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Examples Of John Proctor's Tragic Flaws In The Crucible

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John Proctor, the protagonist of The Crucible, qualifies as a tragic hero because he has a tragic flaw, is ethically superior to the other characters in the play, and struggles to find peace with himself in midst of the lies and chaos during this play. John Proctor possesses a tragic flaw that forces him to hide his prideful mistake, which eventually brings about his downfall. I guess the old saying is true, “Pride comes before the fall”. John Proctor’s tragic flaw is his excessive pride, and he expresses it abundantly throughout the play. In Act I, it states, “ Proctor: Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But i will cut my hand off before I’ll ever reach for you again.” pg. 1270. This states that Proctor is willing to cut own hand off, so he’ll never commit his sin of lechery again. In Act III, he expresses his pride by saying, “ Proctor: I say -- I say --- God is dead!” pg. 1339. This is an expression of his Pride because he is willing to damn God’s name in order to express his emotions toward the judgement of the innocent. And in Act IV, his last expression of pride, he states, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my …show more content…

In Act II, it states, “ Hale: why...why did you keep this? Proctor: I never knew until tonight that the world is gone daft with this nonsense.” This quote explains that Proctor knew the truth about the girls but didn’t go to the court to confront them. This is Proctor’s biggest mistake this decision results in tragic events that take place in the future of this play. These events include, the girls accusing some of the townspeople of witchcraft, and the hangings. This decisions dooms Proctor because it eventually leads to his

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