...In the book The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor emerges as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a person who makes a judgement that eventually leads to his or her downfall. Romeo is famous for being a tragic hero in the play, Romeo and Juliet. John Proctor is a tragic hero because he is lustful, hypocritical, and highly respected. John Proctor reveals himself as a tragic hero for being lustful. He had an affair with Abigail. Abigail says, “I know you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near!” (Miller 21). This means that Proctor could not control himself around Abigail. Because he got caught, he stopped seeing Abigail. If Proctor would have never been caught, who is to say that he would have stopped the affair? John Proctor is a tragic hero for being lustful towards Abigail. John Proctor proves himself as a tragic hero for being hypocritical. He says he is faithful man, but he did not know all Ten Commandments. Elizabeth helped him out with the Commandments and Proctor said, “You see, sir, between the two of us we do know them all” (Miller 64). Proctor can not prove himself as a Christian in a serious situation and never shows up in church. He says he is always working on the farm. It leaves him with a bad name and not a very good impression. John Proctor’s tragic...
Words: 422 - Pages: 2
...Divya Kumar Mr. Kirley ENG3U1-05 November.11.2015. The Crucible: Is John Proctor truly a tragic hero? A tragic hero is a person with admirable qualities yet they have a tragic flaw that leads them to their downfall. In Miller’s play “The Crucible,” the protagonist, John Proctor, is a tragic hero known for his good reputation yet commits adultery with Abigail thus making it a tragic flaw that leads to his death. John Proctor is a tragic hero because he is a well-mannered person that has a good reputation. John strongly believes in Elizabeth’s good morals by proving his honesty and bond towards Elizabeth and speaks up for her as he tries to get her and his friends’ wives out of jail. He tells Danforth...
Words: 1085 - Pages: 5
...In literature a tragic hero is someone who tends to play a major role in the story, and eventually gets pulled into a downfall by their tragic flaw. In “The Crucible” John Proctor can be seen as one of multiple tragic heroes through his constant appearance in the story, and like any other tragic hero has a flaw leading to his downfall. Therefore John Proctor is a tragic hero; one of the most memorable in the entire play. John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth Proctor, would have been a community member who exposed John’s flaws. One of the few things holding John back from being the perfect hero was his past with Abigail. As a result of his adultery crime, John had too much pride to admit to the crime until Elizabeth’s life was on the line. Elizabeth...
Words: 255 - Pages: 2
...hero is a person who has heroic qualities and is fated by the Gods or by some supernatural force for doom or at least to great suffering. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Salem was in a period of time where witch hunts were frequent which created chaos throughout the town. These witch hunts often targeted innocent, hard working people who were accused of witchery with no actual evidence. As a result when this conflict introduced itself to John Proctor, he exhibited tragic hero traits such as pride, catharsis, and nobleness. Pride plays an interesting role in the life of John Proctor in The Crucible. During the trials, Proctor daily wages an internal, war between his conscience and pride. His prideful mindset is what primarily caused his downfall; a person who rises and falls because of their own ignorant flaw, which is the true meaning of a tragic hero. Therefore there are several traits that exemplify a tragic hero in John...
Words: 800 - Pages: 4
...The Crucible is a fictional novel, that has been turned into a play as well, about a strictly puritan (English protestants of the late 16th and 17th centuries) village called Salem, and in this village rumors develop into huge dilemma where everyone is accusing each other of participating in acts of blasphemy, mainly witchcraft. These accusations lead to Salem’s downfall. The author of this intense novel is Arthur Miller. He showed in The Crucible that one’s choices are crucial to life in many ways, and some of those choices are a lot harder to make than others. This is because honesty is worth sacrificing one’s life for, in this case John Proctor has to decide if he wants to live with the reputation of a liar or die with honor. In the beginning, Proctor doesn’t believe that lying or confessing matters at all in...
