Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is a very powerful statement about Puritan ethics in the 17th century. The play depicts a character, John Proctor, against both his inner conscience to do what is right, and against the courts of Salem, where he is involved in a crucible to rid the city of witches. These circumstances arise for Proctor because of his affair with Abigail Williams, the leader of the girls who have started the witch hysteria,. Throughout the play, Proctor is depicted with a character flaw, his passiveness. Because of this character flaw and his tragic ending to his life, Proctor can be regarded as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is an individual, usually