One last good thing about Proctor was that he was an honest man. Towards the end of the witch trials, he publicly confessed his adulterated past about Abigail. Everything he told the court was of true nature and he did not intend to hide anything more. He signed his own written confession, denunciating the end of the witch trials. The only reasons he had not shared the truth with the court earlier in the play was because of his immense pride in himself, and that he was too concerned with what the public opinion of his name would be. But, after a long while and a lot of pain and suffering for many, he became more concerned with his level of personal integrity than that of his public reputation. His reaction was similar to what you would expect a man from today’s time if he had came out of that type of situation: apprehensive about confession at first, but then willing to assert the truth later.
What is a tragic hero? The most well known definition of a tragic hero comes from the great philosopher, Aristotle. When depicting a tragic hero, Aristotle states "The change in the hero's fortunes be not from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery, and the cause of it must not lie in any depravity but in some great error on his part." In addition, he explains the four essential qualities that a tragic hero should possess, which are goodness, appropriateness, lifelike, and consistency. All of these necessities help to classify the character of John Proctor in Arthur Miller's The Crucible as the tragic hero of the play. Not only does he unfortunately fall to desolation, but also his character captures the sympathy and pity from the audience or readers. Proctor's downfall in the play is initiated by a human flaw, which to a great extent qualifies him to be the tragic hero.
The Crucible is the play written by Arthur Miller based upon the events of the 17th centuary; procecution of people before local megistrates to procecute people of witchcraft in Salem in Massachusets.
John Proctor can be considered as the main character in the play. He is a farmer when Salem trails began. John Proctor is the central character in the play. His tragedy is the most significant, for it emerges from a flaw deep within himself and is resolved by his own actions. Unlike Rebecca Nurse, who is almost a stereotype in her complete goodness, Proctor is morally compromised and must openly struggle to do good.
Although Aristotle's tragic hero would be a character in a high social or political standing, Arthur Miller portrays John Proctor lived a respectable life in a Puritan town with a wife and three children. However, as the play opens, the audience discovers that Proctor has a significant secret. His unfortunate flaw was that he had a physical attraction for Abigail Williams. When his wife became sick he began to get emotions for Abigail. He committed adultery with Abigail against his wife. When Abigail stated "I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I came near..." (page 22 of act one) She showed that she and John Proctor did have sexual relations. This flaw along with many other attributes contributed to him being a tragic hero.
The affair also caused Elizabeth to distrust John, who for seven months was trying to get into her good graces and is tired of her suspicion. He bluntly tells her "...I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you...I cannot speak but I am doubted, every moment judged for lies..."(52). This illustrates John's perseverance in attempting to redeem himself for his sin and wants to make right the troubles his mistake brought upon him. Because of John's inability to control his desire and resist temptation, his life is being turned upside down by the jealousy and need for revenge of Abigail, marking the beginning of his downfall and path to becoming a tragic hero.
The fact that John Proctor realized all his mistakes was another reason why he can be considered a tragic hero. He confessed to his wife what he did with Abigail. You can see how this was done in act two where Proctor says."..I wilted, and like a Christian I confessed, confessed!" He also confessed to the court this flaw as well. He realized he was wrong for what he did and apologized. This was a major action that he took that also led to him being a tragic hero.
Although he is outspoken and blunt in his skepticism of witchcraft and his denunciation of Reverend Parris' greed and the corruption of the church, he initially chooses to downplay the significance of Abigail's accusations. This tendency to remain apart can also be seen in his decision not to attend church, rather than take a more active role in the congregation. This independence of character, while it allows him to retain a sane outlook, also keeps him from taking effective action.
Proctor has two great conflicts to overcome.
• He overcomes the first by his decision to testify against Abigail, despite his guilt. This act constitutes the climax of the play, for it is at this moment that he realizes that he must participate in the community and that his individual needs might have to be sacrificed for the good of all.
• His second conflict is whether to sign a false confession and save his life or allow himself to be executed. His conscious decision to choose self-sacrifice allows him to both recover the sense of goodness that he lost when he committed adultery with Abigail and also serve his community. By his decision to accept death rather than betray his friends and neighbors, he rises above the tragedy of politics in the play to become its hero.
In Salem, Massachusetts 1692, nineteen men and women, all having been convicted of witchcraft, were hanged. Some people were pressed to death under heavy stones for refusing to submit to a trial on witchcraft charges. Many faced accusations of witchcraft; several others endured jail time for months without trial until the craziness that had swept through Salem came to an end. This further fuels the tragedy of the play.
