In The Crucible, a book written by Arthur Miller, the story follows the lives of the community and multiple accusations during the Salem witch trials of Massachusetts. The Crucible demonstrates all aspects of a tragedy story through the liked farmer John Proctor not being able to resist committing adultery, his wife Elizabeth and him suffering from Abigail because of his act, and his acceptance towards his crimes and the resulting events. To begin, John Proctor’s reputation in Salem is nobler and higher than usual people, which is an element of a protagonist in a tragedy. On the first introduction of John Proctor in the first act, the author describes him as, “...powerful of body, even tempered, and not easily led” (Miller 1. 19). Because …show more content…
For one, because John has a previous relationship with Abigail while married with Elizabeth, it causes Abigail to want his wife executed to take her place. She tries doing this by getting stabbed with a needle after seeing the Proctor family’s servant making a doll with a needle, so Elizabeth would look like she made a voodoo doll for her with witchcraft (Miller 2. 69-72). Likewise, John’s entanglement with Abigail Williams causes him to be so angered with her that he insults her and admits to his crime punishable by death (Miller 3. 102). The significance of his flaw of having an affair was that not only does his reputation lower by admitting this crime, but both he and his wife now has an execution incoming (Miller 2. 73)(Miller 3. 110). Next, Proctor has to suffer from struggling with the large amount of guilt when he is about to confess his previous lust for Abigail. During his confession with Dansworth, the text describes that he “...is being overcome,” and is “...as though to cry out his only means of speech left” (Miller 3. 102). It is not usual for someone to commit and admit to adultery with a high amount of despair, as no other character in The Crucible has. These events all occurring after his crime with Abigail demonstrates the uncommon suffering and downhill of his luck after this flaw, which are both element of …show more content…
For example, when John grabs Abigail by the hair, and then Danforth asks if John is an adulterer, Proctor doesn’t deny it and admits, “God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat” (Miller 3. 102). Since this is the first time in the story John admits to his crime, that means that this is the time he accepts it instead of hiding or denying it, such as when he is alone with Abigail and says they did not ever touch (Miller 1. 22). Furthermore, on act four after John Proctor tears the paper he is supposed to sign, reverend Hale yells that he is going to be hanged if he does that, but John says, “I can” (Miller 4. 133). Before John Proctor accepts his death, he is in the hall and confirms that he saw the devil, did the devil’s work, and connected himself to it (Miller 4. 128-129) These three confirmations are all ideas he previously does not accept and refuses to believe in during act one (Miller 1.
Proctor does not reply. Which way do you go, Mister? His breast heaving, his eyes staring ,Proctor tears the paper and crumples it and he is weeping in fury but erect.(143-144) Through John Proctor's actions he saves his self worth and individual acceptance despite the consequences of losing his life. Due to the fact that the people in Salem will only accept your confession if you admit you did it and sign off on it, when John proctor tears up the document that states he was involved with witchcraft.
Though his confession would be for witchcraft, Proctor believes that either way he is not a good man and that punishment would be justified either way. Proctor now sees his decision as practical instead of moral, telling Elizabeth that “it is hard to give a lie to a dog.” Subsequently, Elizabeth responds to John by saying “yet you’ve not confessed till now. That speaks goodness in you (Miller 126). Elizabeth is the only character in the play who understands John’s moral dilemma.
In the vindictive play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller writes about accusations of witchery, unfaithfulness and assumptious judges that lead to undeserved deaths. There are many different characters with many different motivations for what they did. John Proctor is a tormented man because he cannot forgive himself for the things he had done to his wife. Preceding the actual play, John Proctor and his servant, Abigail, had an affair.
This exhibits the trait by having readers see his candid actions in the play when he confessed his adultery in an attempt to get Abigail in trouble. To add on, John Proctor wanted to expose that the girls were deceitful about seeing people work for the devil, in an attempt to save Elizabeth from being executed because she was accused of witchcraft. In addition, he’d continue to convince Judge Danroth that his wife is innocent by confessing that he had an affair with Abigail to show that he committed a sin, portraying Elizabeth’s
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a tragic hero because of his affair with Abigail. Although his wife Elizabeth knows about his affair and has moved past it, John still feels that she cannot forgive him when in reality he cannot forgive himself. Johns affair brings chaos to his marriage with Elizabeth, causes Abigail to accuse innocent people of witchcraft, and even brings him to his own death. When John proctor sleeps with Abigail, his relationship with his wife elizabeth becomes injured. For example, what started off as a normal conversation between john and his wife , soon took a turn for the worst.
