Tragic Hero in The Crucible

Tragic Hero in The Crucible

What is a tragic hero? The most well known definition of a tragic hero

comes from the great philosopher, Aristotle. When depicting a tragic

hero, Aristotle states "The change in the hero's fortunes be not from

misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery,

and the cause of it must not lie in any wickedness but in some great

error on his part.” In addition, he explains the four essential

qualities that a tragic hero should possess, which are goodness,

appropriateness, lifelike, and consistency. All of these necessities

help to classify the character of John Proctor as the tragic hero of

the play. Not only does he unfortunately fall to desolation, but also

his character captures the sympathy and pity from the audience or

readers.

A tragic hero is also known to be someone who brings about their own

death, through a flaw within their character or through their actions.

Proctor's downfall in the play is initiated by a human error, which to

a great extent qualifies him to be the tragic hero.

Is John Proctor a tragic hero? In this essay I will be exploring his

character, personality, and relationship towards others.

The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, depicts the story of the Salem

witch-hunt and the chaos it caused. One of the main characters is John

Proctor. Proctor is put through many life-changing decisions. In many

cases, a decision he made in one situation led to another problem.

Miller sets ‘The Crucible’ in a Puritan community in Salem,

Massachusetts, in the spring of 1692. The Puritans were a group of

religious separatists who sought to worship God in uncomplicated and

basic ways. They built their own houses, made their own furniture, and

did...

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...himself harshly. Before Abigail came and

ruined his peace, he was always sure of himself. After Abigail, he was

sure that nothing he would ever do would be pure and honest again.

Proctor’s “tragic hero” status was illustrated by his efforts to save

his wife from being put to death, his attempt to prove the children

are making fraudulent claims, and his unwillingness to confess to

practicing witchcraft when accused.

Personally I believe all humans are created with flaws, which control

our emotions and often twist our lives. We are put into predications

because we are having a hard time of controlling them; therefore we

just let them flow. John Proctor’s flaws were his faith, the belief of

his own dignity, and his pride, that eventually put in to death. He is

a tragic hero that dies of his own flaw, which brought up our sympathy

and our fear of death.