The court wanted John Proctor to confess to witchcraft; this was vital for the court, as it would help their case in many ways. For example, it would bring an end to the plots against the court. As a result of giving his name, The court will spare Proctor’s life, but it came with a cost: he must sign a document as written proof of his confession of witchcraft and hang it in the church for everyone to see. He cannot follow through with the greedy desires of Danforth and the others because he “cannot have another name in [his] life” (Miller 207). Proctor does not want people to remember him for what he is not; by giving his name, he tarnishes the truth about himself as a respectable and upstanding citizen, as well as the everlasting effect it will have on his prosperity.
John Proctor shows he is a tragic hero by increasing awareness, his punishment exceeds the crime, and he was given a free choice. Initially, most of the reasons John Proctor died, is because of Abigail. She caused a great deal of problems for him, and his wife, Elizabeth. In the play, ‘Hero [Proctor] has increased awareness’, meaning he realized what was happening before he was executed.
“He was the kind of man, powerful of body, even tempered, and not easily led (Arthur 19). Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, portrays John Proctor as a guilty husband that only holds on to two things, his wife and his reputation. Despite his efforts to save both, he was ultimately hung for being accused of witchcraft, defending both his wife and reputation until his last breath. While both John Procter and I care about our reputations and have a well kept temper, we have priotitized our relationships completely differant. John Procter and I have the ability to hide our anger well, but when pushed too far can seem to explode in a state of malice.
By saving his reputation, John Proctor is not only saving himself but he is helping his children by providing them a positive legacy. The main reason John Proctor wants to preserve his status is because he desires to save his name. John has such a strong desire to keep his name clean he begins to scream at Judge Danforth “because it is my name!” (Miller 1334). This outburst expresses John’s immense yearning to protect his name at all costs.
The name John Proctor may be recognizable from the well-known play The Crucible. The play does an amazing job at giving the audience a descriptive visual of his looks and makes us feel like we actually know him. However, all these facts, no matter how well-written they may be, aren’t completely accurate with how he was in real life. When comparing the play, The Crucible, and the article, John Proctor, many differences can be seen such as his affair with Abigail, his communication to the clergy, and his time period in prison.
Proctor the Tragic Hero Like most good works of literature, the Crucible contains a tragic hero; the tragic hero is John Proctor. While most people think very highly of Procter, he holds a secret, a major flaw, that will lead to his death. John Proctor is considered a tragic hero because of his good reputation turing bad because of his tragic flaw, hubris; this flaw will lead to his downfall, his death. Throughout the Crucible, the townspeople of Salem think very highly of John Procter.
In every story there is a hero, but in “The Crucible” some say it is up for debate. John Proctor is the hero of this story. He starts off as a man known for his crime of adultery. He struggles through this name created for himself and brings out his inner hero. To be considered a hero you must show it with your actions.
In the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, I believe that John Proctor’s decision to hang at the end of the play was an act of honor, because in order to keep his good name and to show everyone that he is a good person, is to die for everyone he cares about. This essay will show the reasons why John Proctor is a good man and that his decision was honorable. When John confessed about his affair with Abigail, this was an example of his pride. When Elizabeth was arrested, Proctor had to choose, show his great pride, or try to save his wife.
In his tragedy, The Crucible, Arthur Miller illustrates the small Puritan town of Salem Massachusetts in 1692, a theocratic town governed by its rigid ideology, set to implode as townspeople are unknowingly being oppressed by their own beliefs. Miller introduces the main character, John Proctor as the play’s tragic hero, revealing early on Proctor’s former affair with the play’s manipulative antagonist, Abigail Williams, who is motivated by her jealousy of Elizabeth Proctor’s position as John Proctor’s wife as well as her hatred for Salem’s pharisaical society. As the hysteria in Salem bourgeons and as tensions explode, Abigail takes advantage and drives the witch hunts, manipulating Salem’s heavy-handed society. Accusations are easy to make
“Leave me my name”, is one of the most important lines of the play. This statement illustrates John Proctor’s moral beliefs and ideas that have been the foundation of his life. Even though he has made horrible decisions he feels like that overall he has lived an outstanding life. In “The Crucible”, written by Arthur Miller, John Proctor illustrates positive aspects in his his characterzation due to the acknowledgement of his faith, understanding of social concepts, and his confession of personal sin.
John Proctor was heartbroken knowing that his wife had been falsely accused because of his mistake so he tried many things to prove her innocent but he his final attempt was confessing his affair with Abigail. John
ohn Proctor as the plays tragic hero is honest, responsible, and blunt- spoken. Proctors a good man but he is sneaky. His lust for Abigail William led to an affair. Causing Abigail to get jealous of his wife.
According to Aristotle, “A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, written about the Salem Witch trials, presents itself as an allegory for McCarthyism. In this work, protagonist John Proctor is the tragic hero of the play. John most clearly fits the mold of a tragic hero in the play based on his effort to save his wife, his change of character, and his pride that not only lead him to his death, but to a sacrifice for Salem. To begin, John went to extensive lengths to try and help save his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, who was accused of witchcraft and ultimately imprisoned.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller, is known for its critique of our society through irony and literary techniques such as foils or tragic heroes. A tragic hero is considered to be an individual who is well respected, but makes a mistake that ruins their stature or personal well-being. Another characteristic of a tragic hero is a life ending with an untimely, yet still often brave death. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller utilizes John proctor as a tragic hero to show the hypocrisy of society through his fall into adultery, his fight to regain the trust of his wife and others around him, and his tragic yet heroic death. John Proctors fall into adultery shows his human nature, and its tendency to make many mistakes in one’s lifetime.
John Proctor, the main character from The Crucible, is the embodiment of a tragic hero within the definition of Arthur Miller, the play-write. Miller characterizes the tragic hero as a “common man”; however, in order for this average man to truly be a tragic hero he must possess a fault that creates a “conflict between a man’s raw deeds and his conception of himself” that will eventually lead to his tragic downfall. Miller also importantly states that tragedy in “its final result ought to be reinforcement of the onlooker’s brightest opinion of the human animal”, implying that the agony and suffering, the fear of tragedy itself and the terrible ending is in fact a beginning, and that tragic acts benefit the community as a whole, since tragedy
