
The Crucible is a book written in 1953 by Arthur Miller. In The Crucible John Proctor is the tragic hero. John is a highly respected farmer in the town of Salem. But unfortunately, he had a downfall because he committed adultery.
Proctor was reluctant to admit adultery, since it was considered a very high punishable crime. He tries to find other evidences that would keep his name clean and prove Abigail is wrong. Another example that shows that Proctor deeply cares about his reputation, is that he was able to get free if he says he had committed witchcraft and is an ally of the devil. Proctor was having trouble lying because it would ruin his good name. Then he is asked to sign the paper saying that in writing, which would hang on the church door for everyone to see, he couldn’t.
Crucible Romantic Hero In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, a landowner by the name of John Proctor can be described as an American Romantic Hero. Even though John does not “save” anyone inside of the play, he does try to protect the men and women who were accused of witchcraft by Abigail Williams. When someone thinks of a hero one thinks of pure and innocent, which John Proctor is not. There are more sides to a hero, none of them are perfect and innocent. Even though John does lie and commit adultery, he tries to save the men and women who were accused of doing witchcraft, including his wife Elizabeth Proctor.
Proctor is a tragic hero because of his tragic flaws of pride and anger, his choice to live or die, and how he didn’t deserve to die. Proctor was a good man with a few tragic flaws about him. John cares way too much about his name and what people think of him. He is very prideful.
Jacob Tavarez Mrs. Lamorgese Honors English 2, Class 2 5 December 2022 John Proctor, the Tragic Hero John Proctor is one of the best, and most flawed characters throughout his time within the play. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a tragedy that shows how people truly act when their backs are pressed against the wall. John Proctor is a character that never falters when put on trial and always stays true to himself. He is loved by the town for this and is viewed as someone with a happy life, despite everything happening behind the curtains. His prideful nature is what ultimately leads to him being a tragic hero.
In "The Crucible," by Arthur Miller, the population of a small town in Salem, Massachusetts is in peril after false accusations of witchcraft among its inhabitants send several to prison. When tried for their crimes, the suspects are forced to lie and "confess" their work with the devil for the sake of their lives, or meet grim executions. Among the arrested is a young man named John Proctor. Though Proctor is a man of good moral character, the tribulation of the witch trial tests his repute when he realizes that his profession of innocence would leave his pregnant wife, who has also been accused, to suffer alone, and later be killed. Under this tremendous pressure, Proctor's disposition falters, and his temperament falls as he admits to a wrong not
The Crucible by Arthur Miller, is known for its critique of our society through irony and literary techniques such as foils or tragic heroes. A tragic hero is considered to be an individual who is well respected, but makes a mistake that ruins their stature or personal well-being. Another characteristic of a tragic hero is a life ending with an untimely, yet still often brave death. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller utilizes John proctor as a tragic hero to show the hypocrisy of society through his fall into adultery, his fight to regain the trust of his wife and others around him, and his tragic yet heroic death. John Proctors fall into adultery shows his human nature, and its tendency to make many mistakes in one’s lifetime.
In Arthur Miller's Play The Crucible, various characters face major conflict, whether through physical trials or unseen personal struggles. Some people live every day in fear, wondering if they will be falsely accused of witchcraft. Others face more internal challenges, such as forgiving those who have hurt them. John Proctor, was a man of strong moral character who held himself to a high standard for the sake of his good name and family.
In Arthur Miller's definition of a tragic hero, a common man sacrifices his life to achieve one thing. Throughout his character arc, the tragic hero undergoes six distinct characteristics: being wounded, desiring to do good, making poor judgments, experiencing a downfall, having a tragic realization, and creating a catharsis in the audience. In "The Crucible," John Proctor embodies all of these characteristics, making him a perfect example of a tragic hero. The first characteristic of a tragic hero is being a common man or woman who has been wounded in some way.
JOHN PROCTOR: TRAGIC HERO Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a greatly revered work, and it reflected the times of America in the days of McCarthyism. Perhaps the character that connected to the audience most was John Proctor, the protagonist of the play. He reflects the mistakes that we have made in our lives, and the struggle that some of have while trying to take the blindfold off of other people. He should be considered a hero because he feels guilt, and therefore tries to make up for the fact that he once had an affair.
John Proctor; A Tragic Hero Most people see a hero as a perfect, courageous person who does not stand down at the sight of danger. What most people do not think of is a person who goes against society to fight for morality. This is the case for John Proctor in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. John lives in Salem, Massachusetts, where the scare of witchcraft is about.
Angela Cunningham Professor Laura Driver ENG-249-26245 21 February 2023 John Proctor as a Tragic Hero In the 17th century, Salem, Massachusetts suffered from witchcraft accusations, in which many people fell victim to. The Crucible by Arthur Miller reflects these numerous incidents with the story of John Proctor. He is an honest man who proves to be a flawed person. Proctor’s complicated relationships and struggle with peace of mind are an underlying force that fuels his decisions.
He cared greatly about his family and wife even though Elizabeth was often distant towards him. In the end of the play, Proctor chooses to die rather than sign his confession, ratting out his friends and ruining his good name in the town. He did this to protect the reputation of his children so they won’t have to grow up with a lying father. Lying went against Protctors’ views and that ideal is prevalent throughout the entire play. It is revealed that as soon as he had an affair with Abigail, he confessed to Elizabeth the next day because of the guilt he was carrying around.