Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a play based on the real events of the Salem, Massachusetts witch trials of 1692. The wild “witch hunt” was based on false testimony and personal vendettas but, it also brought forth a need for a hero and n this story a tragic hero will arise. A tragic is a character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his own demise. In The Crucible the character of John Procter being a tragic hero has been a big debate for many years. Based on the definition of a tragic hero as well as information directly from The Crucible, it can be concluded that John Proctor is in fact a tragic hero. John Proctor plays a major role in the play and can easily be identified as a tragic hero. In the definition of a …show more content…
This can be interpreted as him saying that although internally and in his own soul he knows he is flawed, he prefers to keep his name respected and untarnished for his flaw and would rather die for witchcraft. This is a great example that proves John as the tragic hero because he is well respected in Salem but falls from grace due to a flaw that rides on his name and soul both before and after death. Another reason John Procter is seen as a tragic hero is that the hero’s flaw is an “error will physically and spiritually wound the tragic hero, eventually causing his death” (Handout). John’s flaw prevents him from testifying against Abigail in court for making up all her claims of witchcraft in Salem. This same inability of testifying against Abigail plays as one of the factors for John’s eventual death for witchcraft. If John did not carry this one tragic flaw he could have easily proven that Abigail was just “sporting” which in turn would have saved many lives including his own. This same idea that John’s tragic flaw is what spiritually hurts him can be seen when he is under suspicion for witchcraft and is asked to recite the Ten Commandments. John recites, “Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods, nor make unto thee any graven image. Thou shalt not take the name of the lord in vain; thou shalt have no other gods before me. (With some hesitation) Thou shalt remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. (Pause. Then.) Thou shalt honor thy
By admitting he had an affair with a teen John admitted to adultery tarnishing his reputation in the name of justice. John even gives up his life, unwilling to charge other innocent people with witchcraft, because it is the just thing to do. John then Although John committed lechery, he redeemed himself by sacrificing his name, his reputation, and his life in the pursuit of justice.
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.
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.
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…
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, it is evident that John Proctor is the tragic hero. Concluding through evidence in the play, it is fairly simple to connect him with separate parts of the definition. He makes his share of mistakes, just as many human beings do. John Proctor is fundamentally a good man, with respectable
The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is an intriguing novel about the witch trials in Salem during the 17th century. During the Salem witch trials, innocent people were accused of being witches just so that others could take their land and farms. The main protagonist, John Procter, stands up against the corruption and greed that has infested the very heart of Salem, and tries to overthrow Abigail Williams, a corrupt young maiden who blames and kills the accused witches. This novel explores the depth of evil in human nature through these main characters John Procter and Abigail Williams. But despite the corruption of Abigail and the town, the just emerge to try and stop this evil from occurring. The characteristics of John Procter are
John Proctor has a dark secret, He possesses a major flaw he has had an affair with Abigail Williams, and eventually he realizes what he has done to Elizabeth, He has committed adultery against his wife. Due to the fact that Proctor has committed adultery against Elizabeth, he becomes a tragic hero, and Abigail Williams shows that when she says “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near” (Act I, lines 423-425). John broke his marriage vows, but even though he regrets he has become a tragic hero. It’s too late to regret he has sinned, he has ruined his marriage with Elizabeth and now she is not pleased with him. Due to the fact that he has cheated on Elizabeth, his outlook in life is negative, when He tells her “I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you” (Act II, lines 159-161). The affair also caused Elizabeth to distrust John, who for seven months was trying to get into her good graces and is tired of her suspicion. Because of John's inability to control his desire and resist temptation, his life is being turned upside down by the jealousy and need for revenge of Abigail, marking the beginning of his downfall and path to becoming a tragic hero. As a result, the need for revenge of Abigail marks the beginning of John downfall.
Many actions dignify the traits of a tragic hero, but only few stand out. In the tragedy The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a tragic hero dies a good man when brought to trial over nothing more than child’s play and dishonesty. John Proctor is an honest, upright, and blunt-spoken man because he fought for what is right and found forgiveness in his fatal flaw. Although he exhibits these traits throughout the story, John dies a dynamic character.
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.
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.
In order to be a true tragic hero, the protagonist must be a moral and ethical person. Proctor proves with his actions
“I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with but enough to keep it from such dogs”- John Proctor, The Crucible. This quote is from the play, The Crucible, and John Proctor is referring to all the people trying to get him to confess that he has compacted with the devil in this quote. However, John Proctor is accepting that he is dying an honest but sinful man in the eyes of God, which is a trait of a tragic hero. In the Crucible, John Proctor can be considered a tragic hero in that he meets all of Aristotle's tragic hero traits. We can see this area of analysis in
John suffers because he refrains for a long time from confessing his sin for the sake of his good reputation and his wife’s honor. Finally, he testifies at the witches trial by saying “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.”(3.110) John needs to tell the truth in order to keep his wife alive and expose Abigail for what she really is, a fraud and jealous person who wants revenge. However, despite his revelations, it is too late to stop the witchcraft frenzy which is out of control and John is subsequently arrested and accused of witchcraft. When he refuses to sign a written confession of his involvement in witchcraft, he is sentenced to death. John would rather die with his good name and stay true to God than lie to stay alive and dishonor the other prisoners who died because they told the truth. Overall, John is a good man and because of the integrity he had it made him suffer a lot. He dies to recover his honesty and goodness and puts himself into God’s gracious
The definition of a tragic hero is a protagonist who is good and has superiority, but has a fatal flaw that they recognize, has caused them their downfall. The protagonist must have all four of these characteristics to be considered a tragic hero. John Proctor, the protagonist from The Crucible, is a tragic hero because he can fit all of these requirements. The first example of John being a tragic hero is that his major flaw is his lust. We learn in act 1 that John had an affair with Abigail Williams when Abby states that “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and started like a stallion whenever I come near!
A tragic hero is a character that has a tragic flaw that leads to there distruction. The tragic hero has the fallowing characteristics: honor,respect,curage and ambition. John Proctor is a Tragic hero becaus he show heroic qualitys.