At the beginning of the play, Proctor is portrayed as a flawed individual who is guilty of committing adultery with his former servant, Abigail Williams. He is initially unwilling to come forward and confess and instead chooses to keep it a secret to protect his reputation. Proctor himself states that "I have known her, sir. I have known her" (Miller 648) suggesting that his adultery with Abigail is not a character defect within Proctor himself, but rather a human weakness that he ultimately takes responsibility for and tries to atone with. When Proctor does confess his adultery, it is not a realization of a personal flaw, but rather an attempt to clear his name and prove his innocence. As the play progresses, Proctor's reputation is at stake and his initial reluctance to confess his adultery leads to him being falsely accused of witchcraft. …show more content…
Abigail becomes jealous and resentful of his wife Elizabeth. She sees the witch trials as a way to get revenge on Elizabeth and remove her as a rival for Proctor's affections. Abigail uses the trials to falsely accuse Proctor of witchcraft, in order to eliminate him as an obstacle and to keep him from exposing the truth about their past relationship. All tragic heroes must also meet a tragic end, but Proctor's death, while dire, is not the result of his actions or tragic flaw. Proctor chooses to die rather than falsely confess to witchcraft, but his death is ultimately a result of the unjust and corrupt legal system of the witch trials, rather than any flaw in his character. "I will not give my wife to vengeance. I choose to die" (Act 4, Scene 1) suggests that his death is a result of his refusal to falsely confess to witchcraft rather than his