...Is John Proctor considered a tragic hero? John Proctor can potentially be a tragic hero. He has a fatal flaw which was his great amount of pride, and that slowly tied a series of unfortunate events which eventually made John Proctor succumb to his death. Sadly, Proctor soon dies for a crime that he did not commit. John Proctor's life had been turned upside down when Abigail had accused his loved ones who were then eventually sent to jail, or executed. John Proctor is your classic tragic hero because he contains all the characteristics of a tragic hero. John Proctor's inevitable flaw was his overwhelming hubris that made him eventually got him sent to his death. Pride plays an intriguing role in John Proctor’s life. Proctor said, "Because it is my name!...
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...name or get hung? Would you die? John Proctor died for his name. He signed a document saying he was a witch but then he thought to himself that if they posted that on the church door, he would lose his last name, meaning, his last name would not be a name people wouldn't want to hear. John Proctor was a tragic hero because, he died for his pride, his integrity, and hysteria. John Proctor had a few flaws; one of them that really hurt him was his pride. That flaw would make him go through a series of events that would soon lead up to his hanging. Proctor’s internal pride was lost when he had a affair with Abigail. Proctor's life is completely turned upside down when Abigail accused his wife who was then sent to jail, and almost executed. A Tragic hero is when he or she has a complete reversal of fortune brought by the hero's own flaw. At the end of every tragic play, the audience must feel pity or remorse for the...
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...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...
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...First and foremost, John Proctor fits Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero because he possesses a fatal flaw, in which is his excessive pride; or othe rwise known as hubris. As defined by dictionary.com, excessive pride is, “a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.” John Proctor exemplifies his tragic flaw many times throughout the play; such as through the actions he makes, in which eventually lead to his demise. One of the most prominent points where John Proctor exhibits his excessive pride, or fatal flaw, is when he denies to sign his name under his “confession” to witchcraft....
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...Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, the protagonist John Proctor is portrayed as the tragic hero. He fits this description for a number of reasons. His tragic flaw or Achilles heel, like many other tragic heroes is his pride. Compounded with conflicts with circumstances, this tragic flaw leads to Proctor’s loss of life and arguably the loss of his eternal life as well. One of the major requirements to being a Shakespearean tragic hero includes having a tragic flaw. Proctor places a great deal of importance on his pride or what he considers dignity and self-respect. He lets pride overshadow his life and actions. He would rather maintain his pride or die. As the play nears its end in Act Four, it shows that he would rather give up his life, rather than post his fake confession on the church doors for the public to see. He states, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life... How may I live without my name? I have given my soul; Leave me my name!” (Miller, 133). John is too prideful and unwilling to stain his reputation. He prefers to die rather than have his name stained because of a fake confession. He wants to leave his name intact for his family. Another example of this is illustrated in Act Two, where Elizabeth urges Proctor to go to Salem and expose Abigail's lies. Proctor refuses, saying, “I am only wondering how I may...
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...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...
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...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...
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...Unconditional John Proctor, the protagonist of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, risks everything due to loving two different women. As the play starts readers find out that John is having an affair with the town tart, Abigail Williams. He does not believe in the idea of witchcraft. Proctor is very selfish about the affair with Abigail and states to judge Danforth “A man will not cast away his good name. You surely know that.” Many things motivate John to change throughout The Crucible such as Abigail charging his wife with witchcraft and Elizabeth becoming pregnant. John ends up risking everything to save his family. John Proctor’s change was motivated by the love for his wife and family. At first, John was not going to admit to having an...
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...The Crucible “How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name.” John portrays that he is a proud man. John Proctor is the protagonist in The Crucible. He shows values of Christian faith, hard work, self-denial, and simple living. I share many traits with John Proctor such as being loyal, hard working, and having pride. One trait John Proctor and I share is being loyal. One way of John being loyal is being there for his friends. When they went to the court John testified with Giles Corey and Francis Nurse to get Judge Hathorne and Governor Danforth to believe that the girls were lying and pretending to be witches. An example of me being loyal is not breaking any promises I make with anyone. If my friends and...
