Tragic Hero In The Crucible

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Recommended: Miller's portrayal of John Proctor in the Crucible

A tragic hero is typically thought to be a person that has very good morals but is destroyed by their one flaw. In order for someone to be considered a tragic hero, they must fulfil each stage of the hero’s journey. John Proctor, from Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’, is thought to be a tragic hero because he possesses each of the characteristics of a tragic hero. In Salem, John is known for his integrity, self-respect, and dignity. To him, his family name was everything. He valued it so much, that he was willing to die for it. According to the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, “A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” He said that to be a hero, you must have five characteristics. The characteristics of a hero. Hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, hubris, and a fate greater than what they deserve. Hamartia is a person’s flaw or error of judgement, peripeteia is a reversal of fortune that is brought about because of the hero’s error in judgement, and anagnorisis is the discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero’s own actions. The hero also needs to have excessive pride, which is hubris, and their fate must be greater than what they actually deserve. John Proctor possesses each of these qualities, making him a true classic hero. Hamartia is a person’s flaw …show more content…

He is a good person, with high morals, that was destroyed by his error of judgement. John can have every characteristic of a tragic hero applied to him, he is a humble man, hubris, he realised that everything that happened was his fault, anagnorisis, his life took a turn for the worst because of his actions, peripeteia, and he had his error of judgement, hamartia. John Proctor’s life pertains to the five characteristics of an Aristotelian hero, his actions are each part of the five traits, and this is what makes him a true classic

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