John Proctor : A Tragic Hero In The Crucible

Plays have been used as a method of storytelling and form of entertainment for hundreds of years. A tragedy is one type of play where the audience pities the characters and fear the same consequences that the characters face. In addition, tragedies often include a tragic hero who has a tragic flaw causing his or her downfall. One example of a play that is a tragedy and includes a tragic hero is the The Crucible. John Proctor in The Crucible is a true tragic hero because he possess the four characteristics of goodness, superiority, tragic flaw, and realization of his downfall.

John Proctor is one of the main characters in the Crucible. He was indicted of witchcraft because of he violated the law several times. Examples that helped the church assume he was a witch was him stating that the girls who were “possessed” were liars & frauds, setting everything up to accuse other villagers of witchcraft. He also couldn’t remember the 10 commandments, didn’t attend church regularly, & apparently plowed on Sundays which was considered a high offense back then. John’s trial was extremely unequitable.

"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." There are many forms of heroes, some are big and obvious, others are small and unidentifiable, but either way, they make a difference in the world. In fact, there are several different kinds of heroes represented in The Crucible. In Arthur Miller's novel, the Crucible, the story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 during the Salem witch trials. During this time, several people, men and women alike, are falsely accused of being witches. John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth are both falsely accused of being witches, so both husband and wife need to fight for their lives. In the Crucible, John Proctor goes to great

As human beings, we each display specific traits and qualities that define our character and shape our personalities. The way in which we carry ourselves establishes our reputations, as well as how others identify us. We are each prone to making mistakes, and unfortunately, the mistakes we make can affect the way people see us as well. The struggle to regain a good name can be difficult and uncertain once someone’s reputation is tarnished. In Arthur Miller’s timeless play, The Crucible, a well-respected man named John Proctor betrays his wife and struggles to gain her forgiveness and his good name in the village of Salem. Although John Proctor betrays his wife, he

He does this with the intention of exposing Abigail’s spiteful character and her main desire to replace his wife. John Proctor says “I beg you sir, I beg you -see her what she is…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. I set myself entirely in your hands. I know you must see it now” (110) John Proctor exposes not only Abigail’s sins, but also the fact that he was infatuated with Abigail. He knows that by doing this he would dishonor his name, but he deems it as the only solution because people were falling into Abigail’s manipulation., John Proctor also fights for everyone not just his wife. John Proctor continues his attempt to voice out the truth even though his wife was exempted from being punished because she was pregnant. He defends other people because he knows their innocence. “The people signing it declare their good opinion of Rebecca, and my wife and Martha Corey...these are all landholding farmers, members of the church, sir- they’ve known the women many years and never saw no sign they had dealing with the Devil” (93) John Proctor protects everyone’s names because he recognizes that they have no reason to be jailed, thus showing his kindness and consideration.

In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the reputation and integrity of characters led to the downfall of many others, some of which were the ultimate downfall in death. The play is set in a time of darkness, The Salem Witch Trials, where everyone is trying to preserve their reputations while also fighting an internal battle of witch accusations. The trials begin all due to one teenage girl who had an affair with a married man. The most prestigious of these townsfolk are the head judge, Judge Danforth, a landowner who only is rivaled by one other, Giles Corey, and a prominently known name, John Proctor.

Despite outspoken personality and qualities as a critical thinker, John Proctor is far from being a perfect human being. In his notes, Arthur Miller describes him as a sinner, "a sinner not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against his own vision of decent conduct." (P.20) Similar to Jesus who was tempted in the desert and taunted by the pharisees, Proctor's journey is riddled with hardships. He strives to overcome them and to follow his moral compass over the course of the novel. When Abigail Morris seeks him out after being fired, he has the courage to overcome his lust and to end their relationship. He boldly claims: "I will cut off my hand before I'll ever reach for you again" (P.22) Moreover, he spends months trying to regain

A tragic hero is a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy. In the play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrays John Proctor, the protagonist, as a tragic hero who has a major flaw—lust for Abigail, his teenage house servant. For fear of being exiled in a town where reputation is highly upheld, Proctor initially tries to hide his crime of adultery, but this affair triggers a major series of events in Salem, where unproven accusations lead to internal struggle and eventually to catastrophe.

