Tragic Triumph

A detailed Summary of Tragic Triumph

It hardly takes a discerning eye to realize that life does not consist of fairy tale endings.

That fact is all too apparent in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, a work which has been labeled a

tragedy by many critics. Robert Heilman defines a tragedy as a work of literature in which a

character divided within the self makes choices, bears the consequences of those choices, gains a

new awareness, and suffers victory in defeat. As you will see, John Proctor is a perfect

The main choice which Proctor must make is simple enough to recognize: lie about his

participation in witchcraft or proclaim his innocence and be hanged; however, the actual process

of making this decision is not as easy. Proctor vacillates between dishonesty and the upholding

of society's and his own morals. In Act IV, anxiety permeates the ai

The final requirement of a tragedy is that Proctor suffer victory in defeat. By Danforth's

Massachusetts courts rescinded the excommunication and acquitted Proctor and the others. As a

Miller spares us the full repercussions of Proctor's decision by ending the play before the

terms, Proctor did indeed fail and was considered vanquished until the 20th century, when

situation is when he emits the soul-wrenching cry, "You will not use me!" (142). And so, with

is what captured my heart. In fact, I cannot think of a more appropriate effect of a tragedy than

taint of lechery prevented any confirmation of our suspicions. Proctor finally admits it both to

Approximate Word count = 563
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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