Tuesday, November 9, 2010: Journal Entry

1. Tuesday, November 9, 2010: Journal Entry Name a Tragic Hero you have studied in literature. What constitutes a Tragic Hero?

2. Aristotle’s “tragic hero” • The tragic hero is a character of noble stature and has greatness. • The character must occupy a "high" status position but must ALSO embody nobility and virtue as part of his/her innate character. • “Great” but not perfect • hero's downfall, therefore, is partially her/his own fault error in judgment • The fall is not pure loss. There is some increase in awareness, some gain in self-knowledge, some discovery on the part of the tragic hero..

3. …More on the “Tragic Hero” • Without action no tragedy • Tragic Hero requires the ability to learn • Perfectionist? • “Flawed” • Intensity

4. Examples of tragic heroes in literature • Macbeth • Hamlet • Oedipus • John Proctor

5. Characters in the crucible • Reverend Samuel Parris The New England minister who discovered his young daughter Betty dancing with other young girls in the woods. He is the person most responsible for the belief in witches having read a copy of "The Hammer of Witches" (Malleusmalefi-carum), 1486. • Betty His daughter age 10. Betty has pretended to be ill because she afraid of the beating and punishment she will receive for being caught. She goes along with the rest of the girls.

6. Characters in the crucible • Tituba Rev. Parris' Negro slave from Barbados who has taught the girls about spirits. • Abigail Williams An orphan and Rev. Parris' 19-year-old niece, who leads the other girls in the accusations. She has recently left the service of the Proctors and hates Elizabeth Proctor. • Susanna Walcott Abigail's friend, who also joins in the game to be part of the group.

7. Characters in the crucible • Thomas Putman A mean spirited and wealthy landowner who covets his neighbors' property. He is accused of coercing his daughter to accuse people in order to gain their land. • Ann Putman His wife, who is embittered by the still births of seven babies. She blames Rebecca Nurse and supernatural forces for their deaths. • Mercy Lewis A servant to the Putmans, she gladly goes along with the other girls.

8. Characters in the crucible • Mary Warren She works for the Proctors and struggles to tell the truth during the trial. • John Proctor Married to Elizabeth and accused by her of adultery. He is outspoken and well respected. He has stopped going to church and wrestles with telling the truth or protecting his wife. • Elizabeth Proctor John's wife who has discovered the affair. She never lies.

9. Characters in the crucible • Giles Corey A farmer and one of the oldest men in the community, he is brutally put to death because he challenges the proceedings of the court. • Reverend John Hale A self appointed expert on witchcraft, he is the minister who is first called in to investigate the happenings in Salem.

10. Characters in the crucible • Francis Nurse One of the most respected elders in town, he is the husband to Rebecca. • Rebecca Nurse A much revered woman in the town who is a midwife and mother of 17 children. She is eventually tried as a witch. • Ezekiel Cheever The clerk of the court, he is responsible for the warrants and arrest of the accused. • Deputy Governor Danforth He is the judge at the witch trials. He rules by law and will not allow exceptions or allow anyone to undermine his authority and his court.

11. Homework • Finish worksheets (if not finished already) • Think about John Proctor as a “Tragic Hero”, as you all will be expected to produce an essay on the topic. • Research the Romanticism Period as that will be the next Literary Era discussed in class. • Emerson • Thoreau