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...Crucible. John Proctor is most affected by the thought of maintaining an acceptable reputation for his name. Throughout The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor made many mistakes, one such as committing adultery, which made his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, lose his trust. Although he made mistakes, the town still saw John as a respectable man who cared immensely for his family. In the end, John did admit his sin of adultery and was hanged. Through “Aristotle’s Poetics” it is proved that John Proctor is the tragic hero of The Crucible because his true character comes out and he becomes a good man in the end by admitting to his wrong-doings, committing adultery, in order to save his reputation and family. John Proctor ruins his reputation within the change of fortune, or catastrophe, appeal of “Aristotle’s Poetics”. A change of fortune is explained as “occurs when a character produces an effect opposite to that which he intended to produce…”(McManus). John Proctor did not want his reputation ruined or his relationship with his wife ruined, however the complete opposite happened to him creating a major problem. The change of fortune is when John is finally forced to admit to the court about his sin (Miller 119). John Proctor commits adultery with Abigail and is compelled to admit this sin to his wife and to the town. John first admits to committing adultery to his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, after she had suspected something was going on between John and Abigail. John tells Elizabeth...
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...to exhibit the theme of protectiveness of one’s reputation and self-image through his character John Proctor. In the play, John Proctors battle to be morally right and his affair with Abigail Williams essentially caused him a great deal of confusion. Proctor ultimately confessed, but was too enveloped in his pride so he refused to have his confession hung up on the church doors. His own refusal to let the reputation he built go to waste is what caused his death and destroyed his reputation. Early in the play, Elizabeth knew about Proctor’s affair with Abigail. Elizabeth’s cold and distant attitude towards Proctor after his affair caused him an even greater struggle. As Proctor pleads for forgiveness in Act 4, Elizabeth says, “John, it come to naught that I should forgive you, if you'll not forgive yourself.” Proctor was so wrapped up in his wife’s view of him that he was not focusing on how he viewed himself. He could not fathom the looks his wife and he would receive if he confessed of his affair. How was he to expect others to forgive him for his wrong doings if he could not forgive himself?...
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...Lauren Barash Mrs. Dachille ELA: Hour 4 25 November 2014 John Proctor Tragic Hero A tragic hero is one who holds a high status in a community. The protagonist habitually faces a supernatural force of misfortune in which they conquer and gain admiration from the audience. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor was not the ordinary resident living in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts. Salem during this time period embodies pure unintelligence. The community faced ruthless weather, deceased crops, and sickness. They didn’t know how these dreadful happenings arose. The only knowledge they had came from books, which did not contain the solutions for their troubles. The idea of witchcraft was proposed, and with this being the only possible...
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...In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, people who were innocent were accused of witchcraft. These people lived in a community that had high morals, and they stood up to their morals. In the Puritan community of Salem, Massachusetts people's pride and name meant a lot, so people did whatever they needed to in order to keep their reputation clean. In The Crucible John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey are amongst those who are accused of witchcraft even though they are innocent, and to keep their good name they do not admit to the crime that they didn't do, they condemn themselves to death. John Proctor is wrongfully accused of witchcraft in The Crucible, he did not confess to live, to keep his name and reputation clean and keep his pride, he condemned himself to death. In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, Proctor is a well respected man in Salem. Towards the end, in Act IV of the play, he decides to sign a confession so he can live with his wife and children. Once he hands his confession takes it back and says, "I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God sees my name; God knows how black my sins are! It is enough!" Since he confessed, he only wants those who are present to know that he signed his name...
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...Does Arthur Miller’s The Crucible contain a tragic hero? Some of the characteristics of a tragic hero include suffering a reversal of fortune, experiencing a punishment that exceeds the crime, and leaving the reader with a sense of pity and terror, and having excessive pride- or hubris. These are some of the many reasons why John Proctor was considered a tragic hero. There are many times in The Crucible when John Proctor shows his hubris. One of these is in Act IV when Hale urges everyone to confess to sin in order to save their lives. Proctor can not do this because he cannot blacken his name. One example of John Proctor’s excessive pride is whenever he is arguing with Elizabeth about cheating with Abigail, he says, “No more! I should have...
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...John Proctor as a Tragic Hero In The Crucible, John Proctor is an example of someone who would rather live and end his life with pride rather than live with the humiliation. John is portrayed as a man with good intentions and morals, from the beginning to the end of the play he managed to stick with how he felt, make sacrifices for his wife to prove he loved her, and stay true to himself. Although, in the beginning of the play he cheated on his wife and struggles to win back her forgiveness he did everything he could, so he could gain redemption from her again. In the beginning of The Crucible John Proctor had an affair, the girl he had an affair with, Abigail, struggles to tell John that she still loves him and that they love each other,...
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