John Proctor is the tragic hero of “The Crucible” as Arthur Miller gives him many positive traits, but he also had a darker side to his otherwise pure nature. His affair with Abigail Williams, leading to his eventual fatal downfall as well as the downfall of others as a result of one action. However, he was very willing to at least reverse the effects of his actions to save others around him, even if it meant he had to die for it. The more shocking reality is that these events were factual.
The righteous nature of John Proctor to always seek the truth and denounce those who abuse their given powers is none more evident as he exposes the corruption that existed in Salem. Proctor exposes that Abigail and her followers were only acting as if they had been possessed by the devil and witchcraft. Unlike many within Salem, Proctor does not see the value of the Church's seemingly ultimate power within the town. Proctor certainly does not shy from the fact that he fails to see any religious value within Reverend Parris, "I like it not that Mr. Parris should lay his hand upon my baby. I see no light of God in that man. I'll not conceal it." (Act 2 “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller)Proctor believes that Parris is more consumed by wealth and land than God and prayer.
Proctor, despite his honorable and ethical personality, has doubts about even his own judgment of his morality. His affair with Abigail Williams is the only major flaw attributing to his otherwise righteous character. Abigail Williams is intent on destroying Elizabeth Proctor and accuses her of witchcraft; however, John Proctor is intent on protecting his wife's name at all cost. "My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me!"(Act 2)
Proctor also respects other people and their privacy, and does not wish to blacken anybody else's name when he was about to confess to carrying out the work of the devil. Proctor would only speak of his own sins and argued that he "cannot judge another." Such was the case when he refused to sign the confession paper to the door of the Church. "You will not use me! I am no Sarah Good or Tituba, I am John Proctor!"(Act 4) He was adamant not to blacken his own name, even if it meant he had to die for it as a result. "A man will not cast away his good name. You surely know that."
His pride also plays a vital role in his downfall. His pride would not allow him to ruin his reputation in the village. Proctor's pride was also what caused the problem in the first place and this led to his eventual tragic downfall. Proctor believes that he was untouchable; he believed that he could have an affair, but as long as he apologizes afterwards, that everything would be all right again. However, as the play unfolds he soon finds out that his life with Elizabeth and life in the village will never be the same again as a result of his foolish actions. He tries to lessen the damage as a result of his actions, even if that meant he would sacrifice his own life for the life of his loved one, "My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that was not rotten long before."(Act 4)
Proctor's affair drove Abigail to plot against Proctor's wife Elizabeth, so that she could take her place. However, she was intelligent enough to realize that if she excused the wife of a well-respected man of the village of conspiring with the devil, no one would believe he and she would be thrown in jail for lying to the court. For she has broken the commandment "Thou shalt not bear false witness" and this was a serious offence that results in death. As a result, Abigail decided that if she filled the jails with people not so respected such as tramps, no one would notice one more person passing through the courts. Abigail did all this because Proctor committed adultery with her. This causes her to believe that he made a promise to her by doing so; she believes that if Proctor did not have Elizabeth he would then love her instead. When Proctor slept with Abigail, he did not just cause his own downfall, but also the downfall of others.
Towards the end of “The Crucible” there is an overwhelming feeling of disbelief, emphasized by the fact that “The Crucible” was based on a true story. There would also be horror at the idea that so many people were hanged as a result of the never ending belief of witchcraft. That horror must have also been experienced because of the fact that Abigail enjoyed having so much control over people’s lives and have felt that she must excuse people of witchcraft before anybody would listen to what she had to say just because they viewed her as a child because she was unmarried.
In many ways Proctor is the tragic hero of “The Crucible.” He has all the characteristics of a noble gentlemen and although he also has an aspect of arrogance about his personality which gradually disappears towards the end of the play, although not completely. Proctor also has a fatal flaw, experiences sudden changes, and in the end falls and is destroyed by being hung as a witch. Proctor stood up to authority, went against the trend, stood up to what he believed in, and at the end of the play, there is a great catharsis. Proctor is a tragic hero because order has been restored at the end of the play, but tragically only as the result of Proctors death.
