John Proctor As A Tragic Hero In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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.

The next quality that makes John Proctor a tragic hero is having a tragic flaw. John Proctor went through many tragic flaws during the story. For example, on page 894 John Proctor decides not to be interested in Abigail no more and he says, “I will cut of my hand before I will ever touch you again.” This ends to John’s tragic flaw because eventually this will lead him to go to court to save his wife. Another Example, On page 916 John and Elizabeth has gotten into an argument about the situation that was going on between him and Abby.

John Proctor is not a tragic hero in the beginning of the story because he was a bad person with his wife by lying to her about Abigail. But towards the end of the book he realizes the mistakes he has done and he wants to make a change about it. Wants to start to stop lying to himself and to others, then if it will not end well. John Proctor does not qualify as a tragic hero because he was breaking laws by having a affair with Abigail Williams behind his wife backs and when his wife Elizabeth confronts him about Abigail and him about having an affair John kies in front of her face. It goes throughout the whole story.

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.

With John Proctor as our main character it is only suited that we claim him to be our one true tragic hero. He is introduced as a strong character that has secrets that few know. The reputation he has set forth for himself means a great deal to him. But, the higher you are the more the fall hurts. His fall from the graces was extremely tragic, as he proclaimed his act of adultery in front of God and everyone.

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.

John Proctor is a “good man” who has made mistakes in life, but he uses his sense of moral goodness being a truthful christian. He had a flaw as a well-respected member of the community, but he changed throughout the course of ACT I to ACT IV. He had a huge shift. Not just asking for forgiveness, but acting on it.

Throughout Literary pieces the term tragic hero has caught readers attention but not as much as what it means to be a tragic hero .A tragic hero has a tragic flaw, pride, and a downfall. It can be argued Arthur Miller's character John Proctor in the crucible is one of the most remarkable tragic heroes in literature .In The Crucible, John proctor contains a fatal flaw ,which is the main trait of a tragic hero .He is also known for possessing honesty as a fatal flaw .

A tragedy is defined as a story that follows the downfall of someone, usually due to a flaw that the said person has. The crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, is an excellent example of this as the protagonist, John Proctor is the definition of a tragic hero due to the events that occur in the play which lead to his downfall because of his tragic flaw, lust. In a tragedy the main character usually has some kind of tragic flaw that leads to the character's demise, in the Crucible, John Proctor's tragic flaw is his lust. Throughout many parts of the play Proctor shows his lust for Abigail, first by having sex with her during the events before the play, and later having issues with telling the hierarchy that he knows that Abigail is lying about their being witchcraft in the city as evident by this quote “Proctor, with solemn warning: You will not judge me more, Elizabeth.

In The Crucible, John Proctor’s tragic flaw-his considerable amount of dignity-drove him to his ruinous death, establishing him as the tragic hero. Even though John brought his destined defeat upon himself, he is still considered the tragic hero. In the beginning of The Crucible, John Proctor was thought able enough to stop the allegations of innocent people because he was outspoken against the accepted beliefs throughout Salem. This gives him the title of a virtuous character because he is being beneficial to the community. When Arthur Miller reveals John Proctor’s past liaison with Abigail Williams to the reader it is unknown by the rest of the community.

John Proctor didn’t want his name to be the ruined because he felt that was all he had left. John Proctor was tragically killed for a sin he had not committed but was found a hero because people followed in his footsteps by not confessing to something they didn’t do. “A tragic hero is a character

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.

His need for lust, loyalty, and reputation stirs up trouble when witchcraft accusations arise. However, Proctor’s flaws and character development lead him to a tragic, yet heroic ending. Instead of enduring a shameful life, he would rather be sentenced to death.

John Proctor, the protagonist of The Crucible, qualifies as a tragic hero because he has a tragic flaw, is ethically superior to the other characters in the play, and struggles to find peace with himself in midst of the lies and chaos during this play. John Proctor possesses a tragic flaw that forces him to hide his prideful mistake, which eventually brings about his downfall. I guess the old saying is true, “Pride comes before the fall”. John Proctor’s tragic flaw is his excessive pride, and he expresses it abundantly throughout the play. In Act I, it states, “ Proctor: Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time.

In the puritan lifestyle, this is a major crime, and John Proctor is now a sinner and will not go to heaven. How could he ever be considered a hero after this horrific crime? This is where the idea of a tragic hero comes into play, where the hero of the