John Proctor As A Tragic Hero Essay, Research Paper

The Crucible, written in 1953 by Arthur Miller is an accurate portrait of the which hunts and trials in Salem Massachusetts during the 17th century. The story revolves around a man named John Proctor. Over the course of the book, John proctor goes from just being an observer in the which hunts, to having his wife accused, to being accused himself and eventually hung. John Proctor, a tragic hero, died due to his own faults.

John Proctor lived out his life as a noble Christian man. He can be described as “even tempered, and not easily led” and also “respected and even feared.” He is also stubborn and possessed a strong sense of right and wrong. Of all of the characters is the book, Proctor was obviously the most skeptical. All of these are some of the traits that caused him to become a tragic hero.

Over the course of the book, John Proctors state of mind changes greatly. During the beginning of the book he is relatively happy and content in his life. As the story progresses he becomes more and more angry and distraught. This is particularly evident in the quote “We are what we were in Salem, but now the little crazy children have the keys to the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law! This warrant’s vengeance! I’ll not give my wife to vengeance!”after his wife becomes accused and put on trial. It is ironic that only just before his death that proctor finally peace with his wife but cannot live with her happily ever again.

One of the most substantial pieces of evidence of John proctor being a tragic hero is that he died due to his own faults. All of his misfortunes in the story can be traced back to the biggest mistake he ever made. That mistake was Abigail Williams. His affair with Abigail caused Abigail to jealously accuse Proctor’s wife of witchcraft in an attempt to get rid of her. Being the good person he is, Proctor stood by her and tried to defend her innocence. As the trial progresses, John Proctor himself is accused of witchcraft by his former servant Mary Warren. He is eventually condemned by his own big mouth at the end of act 3, “For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be a fraud- God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!” This quote is from when John Proctor is so angry that he lashes out at the situation, and ensures to everyone is the court that he is guilty.

In conclusion, John Proctor obviously fits the description of a tragic hero, he is a good and noble person, he goes from happiness to misery, and the cause of his death was his own faults. John proctor was a good person, but his own faults brought his demise.