This guilt propels him to work tirelessly to please his wife and family and live quietly among the community.Īt first, John is keen to stay away from the village proper when rumours of witchcraft begin to rise, but he is soon called to answer for his sins when his ambivalence to the trials is seen as suspicious. His dalliance cost him dearly Elizabeth’s suspicion causes a rift between them, but his own self-guilt is far worse. Six months prior to the commencement of the play, when his wife Elizabeth was unwell, John had an affair with the young housemaid Abigail Williams.
Arguably one of the most flawed heroes in all of literature, John Proctor is known throughout the village as being an honest, hardworking and upright citizen.
