I. The tragic hero.
It’s been a key literary focus for decades. Since the days of
Shakespeare, we’ve seen examples of tragic heroes in literary works.
A tragic hero is someone who possesses a weakness or flaw that
eventually will lead to his tragic downfall. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller
portrays John Proctor as a tragic hero; he is a common man, with an
internal conflict that is eating away at him. As the play progresses we
realizes what it means to face your fears and stand up for what you
think is right, even if you’re standing alone.
II. John Proctor is a Puritan man who is looked up to in his community.
A. John is a respected man, and until he is pulled into the chaotic
Salem Witchcraft Trials seems like an ordinary Joe.
B. When the blame-game starts to be played, Abigail Williams
knows exactly who her target will be.
C. After Elizabeth is pulled into the ties of the trial, we learn the
truth; that John is an adulterer and cheated on his wife with his
live-in servant Abigail. This happens to be John Proctors fatal
flaw.
III. When Abigail is accused of witchery, she blames Elizabeth in hopes
that she can be with her “love”, John Proctor.
A. Elizabeth is taken to trial and put on the stand.
B. John comes in and confesses that he has indeed committed
adultery and that Elizabeth has done nothing wrong.
C. John is not allowed to talk to Elizabeth and tell her that he had
already confessed, and Elizabeth is asked if her husband had
really committed such a sin. To save John from the shame, she
says no ultimately summoning herself to death.
IV. It was found that Elizabeth is pregnant so she isn’t put on the
scaffold to hang. The last scene is solely John making the decision as of
what to do.
A. He could either confess to witchery, even though he hadn’t really
done anything in order to stay alive; he would however lose his
land and his name would be soiled for his children.
B. His other option is to tell the truth and say that he wasn’t
possessed by the devil and wasn’t practicing witchcraft, and he
would be hung.
C. The most important scene is when John & Elizabeth are talking
alone, he decides that he is going to confess to witchery and
then says, "My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing's
spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before."
D. In order to do so, however, he must give a written confession.
After confessing John realizes this is not what he wants to do. He
wants to tell the truth and not soil his name. "Because it is my name.
Because I cannot have another in my life . . . How may I live without my name? I
have given you my soul; leave me my name."
E. He wants to for once in his life be at peace with himself, even if it’s upon the
scaffold. We see that Elizabeth knows this when she says, " He have his
goodness now. God forbid I take it from him"
Conclusion
