...say that a tragic hero will have to sacrifice themselves due to their weakness. In the play The Crucible, John Proctor fits this description very well. Although Aristotle’s qualifications for a tragic hero include being of noble birth, John proctor is best described as a tragic hero because he ends up dying to save his name due to his flaw. In The Crucible, John Proctor is a common man and known throughout his community. Towards the beginning of the novel, he has an affair with a girl named Abigail. This will be the weakness of John. Throughout the rest of the novel, there is just about always conflict between John and his wife Elizabeth. However, when they start to resolve their issues, they have to go to court and John gets convicted of being a liar...
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...defines a man as a failure, and what describes a man as a tragic hero on par with the great greek heroes such as Oedipus? The qualities of a tragic hero, that of which people have studied for decades, have such a strict set of rules that define a tragic hero that there doesn’t seem to be any modern or “common” tragic heroes. Although Aristotle 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...
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...A tragic hero is someone who is someone who may or may not die but does it for a heroic cause. In the book The Crucible. John Proctor is the tragic hero. He died because he would not give up his good name. Witchcraft was and unright ruling was controlling the town of Salem. John Proctor may have died, but he died a tragic hero. John Proctor was a man who had three children and a wife. Elizabeth Proctor had become sick and could not fulfill the needs of John. He soon after committed adultery to Abigail Williams who was the servant at the time. John still loved his wife dearly and would do anything for her. “I will fall like an ocean on that court! Fear nothing Elizabeth” (Procter 78). Abigail is a young naive girl who loved John and wanted...
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...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...
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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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...In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible it tells the tale of a troubled, proud, and arrogant man by the name of John Procter. John Proctor does something that was wrong with a woman that was not his wife. When his wife finds out, she sends out the woman that he did lechery with out of her house and sent her to the girl's uncle's house. The young female who was sent out was named Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams uncle happened to be the Reverend in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. When Abigail Williams starts to threaten the life of his wife Elizabeth, he becomes very angry but tries to fix it in any way that he can. John Proctor, possesses all the attributes of a tragic hero. It is revealed in the play that John Proctor was a noble man. He was a prominent land owner, so he had a say in the different meetings in the meeting house. This...
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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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...Truly the Tragic Hero “Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.” A quote from Oscar Wilde, a playwright and novelist speaking about the main character, in his book “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” The definition of a tragic hero involves a literary character who makes an error that leads to their own destruction, but eventually changes for the better. John Proctor is no hero, but a tragic hero. John is considered a tragic hero due to a tragic flaw, his free choice, and the punishment he receives which exceeds his crime. Behind every beauty there is a flaw, leading to the definition of John Proctor. John Proctor is a typical man during the time of the Crucible with a wife and three kids. He is a decent Christian and a hard worker. His flaws are his lust and unwillingness to forgive himself. Proctors lusts of Abigail which leads to an affair between the two, and leaves Abigail broken hearted to be left by Proctor, causes a large amount of trouble in the story. This lust causes many troubles including the other hamartia of Proctor not able to forgive himself. This lust for Abigail causes Proctor to have a large weight on his shoulders...
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...essay explains Miller’s definition of a tragic hero as well as why a common man has as much ability to be the hero of a tragedy as someone of nobility. The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953 that dramatizes the Salem witch trials of the late seventeenth century in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the play, the town of Salem falls into hysteria after Reverend Parris finds his daughter, niece, and their friends dancing in the woods with his slave Tituba. The young girls claim they have been bewitched by people in the town to avoid punishment, although, the punishment then comes for the accused regardless of their innocence. A vital character to the...
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...In the book, and play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, there is tragic elements such as a tragic hero.The tragic hero in this story is John Proctor. This is because John displays all the qualities of being a tragic hero, such as a tragic flaw. Tragic heroes are supposed to arouse pity and fear in the reader or audience. John Proctor shows all qualities which are: mighty figure, reversal of fortune, Uncommon suffering, recognizes the consequences of his actions, and his plight ennobles the reader. John Proctor is a mighty figure because he had helped to build the church. In the Book John had said “I nailed the roof upon the church, I hung the door,” (Miller 32). This shows how, in the theocracy the live in, which is a government run by religion, John would be a mighty figure. It also shows how it leads to his downfall, and his recognizing of his actions. This is because he is so full of pride that he thinks no one will suspect him, and he can get away with adultery. Also in the book John says “ How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name,” (Miller 62). This shows how John has recognized his mistakes, and is recognizing...
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...October 2015 The Crucible Analytical Paper “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it,” Benjamin Franklin once said. Reputation has a large impact on the citizens of Salem, Massachusetts in the play, The 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...
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...A tragic 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...
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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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...When thinking of a hero, many people begin to imagine a strong, courageous character who seeks victory. John Proctor, a character in The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, possesses many of these qualities during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Despite this, the factor that makes him a tragic hero is his inevitable tragic flaw. A tragic hero is an essential character in a play that is destined to experience a tragic downfall. Although Proctor pursues many good actions with ethical intent, his mistakes, pride, and sorrowful downfall, automatically set him up for failure, making him a tragic hero. One main component that contributes to John Proctors’ decline is his realization of the irreversible mistake he made. John Proctor made the mistake...
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...No, I do not believe that John Proctor’s design to hang instead of admitting that he was consorting with the devil is an act of excessive pride or stubbornness. I instead believe that John Proctor is the tragic hero of the Crucible and that his decision to choose principle over self preservation was an honorable act with the goal of affirming his goodness before God. In the second act of the Crucible, the audience first meets the character of John Proctor while he is in his home with his wife Elizabeth. The reader’s initial reaction of Proctor is that he is a benevolent husband as he states “I mean to please you Elizabeth” (50) and is otherwise kind and respectful towards his wife. However, as the act progresses, the reader comes to find out...
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