Words: 516 - Pages: 3
...The Crucible Act Four Questions Short Response Answer the following questions based on your knowledge of the drama. Write a response on a separate sheet of paper. 1. Where does Tituba think that the Devil is going to take her? 2. Give one example of how Abigail shows her dishonesty in this act. 3. What effect do the trials have on Salem? Use three details from the drama to support your answer. 4. When first arrives at the Salem jail, Danforth complains, “There is a prodigious stench in this place.” How might this line be read to mean something besides a comment on the smell? 5. How is Giles Corey’s character reflected in his death? Use one detail from the drama to support your response. 6. What qualities does Proctor find within himself that prevent him from at last saving himself and signing the confession? Use details from the text to support your response. 7. Explain how Proctor is right or wrong for refusing to sign the confession. Use details to support your response. 8. A tragic hero’s fate, according to Aristotle, inspires pity and horror. Name the tragic hero in The Crucible, and describe how his or her fate inspires both pity and horror. 9. People accused of being Communists had a difficult time getting jobs; some even moved out of the United States in order to try to resume normal lives. How is Proctor’s situation like that of the people accused of Communist activities? 10. Based on the conversation involving Tituba, Sarah...
Words: 2431 - Pages: 10
...play The Crucible , John Proctor is the tragic hero of the play because his sin has refrained him from, speaking upon against what is wrong, when he does speak up it is too late, then finally his pride is so strong that it leads to his downfall, and his dedication to his family makes him decide to do the wrong thing. Proctor has many flaws, but even with them he is truly a good person, he showed nonconformity by not doing something he doesn't believe in, An example is when Hale asked him why he wasn't going to church he said,”I think, sometimes, the man dreams cathedrals, not clapboard meetin' houses.”(Act2 pg.65). This implying that he feels that Parris cares more about wealth and reputation he gains from it rather than Christian morals.Proctor also doesn't support that Parris views himself as a nobleman, who doesn't need to conform to Parris warped view of Christianity and Puritan belief.He also portrays brilliant characteristics for his children to look up to because he put up a fight for his family until his last breath. John Proctor’s dedication and trust in people make him a tragic hero because if John didn’t truly believe that Abigail would spare him and his family he probably would have stayed quiet.Proctor believes at the...
Words: 799 - Pages: 4
...The Crucible, a story about the wrongly accused being hanged for standing by their morals and the truth. Abigail and her friends cause the whole town to go into chaos as they accuse many people in the town of being witches, many lie and confess to being witches while some will stand by the truth and plead innocence. The play follows John Proctor and the question I will answer is if Proctor could be considered a tragic hero. One quality a tragic hero must have is a “tragic flaw” or a flaw that will cause the character’s downfall. John Proctor’s flaw is excessive pride, one example of this is his commanding nature toward his wife. He tells his wife she is being cold and she must forgive him as if he didn’t do much to hurt her but he doesn’t realise that he is the one at fault. Proctor also does not go to church even though everyone in the town were supposed...
Words: 482 - Pages: 2
...Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953 during the McCarthy Era, when Americans were accusing each other of Pro-Communist beliefs. Many of Miller’s friends were being attacked as communists and Miller himself was brought up guilty of beliefs in communism. Miller was getting sick of this so he put his writing techniques in action and wrote a play called The Crucible to show the injustices. This playwright uses the Salem Witch trials as an allegory to the US injustices toward suspected Communists. The Crucible is set against the backdrop of the mad witch hunts of the Salem witch trials, where innocent people were being accused and hung because of witchcraft. Miller portrays a character that is known as a tragic hero, strong but flawed, to fight against the injustice of the town and to show that a tragic hero can still do what he believes is best even when the majority of society is influenced by lies. The character that Miller chooses to be his Greek tragic hero is John Proctor, who is a good, well known, and respected man in Salem. It is evident that John Proctor fulfills the requirements of the Greek Tragic hero because of his many positive traits, such as his noble characteristics, his honorable and righteous qualities, and always believing in himself fighting for what is true. However, he had a fatal flaw that showed the darker side to his perfect characteristics. His flaw is committing adultery towards his wife. Before the play began, Proctor’s lust for Abigail Williams...
