Giles Corey The Crucible

I have read many tragedies, and each tragedy I read, seemed different such as the way each play got to the climax and ended. In the classic play of Antigone by Sophocles, the tragic hero is Antigone who is a noble character and has several tragic flaws that makes the play very dramatic. Another well-known tragedy was Hamlet by Shakespeare, and the play exaggerates the revenge Prince Hamlet is told to unleash on his uncle, Claudius. On the other hand, the play The Crucible demonstrates Arthur Miller’s definition of a tragedy. Arthur Miller defines tragedy as, “I think the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, if need be, to secure one thing – his sense of personal dignity.” However, the tragedy The Crucible, has several characters whose dignity is so high, that they are willing to die for it. John Proctor was a farmer in his mid-thirties who was well

Giles was an 83-year-old strong-minded man and in the play, he was accused of witchcraft. In Act three, Giles stands with John Proctor in challenging the girls’ accusations. He also believes that Putnam is accusing him with witchcraft to take away his land. On page 85, Giles said, “They be tellin’ lies about my wife, sir, I – “. Giles Corey shows his pride by standing up for his wife, Martha Corey, and he is willing to do anything to get his wife out of the situation she is in. Then later in Act three, Giles says to Putnam, “I’ll cut your throat, Putnam, I’ll kill you yet!” (pg. 98). During this part of the play, Giles is furious at Putnam for trying to take his land, and he shows how much pride he has with his land. In Giles Corey’s final words, he says, “More weight”, because he wanted his sons to inherit his property instead of Putnam. This quote demonstrates Arthur Miller’s definition of a tragedy because Giles is willing to die for his family’s