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To What Extent Is John Proctor A Tragic Hero

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Was John Proctor a Tragic Hero? Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" is a powerful exploration of the Salem witch trials of 1692, in which innocent people were accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death. One of the central characters in the play is John Proctor, a farmer who is caught up in the hysteria and ultimately faces his own downfall.This essay will argue that John Proctor is a tragic hero, using the elements of tragedy and Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero to support this claim. The first element of tragedy is the tragic hero's flaw, or hamartia. In John Proctor's case, his flaw is his pride. He is a man of integrity who refuses to compromise his principles, but he is also aware of his own reputation in the community. When his …show more content…

This occurs when a hero’s fortune changes dramatically, often as a result of their own actions. In John Proctor’s case, his reversal of fortune occurs when he confesses to his adultery and signs a false confession to save his life. Although he has previously refused to lie or compromise his principles, he now finds himself caught up in a web of deceit that he cannot escape. The third element of tragedy is the hero’s recognition, or anagnorisis. This is a moment of realization in which the hero understands the true nature of their situation. For John Proctor, this moment comes when he tears up the false confession and chooses to be hanged rather than compromise his integrity. He realizes that his pride has led him down the wrong path, and that he must pay the ultimate price for his actions. Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero includes several key characteristics. The hero must be of noble birth, have a tragic flaw, and suffer a reversal of fortune. The hero must also experience a moment of recognition, and their downfall must evoke feelings of pity and fear in the audience. John Proctor meets all of these criteria, as he is a respected member of the community, has a fatal flaw in his pride, suffers a dramatic reversal of fortune, experiences a moment of recognition, and ultimately meets a tragic end that evokes feelings of pity and

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I wish you had some evil in you that you might know me! A man will not cast away his good name. You surely know that.” This shows that John Proctor has a good name around the town and the commoners would be foolish to say bad things about his name. The second part of being a tragic hero is that the person has an event or terrible decision that leads to their downfall.

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John Proctor could be considered a tragic hero in The Crucible. A tragic hero is a person who a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall. John is also a very respected man in Salem and he had a prominent role in his community. WIth every tragic hero they have a great flaw that can help with their downfall. Therefore we are lead to believe that John Proctor is a tragic hero.

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

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Destiny Santiago Laurence English 11 14 May, 2018 Pride got in the Way Imagine being a well-respected man in Salem and making one mistake that threatens your name as well as your reputation. Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes it leads to the end of a good reputation for yourself and could even lead to a tragedy. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, lies the most tragic character of them all who is known as John Proctor who portrays all the elements of a tragic hero being one that was very well-respected and has personal dignity in his name that he would do anything to hold onto. John Proctor took a great amount of pride in his name which lead to his tragic flaw in which he would die in order to keep his dignity.

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

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

868 Words | 4 Pages

John Proctor fits the description due to his traits of a tragic hero. In the play John Proctor had troubles and he had to make the right choices to whom he wanted to effect. John Proctor has positive traits about him as well as a dark side shown through his affair with Abigail Williams, led to his eventual fatal downfall and the downfall of others as a result. His flaw was that he had a physical attraction for Abigail Williams. When his wife became

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Pride was his tragic flaw and eventually was the cause of his death, fulfilling the definition of a tragic hero. The Crucible is considered a tragedy because of its themes of human suffering and the somber feelings it evokes from its’ audience, its’ use of John Proctor as a tragic hero, and his tragic flaw, pride, playing an instrumental role in his death. By definition, a tragedy is a piece of work which carries the theme of human suffering and also evokes a feeling of

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John Proctor was the tragic hero of the crucible. The four essential qualities that a tragic hero should possess are goodness, appropriateness, lifelike, and consistency. All of these characteristics help to prove that John Proctor is the tragic hero of the play. John Proctor is a farmer that is honest and respectable living in a Puritan town with a wife and three children. Johns biggest flaw that lead to his demise was his love for Abigail Williams.

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

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The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is categorized as a dramatic tragedy, and all tragedies, by definition, have a tragic hero. So who is that hero? In this story, it would be John Proctor. According to Aristotle there are five characteristics of a tragic hero, he must have a flaw or error of judgement, he must cause his own downfall, he must recognize that he caused his own downfall, he must have pride, and his fate must be greater than he deserved. In this play, John Proctor has all of these characteristics.

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594 Words | 3 Pages

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