The Greatest Story Ever ToldArthur Miller is the author of The Crucible; a play set in Massachusetts during the witch hunts of the 1690s. Locals accused others of being witches. They would then be tried and hanged. If they agreed to become wizards, they would be freed. One of the main characters is John Proctor. Because of his great pride, when he was accused, he did not want to give up his own name and say that he was a witch. He is a true tragic hero due to a mistake in his life that led to his downfall. First, the most important event in the play is John's sin of adultery. In a desire for passion, John walked away from his sick wife and found himself in bed with Abigail Williams, his servant. His wife, Elizabeth, later told him of his infidelity and forgave him, but he never forgave himself. Additionally, Abigail was in love with John and believed he had feelings for her too, but John was happy with his wife. Abigail and some of her friends went to the forest to summon the Devil. This is how it all started. Abigail thought that if John's wife was dead, John would run with open arms. Abigail only knew one way to kill Elizabeth: the devil and attempted witchcraft. John knew the girls had been dancing in the forest and Abigail told him it was all fun and games. John knew Abigail had been up to no good, but he didn't try to stop the girls from lying about the many people they claimed to "see the devil walking." John allowed the girls to continue accusing innocent people even though he knew they were lying. This is also one of John's mistakes in letting them get away with it; this ultimately led to his demise. John now had to fight evil and was defeated. For exa...... middle of paper ......n Proctor is not perfect. John showed his beliefs by taking responsibility for his actions, risking his life in the battle against Abigail Williams, and doing none of this out of selfishness. John wasn't trying to save himself at first, dishonoring his name didn't do him any good. John defended the innocent townspeople wrongly accused by the town girls. John Proctor is just as much a true tragic hero. Book sources: Miller, Arthur. The Crucible (Penguin Classics). New York: Penguin Classics, 2003. Rovere, Richard Halworth. Senator Joe McCarthy. Berkeley: University of California, 1995. Wilson, Lori Lee. Salem witch trials. Minneapolis: Lerner Pub., 1997. Internet sources: WWW.THECRUCIBLE.COM. Internet. January 12, 2010. .SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. Internet. January 13. 2010. .