“...And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever.(Movie, last scene)” In the book The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, these were John Proctor’s last words before he was pushed off of the platform and was hanged to his death. Proctor was a tragic hero, according to Aristotle’s definition, “A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.”
A tragic hero must have a few different traits, including weakness, a reversal of actions to seal their fate, a story that arouses fear or empathy, or a fate greater than deserved. Proctor’s fate was much worse than he deserved, because he refused to give the church his name to not be damned by God, …show more content…
In this scene, Proctor and Elizabeth were talking, with Elizabeth trying to change Proctor’s mind to confess so he could live. ‘I am no good man,’(p. 136) Proctor said to Elizabeth, telling her that he wanted his goodness, and his life. Elizabeth told him, ‘Whatever you will do, it is a good man does it.’ (p. 137) After Proctor signs the confession and refuses to give it to Danforth for the records and to hang on the church, he says about keeping his name and he cannot sign himself to lies. Proctor tells Danforth that he thinks he ‘sees some shred of goodness in John Proctor.’ (p. 144) When Parris tells Elizabeth to go after her husband to make him confess and save him, she replies to him, ‘He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!’ (p. 145) In this scene, Proctor chooses to have his life and to confess, and when he does, he signs his name and tells Danforth that he wants to keep his name and retain his goodness, which was a reversal of actions. Also, Proctor was faced with a serious decision, whether to confess and be damned or die and have his goodness, which Proctor chose to die. His weakness here is his want for goodness, and his own actions sealed his fate. When Elizabeth is told to save him, she says that phrase to Parris, meaning that Proctor finally has his goodness with God, and that she wanted him to be happy with his tragic, emotional death. Proctor’s
A tragic hero must have a few different traits, including weakness, a reversal of actions to seal their fate, a story that arouses fear or empathy, or a fate greater than deserved. Proctor’s fate was much worse than he deserved, because he refused to give the church his name to not be damned by God, …show more content…
In this scene, Proctor and Elizabeth were talking, with Elizabeth trying to change Proctor’s mind to confess so he could live. ‘I am no good man,’(p. 136) Proctor said to Elizabeth, telling her that he wanted his goodness, and his life. Elizabeth told him, ‘Whatever you will do, it is a good man does it.’ (p. 137) After Proctor signs the confession and refuses to give it to Danforth for the records and to hang on the church, he says about keeping his name and he cannot sign himself to lies. Proctor tells Danforth that he thinks he ‘sees some shred of goodness in John Proctor.’ (p. 144) When Parris tells Elizabeth to go after her husband to make him confess and save him, she replies to him, ‘He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!’ (p. 145) In this scene, Proctor chooses to have his life and to confess, and when he does, he signs his name and tells Danforth that he wants to keep his name and retain his goodness, which was a reversal of actions. Also, Proctor was faced with a serious decision, whether to confess and be damned or die and have his goodness, which Proctor chose to die. His weakness here is his want for goodness, and his own actions sealed his fate. When Elizabeth is told to save him, she says that phrase to Parris, meaning that Proctor finally has his goodness with God, and that she wanted him to be happy with his tragic, emotional death. Proctor’s