John Proctor: A Tragic Hero
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the town of Salem is afflicted with hysteria, intolerance, and accusations that lead to death. According to philosopher Aristotle, a tragic hero possesses a tragic flaw, excessive pride, and an inevitable downfall. Protagonist John Proctor illustrates a tragic hero because he is presented as happy, powerful, and privileged, which later leads him to suffer because of his own actions.
First of all, John Proctor possesses a fatal flaw, pride, which is a characteristic of a tragic hero. Proctor’s fatal flaws includes honesty and pride. He lacks honesty because he wants to keep his image held high, which ultimately lead him to his death. He could have saved his own life by confessing to witchcraft, but
…show more content…
John Proctor illustrates that he is an ethical man because he highlights the fact that young girls, children, are controlling Salem purely with their words. Proctor 's ethical attributes are conveyed when he realizes that the group of accusers may be pretending to be afflicted, “I’ll tell you what’s walking Salem – vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” (73) which causes other to question his credibility. He also speaks this to emphasize the problem that everyone assumes that the accusers, children, are innocent. He also underlines that people have personal motives to accuse other because of their biases. Another example of this is in act III, when Proctor confesses to his act of adultery in order to save his wife from death, “God help me, I lusted and there is a promise in such sweat...My wife is innocent” (102). Proctor is attempting to accuse Abigail of faking all the accusations and affiliations with the devil because he knows that Abigail longs to remove Elizabeth from his life. His admission of adultery conveys his feelings of guilt and extreme love towards his wife Elizabeth. Proctor exudes ethics even when it damages his own
Proctor's Reputation Depicted In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
899 Words | 4 PagesPrevious to the witch hunt, Proctor had committed adultery by sleeping with Abigail Williams, and this evil act had caused him to live in fear of being discovered as an adulterator. However, after witnessing the constant disingenuous acts of Abigail throughout the entirety of the witch hunt, Proctor gave himself up for the prosperity of the community when he declares, “I have known her, sir. I have... known her” (Act III). Through Proctor’s confession to adultery in front of the court, readers can fully understand the compassion he possesses. This revelation is possible because, John was fully aware of the abominable charges he would have to face, but he was willing to be killed if it would mean the end of Abigail’s antics and thus the end of the death of innocent people.
John Proctor Reputation Essay
913 Words | 4 PagesAs the whispers grew louder in the town of Salem, the accusations grew as well. John Proctor was a man who stood up for what he believed in. Throughout the play we see fingers being pointed at each other trying to see who can be blamed for witchcraft.
John Proctor Dishonesness In The Crucible
845 Words | 4 PagesAlso, Proctor was well aware that Abigail had earned great power in the court system by falsely accusing people of witchcraft. For this reason, anyone else who had not been caught in the hysteria of witchcraft felt that they could not contradict Abigail’s lies. People feared that they would be accused of witchery if they were to oppose the accusations. John Proctor had to choose between preserving his reputation and allowing lies to continue to flourish Salem, or show his immoral actions to give to ending the fraudulence. Proctor had the best rebuttal to Abigail’s lies and, therefore, he felt that it was his duty to start the end to the madness.
The Crucible John Proctor Tragic Hero Essay
918 Words | 4 PagesJohn, furious of the actions taking place in front of him says this “My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth, but that goodness will not die for me.” This quote is pivotal in the evolution of John's character because in the wake of the false allegation of witchcraft against his wife that he knows he caused, something in him is struck, a moral code to say that can never be bent or broken, it has come out in response to the events unfolding even though he had been treated with a cold shoulder for months. What is surprising here is that his pride is brushed off in order to make way for the truth, finally after some time feeling substantially more guilty of the choices he made with Abigail than ever
Righteousness In The Crucible
139 Words | 1 Pages“A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall,”Aristotle. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, John Proctor, the main protagonist of the play faces several situations in which he struggles both internally and externally; all of the struggles that Proctor encounters throughout the story heavily affect those around him, but most importantly they impact the way that he perceives Salem and his own life. Truthfully, the troubles that Proctor experiences in life are the most impactful occurrences in The Crucible because they reflect the righteousness that is within him, even in times of corruption; it is ultimately Proctor’s ability to discover righteousness that allows him to be seen as an tragic hero. It can also be said
John Proctor Strengths
1070 Words | 5 PagesThere are many tragic heroes portrayed in the world around us. Cinderella, Wall-E, and Simba, whom all overcame obstacles, vindicated themselves and aided their world to eventually be a finer place. Naturally, all their difficulties in the end led to their success, But, one man who presented those exact qualities, was not as fortuitous. This man presented himself to the court and fought for what was moral acceptable, subjected himself to prison for his mistakes and justified himself and the good people of Salem. John Proctor shows the admirable qualities and weaknesses of a tragic hero in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller.
