ipl-logo

Of John Proctor As A Tragic Hero In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

822 Words4 Pages

A tragic hero, tragic hero, come one come all, come see what a tragic hero is really made of. Everyone can’t be known as a hero, but John Proctor is definitely a tragic hero. The Crucible is based on true accounts of the Salem witch trials and how is affecting everyone in town and In The Crucible Arthur Miller portrays John Proctor like all well-known heroes as essentially good, but possesses a tragic flaw. John Proctor is honest, caring, and also cares a lot about his reputation in Salem even though that he had an affair with Abigail Williams.
Within the play, Mr. Proctor came clean to his wife about the affair with Abigail Williams, and he made sure he stopped it right away. He dies for others, so they could live, he's a caring man, and truly values his reputation. Within The Crucible John Proctor’s undoing happens early in the book which was …show more content…

Mr. Proctor was ready to lose his reputation for his wife in court, so he could save her from being prosecuted, “We will slide together into our pit; you will tell the court what you know.” (Miller, 64) “My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth, but that goodness will not die for me!” (Miller, 66) John made sure that he wouldn’t let anyone die that was innocent or for his own foolishness. “I speak on my own sins; I cannot judge another.” (Miller, 113) This quote is evidence of John Proctor has integrity so he decides to condemn himself, but he will not betray others. “ I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor.” (Miller, 116) This quote signifies that Proctor has chosen to die for truth, for his good reputation, and for those he cares about, so he finally found the courage and now he can see the good within himself and forgive himself for his weakness. Proctor makes sure that whatever he decides to do he will always protect the ones he loves and live up to his good reputation in the town of Salem his name will not be

Show More
Related
362 Words | 2 Pages

When Danforth tells Proctor he has not sold his freinds, Proctor states, “Beguile me not! I displays that Proctor is a hero because he is blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence!”(Miller, 132). This incident displays that Proctor is a hero because he is willing to incriminate himself to save his friends because of an affair he decided to have with Abigail that led to her speaking blasphemously about Witchcraft in order to become Proctor’s wife. This exhibits honesty and supportiveness, Proctor himself could’ve stayed out of the trial, but he refused to let Abigail falsely incriminate his society, so he takes a stand. John Proctor is a tragic hero because he stood for a good cause and feels remorse knowing that if he had told the court that he had an affair with Abigail earlier, they wouldn’t have killed off prominent members of their society.

Read More
134 Words | 1 Pages

In my opinion John Proctor is the protagonist of the crucible, because there are some reasons. One reason for me is that John Proctor is starting the Salem witch trials indirectly. It is Abigail who starts the trials, but she only does it to kill John’s wife to be the only one John love and they finally can get married. Because of that the relationship between John, his wife and Abigail is in the foreground. Another reason why John is very important in the Crucible is that he has a strong voice in the community.

Read More
912 Words | 4 Pages

“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name?

Read More
945 Words | 4 Pages

JOHN PROCTOR: TRAGIC HERO Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a greatly revered work, and it reflected the times of America in the days of McCarthyism. Perhaps the character that connected to the audience most was John Proctor, the protagonist of the play. He reflects the mistakes that we have made in our lives, and the struggle that some of have while trying to take the blindfold off of other people. He should be considered a hero because he feels guilt, and therefore tries to make up for the fact that he once had an affair.

Read More
2173 Words | 9 Pages

These characters are usually very prideful, but are intelligent and learn something at the end of the story. The tragic hero of The Crucible is John Proctor, whose flaw is that he had committed adultery with Abigail Williams, due to the cold nature of his wife. The events that led to his fall first start when his wife is arrested for witchcraft. He is extremely angered by this unfair arrest and rips the warrant, screaming, “Off with you!” (72) as they try to take custody of her.

Read More
1095 Words | 5 Pages

The Crucible - Conflict Analysis John Proctor Internal: John Proctor’s most eminent internal conflict is over the sin he has committed, adultery. Proctor cheated on his wife with Abigail Williams, and this makes Proctor feel incredibly guilty because in the town, he is “respected and even feared” (19). He tried very hard, and succeeded, with keeping this moral crime to himself. He still walked about Salem as if he was “an untroubled soul,” (21) however, avoiding the sin again would be a difficult task. Abigail flirts with him, in attempt to have him for one last night, and it’s obvious Proctor has an arduous time pushing her away.

Read More
685 Words | 3 Pages

Even Elizabeth herself recognizes and acknowledges his redemption at the end of the story when she says, “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him” (Miller 73). John makes an altruistic choice and refuses to lie about witchcraft to avoid execution. This is the epitome of what a tragic hero is: a human person who tries to do what is right but still is tragically punished in the end. Using this logic, John Proctor’s integrity during The Crucible cements his role as a tragic

Read More
747 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
1100 Words | 5 Pages

A man of conscience is one who is aware of his moral and ethical beliefs and judgments and one who will prefer right over wrong. The life of such man is ruled by the desire to seek the truth and justice in all that surrounds him, including himself. These attributes are seen in both character, John Proctor from Arthur Miller’s play, “The Crucible”, set in Salem in the early seventeenth century and in Atticus Finch from Harper Lee’s novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” set in New York in 1950. In the play “The Crucible” set in the town of Salem which is burdened by the belief of witches, we are introduced to the main character John Proctor.

Read More
613 Words | 3 Pages

His actions prove a sense of self- dignity. The court of Salem wants John Proctor to show proof to the village that he has confessed. The opening quote in the introduction explains his powerful mindset towards the end of his trial. Another aspect of his strengths is when Proctor forbids them to use him as an example to other prisoners. Miller writes Proctor saying, “ You will not use me!

Read More
1159 Words | 5 Pages

In The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, John Proctor demonstrates courage by speaking out for what he believes in while knowing his consequences, admitting his wrong doings with Abigail to save Elizabeth’s life, and choosing to be hanged over having his name posted on the church door because the second his signed confession is posted, his and his loved ones reputations will be ruined. In the beginning of the play all John Proctor cared about was his reputation. However, ultimately he sacrificed his reputation by telling the court he committed adultery. John telling the court he was guilty ruined his reputation, which made all hell break loose.

Read More
483 Words | 2 Pages

Proctor says “ You are the high court, your word is good enough! tell them i confessed myself; say proctor broke his knees and wept like a woman, but my name cannot!”. In the quote John Proctor does not want written proof that he was a witch because he wants to protect his friends and not throw them under the bus. This means he cares for his friends and is truly a good man. Proctor says; “ let them that near dead now take their souls, it is pretence to me.”

Read More
705 Words | 3 Pages

John Proctor was a man of honor and had a well respected name in the town of Salem. Sadly he died tragically but as a hero. He was hanged because he was accused of doing the devil’s work. He was given the chance to save his life if he admitted on a piece of paper that he was working with the devil but he refused to tell that lie. He wanted his sons to be able to walk the streets without being shunned from the world because they deserved better.

Read More
612 Words | 3 Pages

Shortly after ripping the confession up Proctor states “You have made you magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not Enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs” (Miller 144). Proctor is displaying the self-respect he has obtained from doing the moral thing. This quote also indicates Proctor’s personal change of attitude towards himself. For example, he was hard on himself earlier in the play, comparing himself with dust and later he claims he sees good in

Read More
477 Words | 2 Pages

I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 153). This quote truly demonstrates Proctors character as a whole, as he is willing to be hung for the sake of proving his worth to the court. Specifically, Proctor knows he is truly innocent, and wants to make the courts aware of his innocence. His unwillingness to confess to witchcraft, is because of his personal beliefs regarding reputation.

Read More

More about Of John Proctor As A Tragic Hero In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Related Topics

Open Document