“I'll tell you what's walking Salem - vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law! This warrant's vengeance!" (Act 2)
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is based on the true story of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials where people were hanged if they were accused of being a witch. The majority of
the characters in the play were innocent and wrongly hanged. John Proctor is a tragic hero and is crucial to the play’s storyline. John Proctor is a thirty-year-old Christian farmer who lives in Salem, with his wife and three children. Before the play takes place, he has an affair with a former worker in his house, Abigail Williams. Abigail’s jealousy for John’s wife leads John into a flurry of conflicts which inevitably cause John’s downfall. John Proctor, being a tragic hero in The Crucible, falls into a hurricane of accusations that send him into a spiraling quest to say the truth; He is fueled by guilt to preserve the innocence of himself and others, even if it means he himself must admit his own subterfuge. Throughout John’s journey through difficult decisions, he has an internal conflict with himself regarding the affair. John’s motive, actions and conflicts cause him to be a dynamic character; shown by how he fights for his marriage, his innocence, his reputation, and his beliefs. More importantly, John tries to subsequently fight for his rights and the rights of others, eventually giving in to death, in his battle with the truth.
John Proctor’s guilt was a major motivator for him in a sense that he considered himself to be a fraud and wanted to tell people his dark secret. His guilt was derived from a few things; he had sinned, he was sorry for what he did, and he felt it was his fault. He is a man who is riddled with guilt from sinning; Also, John is eager to keep a respectable reputation. In act two of the play John’s wife Elizabeth shows some of her suspicions and drives Proctor into saying “Woman. I’ll not have your suspicion anymore.” Proctor feels guilt because he knows her suspicions are deserved. Elizabeth also urges her husband to accuse Abigail of being a fraud; he refused at first, and she accused John of keeping emotions for Abigail. Later on in the play, after the couple’s mistrust has deepened John protects his wife from the woman he cheated on Elizabeth with. John’s motivation changes because he wants to earn his wife’s trust back since he knows what he did was wrong. John’s guilt motivation throughout the play is proven through various actions. John’s motive goes from guilt for sinning to guilt of causing conflicts. For example, despite John’s rough past with the Parris family, he visits Reverend Parris’s daughter, Betty, while she is “ill”. Also in act one, John tells Abigail Williams no when she gets closer to him and in that action he shows his guilt for having an affair with her. John admitted his adultery in public in order to prove Abigail’s false accusations and save his wife. All of these examples are motivated by John’s guilt.
John Proctor’s actions signify his true heroism. For example, he eventually fights to save his wife, Elizabeth, from Abigail’s wrong accusations. In spite of his wife’s current mistrustful feelings for John, he admits something that ruins his own name and makes him an outcast to the Puritan society. John admits to committing the sin of Adultery. However, the most significantly honorable decision John Proctor makes comes in the final act. John Proctor, in act four, is asked to sign a document by a powerful judge confessing his relationship with the devil; the document would be made public. John adamantly refuses to sign and confess another lie for this strong reason: “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I am not the worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul leave me my name!” John Proctor’s name, he believes, is all that that a man has in order to be remembered. John knows that if he gives his name to the judge he will no longer own the name; John also knows he will be known as someone who left a bad reputation for his family. John has such extraordinary honor that he will die to save his name. The decisions John makes, like the one to protect his wife from Abigail’s accusations, have a great effect on other characters. For example, in his attempt to save his wife, he brings the servant Mary Warren to testify in court against her will. The action of Mary testifying causes Mary’s death as she is given a decision to basically die or die. The decision John makes about his name proves his compelling self-respect for his rights, his reputation and his beliefs. The reader of The Crucible knows the fact that John has deep emotional beliefs for things that impact his life through his tragically heroic actions.
John Proctor is unquestionably a dynamic character in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, although some of his conflicts stay the same. John’s personality change is gradual from the overall play perspective. In the beginning of the play, he considers himself to be a fraud. Proctor’s actions signify his guilt and self-pity for being a fraud. Proctor’s words play an important role in showing the reader how he combats his guilt. For example, he tells Abigail Williams no. He tells his wife he will go to court against Abigail, despite his thoughts of the reactions of his fellow Puritans. John does not immediately give in to the idea of witchcraft in order to explain the troubles in Salem. One of those troubles being the children “dancing” in the woods. John does not cower in fear but instead, he expresses his opinions on the events that transpired in the first scene. Proctor faces many challenges that could affect his future; For example, he admits to committing adultery to save his wife from the children’s accusations that were construed in order to put the blame on someone else. In order to stop the trials he had to overcome his fear of losing his reputation and tell the community of his sin, which provided him the evidence he needed to persuade the court Abigail was a fraud. John Proctor is a dynamic character throughout the play and that is shown in the decisions he made that lead to effective change. Overall, John is dynamic due to the fact he went from being guilty of sinning to being honest in his quest to save the ones that he cared for.
