Tragic Hero In Oedipus And Arthur Miller's The Crucible

He is also honorable because he will not have his name written on the church door. If his name it posted it will only give the people of Salem a bad example. Lastly, with refusing to write his name, Proctor is standing up for the people who were wrongly

He lacks honesty because he wants to keep his image held high, which ultimately lead him to his death. He could have saved his own life by confessing to witchcraft, but

With accusations of witchery and his guilt of lechery, Mr. Proctor feels he has a duty to save his name for his children. He can 't stand the idea of his family suffering for the mistakes he has made now and in the past. John 's initial reaction to his wife being accused based off the lust Abigail has, he says, "My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me!" (Miller 80) John knows he 's done wrong and will do anything to save Elizabeth 's reputation.

John Proctors reaction to what was going to happen was, “Because it’s my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I’m not worth the dust on my feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name!

John proclaims that he does this “[b]ecause it is [his] name! Because [he] cannot have another in [his] life! Because [he lies and signs himself] to lies! Because [he is not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may [he] live without [his] name?

Therefore, he had to decide whether to confess and hope to save his wife and ruin his reputation or not confess to ruin his wife’s reputation and save his. The position he was placed in was caused by Abigail's false accusation of Elizabeth. Due to his confession, Proctor exclaims, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies!

John Proctor, a man of his name in 1692 was a lying, cheating man who could not stay true to his marriage and his family. Proctor may have worked hard and provided for his wife, but adultery was frowned upon, and not taken well in 1692. Is it a coincidence he can’t remember the 10 commandments, or is Proctor just a nasty man with no morals? Although Proctor may have been this at the beginning, did his mistakes make him change to a better man when his wife was given up for witchcraft?

As written in The Crucible john proctor refuses as miller has stated, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my ,life! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!” (Miller 1164). By saying this John Proctor has just realized and ends up trying to get the point across that he no longer wants to go through with his lie and feels guilty about the situation he is in.

He expresses this in a conversation with Thomas Putnam, by saying, “ I know that you-you least of all, Thomas, would ever wish so disastrous charge laid upon me. We cannot leap to witchcraft. They will howl me out of Salem for such corruption in my house”(13). With this, Arthur Miller shows how caring too much about reputation can turn people into cowards. The reader is able to predict that pride will keep holding characters back.

ACT 4: “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?

In The Crucible Thomas Putnam’s main motivations are greed and selfishness. He shows this throughout the book, by accusing people of witchcraft. Thomas Putnam’s brother in law was prevented from being elected the office of minister. “Thomas Putnam felt that his own name and honor of his family had been smirched by the village, and he meant to right matters however he could” (Miller1221). To right his name and honor from being smirched he accused many

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 soul; leave my name!” (Act IV pg.1333)

Jealous of Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail begins her witch frenzy. Proctor is so obsessed with his public reputation that he refuses to confess to adultery. With Abigail driving the train of havoc in Salem, Proctor realises at some point he must admit to lechery to bring her to a halt. When John finally releases his secret, it keeps his personal integrity intact but majorly damages his reputation. By the end, he becomes disinterested by the public opinion and concerned about his personal integrity.

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.

The Reason Behind John Proctor's Downfall In The Crucible, John Proctor is considered to be a tragic hero because he lets his pride get the best of him. He is faced with two difficult decisions and a sinful past that has come back to haunt him. While he yearns to make the right decision, he knows that the consequences could greatly affect him for the rest of his life. In the end, John possesses a tragic flaw of extreme pride, that will ultimately lead to his destruction.