Words: 1044 - Pages: 5
...Abraham Lincoln once profoundly declared, “Nearly all men can stand Adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller in the early 1950’s, has an exemplary character that shows a defective result. Mr. Lincoln’s quote shows that power defines the strength or weakness of a character. As The Crucible transitioned into its third act, Judge Danforth, a round character, begins as a self-justified and aware judge. As the play progresses, This truth becomes an act to cover his multiplying flaws. In The Crucible, Judge Danforth had his power and authority protecting him, but let his foolishness bewitch him. This cocky and oblivious man ruled Salem’s courthouse. Originally the deputy governor of Massachusetts, Judge Danforth presumptuously took collateral control(Wikipedia). He started his tyranny with unjustly condemning 72, eventually 12 during the Salem witch trials(Miller, 1190,1222). Such unrequited power was abused by leading...
Words: 496 - Pages: 2
...dictates that a tragic hero must be of noble birth, John Proctor demonstrates more qualities of a tragic hero than he does not, therefore John Proctor is best understood as a tragic hero. John Proctor, the protagonist in The Crucible, who was seen as a highly renowned man in his society, saw error in his ways despite his affair with Abigail. He knew what he did was far from forgivable and acknowledged himself as a sinner. Even despite the fact that he cheated on his wife, Elizabeth still saw him as a man of justice and honor and pleaded with him to end the trouble that he inadvertently started with Abigail. Elizabeth says, “Then go and tell her she’s a whore. Whatever promise she may sense--break it, John, break it,” (Miller 62). Elizabeth still knows that John is a...
Words: 939 - Pages: 4
...were accused just like this during the Red Scare (Andrew). Miller created The Crucible during this time of paranoia (Hosey). In the 1950s and 1940s, after the Cold War, Russia became a direct representation of everything anti-American, thus Communism was anti-American (History.com staff). The House of Un-American Activities Committee was created to rid America of Communist (History.com staff). McCarthy lead this extirpation and exacerbated the situation to a point of utter chaos and paranoia called the Red Scare (History.com staff; Hosey). This campaign began with an attack at the liberal Hollywood, blacklisting of Hollywood...
Words: 887 - Pages: 4
...A tragic hero is a character that is destined for a downfall or defeat. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, there is a debate going on about if the main protagonist, John Proctor, is a tragic hero. Some say he is because of the way he died to save the dignity of his name, yet others say he is not because of the sins he had committed. Proctor is a tragic hero because he learned from his flaw to become a better person and died to save the dignity of his name. During the play, Miller talks about a flaw that Proctor has that is the cause of his downfall. Miller talks about a girl by the name of Abigail Williams who worked for Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. She wouldn’t be working for them for too long because Williams and Proctor had an affair. When Elizabeth Proctor finds out, she fires Williams and since then John Proctor has used this flaw to learned from it. For example, in Act III, Proctor confesses his sin publicly to the court. By doing this, Proctor shows his goodness and also has learned how to forgive himself and not live with the guilt. Even though John Proctor has sinned, he tries to keep his name a clean as possible. For example, at the end of Act III, Proctor is arrested for being a witch after the girl who works...
Words: 687 - Pages: 3
...The Crucible is a tragic story, one of unjustified deaths and malicious lies. People died standing up for what they believed in, and according to the story, one of those people was John Proctor. However, he wasn’t the courageous individual who wanted to save the lives of others. He had something else in mind, his own reputation. John Proctor died to save his own reputation in his town. He chose to die rather than live with his pregnant wife and children, just to avoid losing his good name. As the story was spun, John Proctor was supposed to appear as a tragic hero, however this is not the case. John Proctor’s actions were driven by guilt, selfishness and arrogance, not because of heroism. Although John Proctor's death was not warranted, he...
Words: 1050 - Pages: 5
...The Crucible: Who was Responsible In 1692, it was dark times for the town of Salem, Massachusetts, times where the phrase witchcraft spread like wildfire. A town where speculation overcame common sense and where chaos overcame order. The town was mostly composed of farmers, priests, and common folk, but there was one person who wanted more than the common life, she wanted power. Her name was Abigail Williams, the sole reason of why the events in Salem became reality and the fears of many became true. Abigail Williams is the most responsible for the events in Salem because of her lust for John Proctor, her jealousy, and her vengefulness. Abigail was quite a delusional girl when it came to falling in love, especially with John Proctor, one...
Words: 875 - Pages: 4
