The Tragic Hero In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Proctor reveals his affair with Abigail to Danforth and the rest of the court to prove Abigail is not the perfect saint she wants everyone to believe. He says, “She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it now” (Miller 220-221) in an attempt to diminish Abigail’s reputation in the court system.

Even if Proctor did not want anything to do with Abigail, he still made Abigail obsess over him which caused her to believe she was destined for him, and Elizabeth was stopping them from being together. Proctor should have spoken about the accusations about falsely admitting to being

Proctor tries to hide his affair with Abigail so he can uphold his reputation in the community. Although Proctor tries to hide the affair, he ends up having to confess about the affair to the judges. Proctor confesses about the affair and why Abigail is doing this, but it is too late. Proctor gets accused of witchcraft and jailed. Proctor’s affair with Abigail leads to many bad things happening.

John Proctor could be considered a tragic hero in The Crucible. A tragic hero is a person who a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall. John is also a very respected man in Salem and he had a prominent role in his community. WIth every tragic hero they have a great flaw that can help with their downfall. Therefore we are lead to believe that John Proctor is a tragic hero.

The Tragic Flaw of John Proctor in The Crucible Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible takes place in early 1692 in the town of Salem Massachusetts. In this small town of Salem, there is hysteria due to accusations of children that many of the townsmen use witchcraft. Among these townspeople there is a man named John Proctor who knows that all of the accusations are a fraud. In the play John Proctor has many tragic flaws: his lust and pride led to the mounting of hysteria and overall tragic plight of others. Yet, in the end, his pride led to his own death.

When he finds himself alone with Abigail, he urges her to “Put [the affair] out of mind,” because he is aware that if anyone found out he would be ruined (22). Proctor is considered a powerful person in the community and he will do anything to keep it that way. Although he is not aware of the consequences of his actions, or rather lack of actions, Proctor’s silence prevents a black mark on Abigail’s reputation and allows her crying out to be taken seriously. Even later, after he sees the witch hunt get out of hand, Elizabeth presses John to tell the courts that Abigail is dishonest he responds with “I’ll think on it,” (53). The reason John does not want to come forward is because he is apprehensive of the town’s reaction and knows that by attempting to out Abigail he is putting himself at risk.

Closely following his act of adultery with Abigail Williams, we begin to see the cracks in Proctor’s persona and personal image. A veil of secrecy is apparent in John and Elizabeth’s marriage, with John covering up the truth whenever he needs to, and as Abigail catalyzes the witch hysteria, John is forced by society and self-preservation to continue with his incessant mistruths. Eventually we begin to notice that John grows heavy with stress and anxiety, and as he walks more deeply into this dark chasm of dishonesty, it gets more difficult for him to find his way out. One thing that remains constant, however, is Proctor’s sense of honor and the importance of his own

I have gone tiptoe in this house all seven months since she has been gone. I have not moved from there to there without I think pleasing you, and still, an everlasting funeral marches around your heart. I cannot speak but I am doubted, every moment judged for lies, as though I come into a court when I come into this house!” (Miller, 605) Ever since she and John Proctor had an affair, Abigail has been deeply in love and obsessed with John Proctor. Therefore, Abigail Williams affected Elizabeth Proctor to have a distrustful personality towards John Proctor.

At the beginning of the play, Proctor is portrayed as a flawed individual who is guilty of committing adultery with his former servant, Abigail Williams. He is initially unwilling to come forward and confess and instead chooses to keep it a secret to protect his reputation. Proctor himself states that "I have known her, sir. I have known her" (Miller 648) suggesting that his adultery with Abigail is not a character defect within Proctor himself, but rather a human weakness that he ultimately takes responsibility for and tries to atone with. When Proctor does confess his adultery, it is not a realization of a personal flaw, but rather an attempt to clear his name and prove his innocence.

Jonathan Palumbo, Tanner Droze, and AK Henry Jena Smith English 3/3/23 A look at Tragic Heroes in Arthur Miller's The Crucible The tragic downfall of heroes is something not often talked about in books, usually, the hero always wins, and good triumphs over evil. But this is not the case with John Proctor, a farmer imprisoned on false charges for attempting to expose the town's court of fraudulent evidence. “... Communities were coping with the aftermath of British and French fighting in the area, unsettled relationships with nearby Native Americans, and a recent smallpox epidemic. These circumstances made neighbors fear neighbors and stirred superstitions as people tried to understand why so many unsettling things were happening.

In Arthur Miller's novel The Crucible, John Proctor is a respectful man in the community, however, he eventually turns into a tragic hero as he recognizes the seriousness and damage of his sin that causes his downfall, but his rise to grace is sacrificing his life for his family. At the beginning of the play, Proctor is expressing his remorse about his thoughts to Abby. “I may think of you softly from time to time. But I’ll cut off my hand before I ever reach for you again” (1.22). This is crucial because John is haunted by his past relationship with Abby for the duration of the play.

So what caused Proctor’s downfall? A tragic hero must have caused his own downfall and recognize his own fault. The only reason Proctor was accused of witchcraft was because he got involved in the,

He had an affair with Abigail who was once him and his wife's servant. She wants Proctor to be her husband and would do anything to be with him, like getting his wife killed. Abigail in Act one goes up to him and tries to grasp his attention, but he cuts her off and says " I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut my hand off before I'll ever reach for you again.". Proctor really means that he wants nothing to do with her and is willing to cut his hand off before having an affair on his wife with Abigail ever

(I.465-472). Seeing Abigail cry, it suggests that Abigail’s affair with John Proctor has influenced her behavior in jealousy and lust as she strives for nothing more than her love for John Proctor. By only being heartbroken, Abigail is not to be fully blamed for the hysteria within the town as her actions are only based on desperate attempts to win John Proctor over, and no intentional harm whatsoever. However, on the other hand, Abigail cannot be excused with outside forces making her the way she is due to the fact that she has clearly had a choice in most of her decisions and actions throughout the witchcraft crisis. When Mary Warren, another girl involved in the forest incident, enters the court, she explains to Danforth, the judge, that the girls are lying and are only pretending to see spirits.

Likewise, when Elizabeth is brought before Danforth to verify Proctor’s confession, she lies to protect her husband, whom she refers to as a “goodly man,” from suspicion (Miller, 113). The affair may have caused Elizabeth to doubt Proctor but both parties still care deeply for each other and try to protect each other from harm. Even in his last moments, Proctor’s last words- “Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!”- were directed toward Elizabeth and were full of love and care (Miller, 144). Proctor may have sinned but his regret over his affair with Abigail and the trouble he had brought upon his wife justifies his