Essay On John Proctor A Tragic Hero
502 Words | 3 PagesThe one person who could have stopped the Salem Witch Trials was none other than a tragic hero. Aristotle developed the idea of a tragic hero in a story. This person was someone who was an exceptional person, they were quite prideful, and by the end they must die. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a tragic hero. He is an exceptional man with lust as a fatal error, he takes pride in his name, and by the end he dies and repents.
John Proctor Tragic Hero Quotes
367 Words | 2 PagesThe Tragic Hero of The Crucible A tragic hero is a character who undergoes a devastating fate for the greater good. They are often protagonists meant to arouse pity by relating to the reader. The Crucible by Arthur Miller features John Proctor as its tragic hero; he is a leader of Salem who dooms himself due to his fatal flaws and mistakes. John Proctor, though a mere farmer, wields considerable influence in Salem.
The Crucible John Proctor Guilt Analysis
872 Words | 4 PagesProctor’s guilt is present when he, attempts to pay for his sins by giving his wife materialistic objects, hesitates to obey his wife's suggestion to accuse Abigail of false bewitchment, and breaks out in anger for not wanting to be judged any longer. The romantic relationship between the Proctor’s is undoubtedly extinguished, but even casual engagement cannot exist without tension since everything John Proctor says to Elizabeth is a symbol of repentance. He offers Elizabeth the possession of a cow and expresses “with a grin” that all he
John Proctor Selfishness In The Crucible
1797 Words | 8 PagesWith Proctor as The Crucible’s tragic hero, it is crucial that he possesses qualities in which the audience can admire, but also relate and identify with. With these attributes and flaws in mind, Proctor has a primary flaw, selfishness, that is the main contributor to his
John Proctor Sacrifice In The Crucible
705 Words | 3 PagesHe was given the choice to either confess to being apart of witchcraft and be spared or not confess and get hanged. He is allowed to talk this over with his wife and at first they decide it would be better to confess even though they know he didn’t do anything! At this point in the play John realizes that it is not the right thing to do. He says “ How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul now give me your name.”
Examples Of John Proctor's Tragic Flaws In The Crucible
594 Words | 3 PagesJohn 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.
Theme Of Integrity In The Crucible
914 Words | 4 PagesProctor is widely respected in the Salem community. However, he has a secret that threatens his reputation. He cheated on his wife Elizebeth Proctor with Abigail Williams. As a result, he has a strong internal conflict regarding his integrity. Proctor is a benevolent man at heart, however he has sinned according to puritan law.
The Qualities Of John Proctor In The Crucible
835 Words | 4 PagesThe first impressive characteristic of John Proctor is his bravery. Speaking out against the “afflicted” girls in the way he did could cause serious question of him as a person. From the court’s standpoint John could be seen as directly opposing the court, which would have him jailed, or could even have him be accused of witchcraft. Also, he would have had to have known that Abigail Williams would have immediately accused him of being a witch once he spoke out against them. However, that did not stop him from delivering the truth to the court.
Pride And Honor In The Crucible
794 Words | 4 PagesMoreover, he would be justifying the existence of witches, which would further galvanize future spurious accusations. In addition, Proctor claimed, “I have three children - how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?” This quote insinuates that if he were to lie to his kids, they would not admire him as a role model and instead feel ashamed of him. Clearly, Proctor’s honor contributed to the ultimate decision of ripping up the signed
More about John Proctor: A Tragic Hero
Proctor's Reputation Depicted In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
899 Words | 4 PagesJohn Proctor Reputation Essay
913 Words | 4 PagesJohn Proctor Dishonesness In The Crucible
845 Words | 4 PagesThe Crucible John Proctor Tragic Hero Essay
918 Words | 4 PagesRighteousness In The Crucible
139 Words | 1 PagesJohn Proctor Strengths
1070 Words | 5 PagesEssay On John Proctor A Tragic Hero
502 Words | 3 PagesJohn Proctor Tragic Hero Quotes
367 Words | 2 PagesThe Crucible John Proctor Guilt Analysis
872 Words | 4 PagesJohn Proctor Selfishness In The Crucible
1797 Words | 8 PagesJohn Proctor Sacrifice In The Crucible
705 Words | 3 PagesExamples Of John Proctor's Tragic Flaws In The Crucible
594 Words | 3 PagesTheme Of Integrity In The Crucible
914 Words | 4 PagesThe Qualities Of John Proctor In The Crucible
835 Words | 4 PagesPride And Honor In The Crucible
794 Words | 4 Pages