A True Tragic Hero CrucibleA
According to Webster's New Standard Dictionary of the English Language, the definition of a hero is "a man of distinguished bravery; a principal figure in a story". (127) A tragic hero is a hero of a tragedy, more specifically a person who either dies in the story or is defeated in a struggle with evil. The hero's downfall is usually brought upon his or herself by an error in judgment or a tragic flaw. A hero is overcome by evil, but in the course of the struggle, the hero gains self-knowledge and wisdom. The question to be answered in this essay is whether John Proctor of Arthur Miller's The Crucible is truly a tragic hero, or not. Because of his error in judgment, the fact that he is overcome by evil, and his courageous downfall, John Procter proves to be a true tragic hero. (Elements 612,1182) It is thought by many that the errors in judgment made by John Procter are the main reasons behind the Salem Witch Trials. First, and perhaps the most important event of the play, is John's sin of adultery. In fit of passion John strayed from his sick wife and found himself in the barn with Abigail Williams, his teenage house servant. His wife, Elizabeth, learned of his infidelity and forgave him, but he
John eventually was forced to battle evil and was defeated. For example, when Elizabeth was arrested for witchcraft, John knew that it was time to take action. He went to Danforth and the court, with Giles and Mary Warren to prove Abigail's fraud. John brought Giles with a petition stating that both Elizabeth and Gile's wife, also accused, were warm, gentle people, and could not possibly be witches. He brought Mary to admit that she and the girls made everything up. After Danforth refused the petition, John confessed to adultery in order ruin Abby's "saintly" name and appearance. John had no other choice. Admitting to adultery was the only way to prove that Abby had a motive to lie. What better a reason than revenge? She sought revenge upon Elizabeth, because Abby believed that Elizabeth was the only thing stopping John from being with her. Abby should have placed the blame correctly upon John. It was not Elizabeth's fault. Unfortunately, Abby persuaded the court to believe Proctor was lying. Left with no other choice, Proctor urged Mary Warren to confess that she and the other girls had been lying the whole time. Mary tried to tell the truth, but Abby accused Mary of witchcraft and that she was "sending out her spirit" upon the girls. Mary then weakened, returned to the Abigail's side, and proceeded to accuse Proctor of witchcraft. In the end, John was left helpless. Danforth sided with Abigail and threw Proctor into jail to wait for his hanging. Abigail won. John Proctor did every thing that he could to prevent the hanging of his wife and then was thrown in jail himself, accomplishing nothing. John Proctor fits the description of a tragic hero perfectly. He suffere
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Approximate Word count = 1143
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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