In conclusion, John Proctor stayed dynamic, signified by his actions, conflicts and motivations. As shown by his determination to save his wife, his gradual change from guilt to truth, and his last actions before he died in order to save his friends despite conflicts with them. John also showed heroism in his decision to die for his name, which was considered by him his only lasting honor. A lesson to be learned by John Proctor is that sometimes a sacrifice must be made to save someone, even if you cannot always save yourself also. John Proctor’s guilt was overcome eventually and replaced with truth, and that is what makes John Proctor a tragic hero in The Crucible.
A tragic hero often pertains to a character that has a tragic flaw which usually leads to their tragic death. They cause the audience to mourn for them and the character usually has excessive pride. In “The Crucible” John Proctor’s character fits perfectly into the characteristics of a tragic hero. He was a well-known, respected and even feared man in the town he lived in. However he had a tragic flaw but him confessing leads up to his tragic death that causes the audience to feel sympathy.
John Proctor’s downfall is initiated by a human flaw which was his inability to control and resist his desire. When his wife Elizabeth got sick began to catch feelings for Abigail. When John Proctor stated “but I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach out for you” (page 15, act one) he shows how at one point he was having an affair behind his wife back and this lead up to all the madness in the town of Salem. When Abigail was talking to Proctor she says “She is telling lies to about me! She is a cold sniveling woman, and you bend to her!”(Page 15, act one) she is basically showing her jealousy towards his wife. This stirred up the witch trials because Abigail wanted to be with Proctor and she would do just about anything.
The fact that John proctor realizes all of his flaws and confesses to all of his sins is another reason why he can be considered a tragic hero. When Proctor had to go to the court to get his wife out of being accused of upholding witchcraft he eventually confess to his sins he committed. Talking to Danforth, Proctors says “I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweet. But it is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands” (page 49 act three) confessing to the crime he did. He realizes what he did was wrong which was why he tried to hide it for so long. But the only way for Proctor to try to get his wife out of trouble and had to let the truth out even if it ruined his reputation.
Eventually John Proctor comes to his tragic death. This put’s all of his characteristics together which made him a tragic hero. When Proctor was just about to sign the paper and confess to something he didn’t do he stop his self. Proctor stated “How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name” he then realized that he would rather die and everybody to mention his name in a good way besides living and knowing that everybody will think of him badly.
In conclusion John Proctor reached all the expectations of a tragic hero. He died a well-respected man and died with honor. Before he died he was able to confess to all his sins and forgive his self. Throughout the rest of “The Crucible” you will see how Proctor face death and how the audience remorse for him.
Is John Proctor a good man? John proctor shows himself to be a very powerful and charismatic person right from are first meeting with the character at the end of act 1 when he enters Parris's house to join the girls. Proctor, in his first appearance, is presented as a quick-witted, sharp-tongued man with a strong independent streak. These traits would seem to make him a good person to question the motives of those who cry witchcraft. However, his guilt over his affair with Abigail makes his position problematic because he is guilty of the very hypocrisy that he despises in others. Abigail, meanwhile, is clearly not over their affair. She accuses Proctor of "putting knowledge" in her heart. In one sense, Abigail accuses him of destroying her innocence by taking her virginity. In another sense, she also accuses him of showing her the extent to which hypocrisy governs social relations in Salem. This could then go on to show that it was proctor that destroys her views of Salem and turns Abigail against the town of Salem. This proved very dangerous as her hate of Salem fuelled her vengeance against the town, which she enforces in the court. This could indirectly link proctor to the doing that he so detests in the ending scenes of the play. This scene also tells us that he has had an affair with Abigail, which is adultery as he has a wife. This is a very serious crime at this time as it is seen as breaking one of the 10 commandments. If this information that he had committed the sin of adultery were to be realised to the town or church then his name and reputation in the town would be greatly corrupted. Abigail sees this and uses it to hold a power over proctor, as she knows that she has a powerful piece of blackmail in her hands. We also learn a lot about the relationship that Abigail and proctor have in this act when proctor says to Abigail This quote shows how he used to feel towards her by the way he refers to the fact that he did feel softly towards her. This shows how he did used to have deep feeling towards her and she was not just a sexual partner but also something deeper than that. The quote also turns in its meaning towards the end where it says that he would rather cut of his hand then reach out for her again. This is showing how proctor is feeling his guilt for what he has done and how he means to break the fling off to prove his love to Elizabeth. Another good point of reference for judging Proctors character is his relationship with Elizabeth and the way they act together in act 2.