John Proctor As A Tragic Hero In Arthur Miller's The Crucible

A Tragic hero is a character who experiences a major downfall as the results of a personal mistake or the workings of fate. There are many tragic heroes in the play The Crucible, But the one that comes to mind is John Proctor for several reasons. It all starts out with the affair with Abigail, when that affair happens John Proctor breaks his wedding vows and violate the moral convictions of the community by engaging in an adultery affair with Abigail. John Proctor is a classic example of a tragic hero in the play, The Crucible for several reasons…

to Abigail and part of him still wants to be with her. But John is not

After being tried and condemned to death, John refuses to confess. But he doesn’t want to die because of some witches that are just making lies. So he signs the paper that is going to be nailed to the church door saying he has committed sins. He asks himself “God in heaven, what is John Proctor, what is John Proctor.” He is asking if John Proctor is considered honest or a liar. Because he knows he did nothing wrong in his life but he is accused and no one wants to believe him. But he shortly takes back his claim and refuses to sign it because he doesn’t want his friends being condemned for his actions, “I speak my own sins, I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it.” So by doing so he answers part of the question “What is John Proctor” by coming forth on his own view of himself. John Proctor cannot live with the lie if he had signed that confession, so he will die by his own honesty.

Abigail is a highly jealous character, concentrating her jealousy on Elizabeth Proctor. This jealousy is driven by lust and her desire for John Proctor. Abigail served as a servant in the Proctor household and after an affair with her husband John, Elizabeth fired her. She still resents Elizabeth for this as she is still in love with John. She clearly says to John, "You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!" Abigail is still in love with John and she assumes the converse. Her love for John only causes her resentment for Elizabeth to strengthen. She hates John Proctor's wife and in her conniving ways she attempts to inspire the same views of Elizabeth in John's mind. Saying things to him such as, "She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me, She is a cold, sniveling woman." Abigail fabricates stories in attempt to steel John from Elizabeth. She is a manipulative liar that does and says as she pleases in order to get what she wants.

to Elizabeth when she finds out later in the act. When it comes to the

He learned that people can be cruel. That the world is not the same for various people

prove to his wife that he should be trusted again. The dishonesty of the betrayal of Elizabeth and his

This might be a possibility but in the Crucible there was not that much evidence to why he did have an affair with Abigail. When he made the choice to go to court and conffess to reveal Abigails fraud, it was one step to putting the pieces back together of his relationship with his wife. He also did this to seek forgivness from his dear wife and release him from his regret of his wrongful action. His decision to do this was both beneficial to others but also horrid for himself.

Abigail had many flaws throughout the story. One of her flaws includes lust. Abigail was involved in a secret affair with John Proctor, who happened to be married to Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail illustrated lust by telling John, “John- I am waitin’ for you every night.” This suggests that Abigail does have something secret going on with John. Abigail also says, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near!” This justifies that they have a relationship because she told John that he

He was aware that he wasn't capable of feeling emotions toward people and he didn't want to live his life lying just to fit

He then attempted to flee New Jersey. His behavior suggests that he knew his crimes were wrong.

He started thinking, and that is when he realized he had to go fight. “And right then I submitted. I would go to the war—I would kill and maybe die—because I was embarrassed not to” (O’Brien 59). He didn’t want to upset his loved ones, those he cared about. That fear he had of being a disappointment is what led to him going against his belief.

She even tried protecting him in court. Abigail underestimates the power of love, she’s very lustful, which is her entire drive. And because of the way she was raised, she chases what she wants until its either completely out of her reach or she has it. It ultimately leads to her

He was the type of guy who, if he believed strongly enough, did not abandon his

He was able to learn and make realizations on his own without the opinion of another