The Crucible John Proctor Tragic Hero

In the play The Crucible, the town of Salem is in the midst of witch trials for people that teenage girls have accused of witchcraft. These girls have accused many innocent people, many of whom have hanged for this accusation, and John Proctor is one that falls victim to them. John Proctor is a very well respected man in Salem. In this play, John Proctor posses many of the requirements of a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character that is noble and well-respected, but has one tragic flaw that causes him to fall from greatness. John Proctor is a tragic hero whose tragic flaw leads to a very tragic end.
One effect of a tragic hero’s tragic flaw is that it will “physically and spiritually wound the tragic hero, eventually causing his death.” …show more content…
When talking to Elizabeth he asks her, “I have been thinking that I would confess to them, Elizabeth. What say you? If I give them that?” She says to him, “As you will, I would have it. I want you living, John. That’s sure.”(Miller 207) He then makes a confession to his wife saying, “ I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before.”(Miller 208) At this point he figures confessing is his best option, however, once he confesses Danforth wants him to give names of people he saw with the devil but he refuses. He tells Danforth, “ I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it.”(Miller 211) Danforth then wants Proctor to sign his confession and hang it for the town to see, but Proctor does not at all want his name nailed in the church for all to see. The one thing he wants is to at least have his name left to him, “ 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 soul; leave me my name!”(Miller 211) Danforth …show more content…
This creates a high tension, heart breaking moment for the audience who thought Proctor would get to live. By this point the whole audience probably had their hopes up for a good ending, but instead ended up feeling pity for both John and Elizabeth. Elizabeth, being John’s wife, was clearly very emotional about his death. Throughout the play John struggled with wanting to gain Elizabeth’s forgiveness, and she never said it outright until he was being taken away. As she was weeping she cried out, “ He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!”(Miller 212) She says this to Hale when he begs her to plead with Proctor and not be hanged. She understands that he has made his choice and that what’s done is done. John Proctor’s death ends the play on a very tragic

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