In Arthur Miller’s play, “The Crucible”, John Proctor undergoes a significant character transformation. Initially portrayed as a flawed and morally ambiguous character. Proctor’s journey throughout the play showcases his growth and development as he grapples with personal integrity and the oppressive society of Salem. At the start of the play, Proctor is depicted as a respected yet conflicted individual. His affair with Abigail Williams serves as a catalyst for the events that unfold. As Proctor reflects on his actions, he admits, “I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name!”(Miller,pg.221)This quote highlights Proctor’s guilt and the internal struggles he faces. Proctor’s complex relationship with his wife, Elizabeth,
Miller presents the character of John Proctor in an important way to show two sides to his character. These qualities make him have the most important role in ‘The Crucible.’ The key events that show him in this way is when the audience find out about the affair, how he tries to defend his wife, his confession in court and his hanging for the sake of others. Through the events in The Crucible, Miller then portrays John Proctor’s character with tension and suspense. This then makes the audience question whether or not he is a good man.
Written in the 1950s, Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible delineates the situation of the McCarthy conflicts in America while the plays’ events revolve around the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692. In the play, two major characters are Reverend Hale, an expert on witches sent to Salem for investigation, and John Proctor, a man known for his leadership and hard work. Proctor and Hale, in addition to both being Puritans, are alike in their actions and motives since they both see the depravity of the court and seek to protect people from it. However, they have major differences in their characters as they have contrasting dedication to Christianity and the values that they live by.
Corruption has always existed in our society since the beginning to present time due to conspiracies such as the witch trials and the communism era. The Crucible by Arthur Miller was written during the era of communism to mere the hysteria. The Crucible is about the Salem witch trials in Salem Massachusetts in 1692. It’s a corrupt witch trial in Salem that’s due to false accusations of witchcraft for personal gains. John Proctor is the protagonist in the story The Crucible who goes through the ultimate test by choosing his reputation over integrity. He also had an affair with a young girl named Abigail who is the antagonist and is the main reason the bloodshed is occurring in Salem. Initially, Proctor hesitates to deal with his sin, but as the play progresses, he begins to understand its effects; this ultimately leads him to find goodness in himself as he stands for the truth.
In 1953, author Arthur Miller released his newest play, “The Crucible.” Set in Salem, Massachusetts during the 1692 Salem Witch trials, Miller’s play connects the effects of perjury in Puritan Massachusetts to Communist fearing America in the 1950s, a severe crucible for both Puritans and Americans alike. In 1996, a film version of Arthur Miller’s play was released, starring Daniel Day Lewis as John Proctor, Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams, and Joan Allen as Elizabeth Proctor. The release of the film not only further enhanced the original storyline with added suspense and drama, but also enabled the reader to more clearly comprehend the storyline. When comparing and contrasting “The Crucible”, it can be inferred that both the play and film alike share similarities yet contain contrasting differences that set the two apart.
The Crucible is a play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials and is an allegory for McCarthyism, when the United States government accused people for being communists. In The Crucible John Proctor goes through many transformations, first as a selfish man who has committed adultery, to a man who is willing to sacrifice his reputation and come clean to save his wife Elizabeth, to finally a man who is willing to sacrifice his life to uphold his good name.
John Proctor plays the leading role in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. He was persistent, honest, and full of integrity. He was simply, a man with pride. A wise woman once said, "Do what you feel in your heart to be right--for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't." (Eleanor Roosevelt). Proctor was the protagonist of the dramatic piece of literature.
Purist Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 suffered from a rapidly increasing phenomenon: witchcraft accusations and trials. The Crucible is a play that recounts the times of this incident. For the most part, it follows a man known as John Proctor. He is a sensible, honest, and hardworking man who made the mistake of succumbing to lust which sets off a chain of events that leads to the witch trials, and to his own demise. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible’s protagonist John Proctor proves to be a flawed human being who struggles to make sense of his past relationship with Abigail, his love for his wife, and his pride.
Throughout Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the duration of the Salem Witch Trials, John Proctor is a very well known community man who everyone sees as a kind, trustworthy, and loyal man. He may be seen this way, but in his possession he holds a secret that will then lead to his downfall. John Proctor starts to lose who he really is and then turns into someone who people don’t even recognize anymore. This change begins when there is a possibility that he may lose his life when confronted to the court. Proctor’s state plays a big part in leading up to his dreadful death. Such as his affair, the accusation of his wife, and the tensions taking place in his marriage.
John Proctor Character Analysis The play “The Crucible” written by Arthur Miller depicts the horror and fear suffered due to the Salem witch trials where countless were condemned due to suspicion of witchcraft. Through the play, the reader builds strong emotional connections with the characters. John Proctor, the play’s protagonist, exhibits complex emotions and character traits. These character traits cause him to heavily affect the course of the play as well as the fates of the other characters.
It is apparent that Miller focuses his play around the moral struggles of the protagonist, John Proctor. Throughout the play, Proctor has many struggles that he must deal with and look deep into his soul to find the resolution. He undergoes a major survey of his character and it is only this way that he can gain redemption for his sins. By abiding by his own moral code, John Proctor makes many hard decisions that will affect the outcome of the play. Proctor's struggles reflect upon the central message that Miller is communicating through the play.
John Proctor’s life made a very drastic change throughout this time period and his life. Not only did he lose his life to his wrong doings, he lost his wife before and his family. Proctor experiences various emotions throughout “The Crucible” and he overcomes many obstacles within
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, various characters, whether it is from physical trials or unseen personal struggles, experience some kind of major conflict. There are those who spend every day in fear, wondering whether or not they will be falsely accused of witchcraft. There are others who struggle with more internal trials, such as forgiving those who have hurt them. The protagonist, John Proctor, was a man of strong moral constitution, and held himself to a high standard for the sake of his good name and family. As a result of this, he struggled with a major internal conflict throughout the play.
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller goes into detail about the historical event, the Salem witchcraft trials which took place in Massachusetts in 1692. The drama centers on John and Elizabeth Proctor and a young girl Abigail Williams, whom John Proctor has committed adultery with. In order to get rid of Elizabeth so that Abigail can have John to herself Abigail accuses John’s wife of witchcraft, a crime that was highly frowned upon. John proctor goes through a series of changes from being a horrible person who cheated on his wife to a tragic hero who will give up his life to say his wife. John proctor is viewed as many things in this play but at the end he come out an honest and noble man.
Some literary analysist may consider the character, John Proctor in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, a tragic hero; however, his behaviors presented in the play represent an adulterer, a liar, and someone who has selfish qualities. John Proctor makes decisions that create destruction and hurt in which results to chaos. Although he does suffer from his actions throughout the play he never learns that the truth is the best route. He does display both internal and external conflicts which does finally produce a man of honor. John Proctor, a wise and virtuous man who tampers with the justice system and his emotions are based off what goes on in court that day or month etc.
Another important work Miller wrote, The Crucible, takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, during the 17th century. It is a time when jealousy and suspicion poisoned the thinking of an entire town. Neighbor turned against neighbor when events happened that could not be explained. Accusations turned into a mad hunt for witches who did not exist. One of the main characters of the play is John Proctor, a well-respected man with a good name in the town. As the play develops, John Proctor’s moral dilemma becomes evident: he must decide whether to lie and confess to witchcraft in order to save his life, or to die an honest man, true to his beliefs.