Upon first reading Aurthur Miller's The Crucible, it would be easy to mistake Abigail Williams for the key player. When the story is examined, the antagonist is clearly John Proctor. Proctor was the soul inspiration for nearly every act following the dancing in the woods and the second half of the play is very dependant on him. Though John Proctor appears very simple in the beginning of the play, the reader soon discovers there is much more motivating him. He is very confused and tormented by guilt and suspicion. He seduced a young girl and later seemed oblivious to the...
for seeking it?

John Proctor is the only character in the play that causes his own downfall. He also causes the persecution of his own wife. If his infidelity had never occurred, there wouldn't have been much of a story to tell. His actions before and in the middle of the play carried the plot. None of this suggests that he is a victim. If anything, he is a victim of his own internal conflicts with guilt and pride. And so John Proctor, one so easily labeled a victim, is the hidden, true antagonist of Aurthur Miller's The Crucible.