The Crucible Tragic Hero Essay
What is a tragic hero? The most well know definition is a good person who makes a (stupid) mistake that leads to his/her tragic downfall. A perfect example of this comes from Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. We see this through the one of the characters who got trapped in his own conscience about whether or not to save his name from being spread all over Salem. In the play, a farmer, John Proctor is committed for witchery (which he never did) by Abigail, a girl who he had an affair with. Since he refuses to tell the court that Abigail was lying just to get Proctor to herself, he is later hanged for wanting to save his name from church doors and the rest of the town of Salem. This is an example of Proctor wanting to save his pride/reputation. Both of these examples are what caused proctor to his death/downfall.
One of Proctor’s fatal flaws was his affair with Abigail. This led to his downfall because of the witch trials. Abigail didn't want to believe that it
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His “good name” is what kept him from staying alive instead of being hanged. His wife asked him to go to court and tell the court that Abby and the other girls were just acting out, but he refused to do so. He said “… Know I cannot keep it. I say I will think on it…” (Act 2, page 53). Nonetheless, when Elizabeth is arrested, John has to choose between his wife or his pride.
A tragic hero is a person who makes a mistake which ultimately leads to his downfall/death. John Proctor, a character from the play, The Crucible, is a perfect example of what a true tragic hero is. He was a good man who just cared more about his pride and “good name”. He goes from happiness in the beginning and misery at the end. The cause of his death was saving his own pride. The people around him, such as his own wife and old servant played an important role in Proctor’s life and was partly the days of his downfall. He was a true hero who got caught up in his true conscience and
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