A Tragedy as a literary Work is described in which there is a hero that is basically moral individual destroyed by some character flaw and by force beyond his or her control. That hero is a tragic hero who experiences an inner struggle because of this flaw. Because of his charter flaw and his struggle to do what is right, John Proctor is a tragic hero.

In the play by Arthur Miller The Crucible, the town of Salem is in pandemonium under the non-existent threat of witchcraft. Every character is either lying to save their lives or to end others, or dying for not admitting to a lie. One character who stands out among the chaotic conflagration is the tragic hero John Proctor. In Greek drama, a tragic hero is defined as “a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy that is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat.” No character in The Crucible fits this description better than John Proctor. John Proctor is the tragic hero in The Crucible because of his strengths and notable traits,

Since the times of the ancient Greeks, tragic heroes have been used to enhance the meaning of a play or literary work. Any character cannot be described as tragic hero. Several key characteristics are necessary for the tragic hero to possess in order to be characterized as such. He must be high-ranked or have a high standing in the community. He must have a weakness or a tragic flaw and be involved in a struggle. In the end, that struggle will lead to his downfall. Arthur Miller purposely incorporates these characteristics into John Proctor, one of the main figures in The Crucible. He masterfully portrays Proctor as a tragic hero even though he is a common man.

“It is rare for people to be asked the question which puts them squarely in front of themselves.” So said Tom Wilkinson, who played the role of John Proctor in the 1990 National Theatre Production of the Crucible. The question of course, is the very question that lies at the core of the play: the decision of whether or not to confess. Throughout life, we find ourselves faced with these very questions, these problems, these dilemmas even and we must find ways to overcome them. The Crucible provides an excellent medium through which students can learn about these problems, and in the process learn more about themselves, and it is for this reason that the text must be a mandatory part of the Queensland Senior English curriculum.

A tragic hero is a very favored person that suffers from a downfall which leads to their death. John Proctor, like many others, is a tragic hero. The author, Arthur Miller, gives John Proctor the role of a tragic hero throughout the story of The Crucible. This protagonist, John Proctor, made judgement errors that inevitably led to his own destruction. John Proctor is an afflicted individual. He believes his affair with Abigail irreparably damaged him in the eyes of God, his wife Elizabeth, and himself. John Proctor succumbed to sin and committed the crime of adultery; however, he lacks the capacity to forgive himself. When referencing criticism, John Proctor and the Crucible of Individuation in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Michelle I Pearson, who also agrees John Proctor is a tragic hero, once said in her article that “While the people of Salem look at Proctor and see a strong, hard-working, no-nonsense man, Proctor himself knows that he is an adulterer, a lecher, and that he drives himself to try to be free of his guilt. Not until faced with a crisis, however, will he leave the persona behind and begin the process of individuation.” The criticism provided helps prove John Proctor fits the role of a tragic hero in The Crucible. In order to convey the message of iniquity in the Puritan society, Arthur Miller casts John Proctor in The Crucible because he is able to overcome his tragic flaw of hubris, but still the circumstances unfortunately led to his death. Proctor is a very respected man in Salem but he also has a few flaws that have proved him to be a tragic hero which are prideful, lustful, and well respected. Later in The Crucible, Proctor realizes his flaws and tries to fix them but it is too late. One of Proctor’s tragic flaws is that he is too prideful.

In the play, The Crucible, John Proctor is one of the main characters. He is a noble character that has a tragic downfall. Which causes him to suffer in this play. At the end of the play he wants his name to be left alone since they took his soul. He also has judgment when he confesses to his flaws. John fits the definition of a tragic hero. Even though his weaknesses or errors occur. Throughout play, John make some wrong decisions that he later regrets in the story.

I think John Proctor was a tragic hero because he knew that he wasn't perfect and he