John, who before the play started had committed adultery with one of the accusers, comes to the acknowledgment that in order to save his wife, he must willing to give up his name and reputation by confessing his transgression before the court. When Proctor, alongside Giles Corey and Francis Nurse, goes to the court to draw back the curtains on the accusers and reveal how the children truly are, he admits “I have known her, sir”(Act III, pg. 230). By admitting to the infidelity, John is trying to demonstrate how the accuser, Abigail, is not as pure and innocence as she has made herself out to be. In doing as so, he willing relinquished his good reputation by putting the lives of his wife and friends before his own. It was a daring demonstration to challenge the court at first, but it took a tremendous amount of courage to put those in jeopardy ahead of himself, knowing the full consequences of his actions
John Proctor’s journey from being a repenting lecher to a loving and dedicated man, and his integrity in the face of death demonstrates his role as a tragic hero. The Crucible is an allegorical look at some core aspects of human nature, and John Proctor’s lechery is an important dynamic in the play. John’s relationship with his wife is cold and strenuous for both spouses at the beginning of The Crucible. He struggles internally with his former affair with Abigail and he lashes out at his wife when he says, “{You} are not God,
Arguably, one of the most important characters of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” is protagonist John Proctor. In Salem’s community, he stands with a level head as a progressive, strong-willed and passionate man. However, Proctor plays a large role in the inaction of the witch hunt because of his affair with Abigail who is still in love with him when he no longer reciprocates her love. As an act of revenge, Abigail attempts to take away what Proctor loves, including Elizabeth who she frames for an attempted murder through witchcraft. He mimics that of a tragic hero archetype because he struggles with a guilty conscience of the affair with Abigail and beings to lose what loves.
John starts off in the story as a main character in act II starting off his way to Salem. Throughout the play, John's wife Elizabeth Proctor is taken to the court because of her possession of a doll thought to be a voodoo doll with a needle in it signifying Abigail. Later in the play when they are in the courtroom, he confesses his affair with Abigail Williams to save his wife from being tried as a witch and not to have witchcraft put upon his relationship. Then later jailed for adultery knowing that he wouldn't be able to save his name nor relationship.
Conformity shapes our everyday decisions, but can also impact our lives long-term, like ruining one’s reputation. One important character in The Crucible is John Proctor. In the story, Proctor is previously romantically involved with a young girl, Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams plans to accuse Elizabeth, Proctor’s wife, of being a witch so that she could be with Proctor forever. In this process, Proctor is accused of being associated with the devil, ultimately ruining his life and reputation.
The main character of The Crucible, John Proctor is someone who possesses all the necessity traits that classify a tragic hero. Not only is his downfall in the book initiated by his human flaw, but he also captures the sympathy from the readers. Even though John Proctor’s intentions are good and truthful through out the book, in the beginning we discover that he has a significant secret. He is guilty of committing the sin of adultery with his young servant, Abigail Williams. His sick wife Elizabeth learned of his infidelity and forgave him, but Abigail was in love with John and tries to kill Elizabeth by engaging in witchcraft with a few other girls in Salem.
“The Crucible” is a play written by Arthur Miller, a playwright, and is about one of the many events that took place in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692 at the height of the belief in witchcraft, the Devil, and his followers. In turn, when a group of girls are caught dancing around a fire with a slave from Barbados and a girl, Betty—the daughter of Reverend Parris—falls into a mysterious, coma-like state, the citizens of the town spark rumors of witchcraft and necromancy. Later, when Abigail—the leader of the group of girls—and Tituba confessed to consorting with the devil, the sparks were replaced by an uproar of blame. Although a man by the name of John Proctor, a farmer, does not appear in the middle of the Act One, he is the protagonist as it is his story of failure, guilt, and redemption.
The prominence of one’s name or reputation in the Crucible by Arthur Miller is a vital one. In the restrictive Puritan society of Salem, one’s reputation is established through the demonstration of their honesty, hard-work and strict adherence to the Christian doctrine. Reverend Parris is the first character in the play that openly addresses the importance of his reputation to himself. Even though people dislike his personality, they respect him for his strong belief in Christianity.
John Proctor is the well-regarded protagonist of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." Throughout the play, John struggles with his own inner demons and is ultimately forced to make a life-or-death decision to maintain his honor. John's character undergoes a significant transformation over the course of the play, moving from a guilt-ridden husband to an honorable man. This transformation is evident in John's actions and words as he grapples with the events of the witch trials. At the beginning of the play, John is depicted as a flawed character who is guilty of committing adultery.
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.