John Proctor as Tragic Hero of Arthur Miller's The Crucible

John Proctor as Tragic Hero of Arthur Miller's The Crucible

In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor fits the classic Greek definition of a tragic hero. Aristotle, one of the great Greek philosophers, teachers and writers, stated that one of the most important aspects of a tragedy was the tragic hero. He defined a tragic hero as a noble person that goes from a state of fortune and happiness to a state of utter misery. The character’s tragic flaw causes this change. Aristotle stated that witnessing the downfall of the character triggered an emotional release, which left the audience feeling relieved because they have empathized with the character, but not upset because the downfall was the character’s own doing. Throughout the ages, there have been a plethora of tragic heroes, but none fit the classic Greek definition better than John Proctor.

One characteristic of the tragic hero, which John Proctor possesses, is that he is a man of stature. This is evident from the very beginning of the play in the exposition about Proctor. The author says, “He was a kind man-powerful of body, even tempered and not easily led”(20). He goes on to say that he has a “quiet confidence and an unexpressed hidden force”(21). He is well respected in the community and Mr. Parris, the town Reverend, goes as far as to say that he has “followers”(30). Also, at the end of the play Parris and Danforth want to post his confession of being in league with the devil on the Church door because “It is a weighty name”(141). They feel that since Proctor is such a respected member of the community that his confession will restore the people’s confidence in the court and urge others to confess.

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...d from his past sin that god punishes men for their sins. He saw his conviction for witchcraft as punishment for his sin. He did not confess because he realized that the confession would be a lie and lying is a sin which god would punish him for.

In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the character John Proctor exemplifies the qualities of the classic Greek Tragic Hero. He is a man of physical and mental stature and he is well respected in the community. He suffers from the tragic flaw of sin, the sin of adultery, which he committed with Abigail. He also learns from his mistakes and will not be lured to do evil, such as return to Abigail or confess to being a warlock.

Work Cited

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Screenplay. New York: Penguin Books, 1996.

Source Consulted

The Crucible Project http://204.165.132.2:90/crucible/main3.htm