Examples Of Tragic Hero In The Crucible

A hero is often described as a brave person who does everything in his power to save the lives of those around him. A tragic hero, then, can be defined as someone who is killed because of a fatal flaw, according to Greek philosopher Aristotle. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a tragic hero because he fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero having goodness, superiority, a tragic flaw, and a realization that his decisions alone brought his death. To be considered an Aristotelian tragic hero, John Proctor must have several qualities, one of which is goodness. Morality is a trait that John has strayed from, but has done his best to get back to to become a better man. This can be seen in how John interacts with his wife after …show more content…
Throughout The Crucible, John fought to save Salem from itself on multiple occasions by standing up in court, but often he refrained from telling the full truth because it would hurt his reputation. When Elizabeth originally asked him to tell Cheever that Abigail had told him that there was no witchcraft in Salem, John had hesitated because of he did not want his past with Abby get out (Act II). In fact, Abby played a big role in John’s pride and reputation due to what she knew of him and what she could expose. John’s pride also furthered his downfall when Mary Warren accused him of witchcraft in front of the court because would not argue for his innocence. Instead he allowed himself to be imprisoned, dragging down the court and Salem with him by saying that what they were doing was wrong (Act III). Finally, John’s pride lead to his death when his refused to allow the court to use his confession as an example in town. John would not allow this because of what people would think of him, having confessed while good people like Rebecca Nurse died, and how his name was the last good thing he had intact (Act IV). John had many flaws that led to his downfall, but his ultimate flaw was his …show more content…
Admittedly, some of John’s characteristics are debatable, such as his morality and his superiority. John’s morality comes into question because of his affair with Abigail Williams, an act that most would say causes him not to be a good man. However, in all other aspects John is a good man and he does regret his time with Abigail. His better qualities make up for his bad qualities because no one is a perfect person. Some would also say that John does not have superiority because he is does not have a position in the church or court and he is not wealthy. In spite of this, John is still a trusted man in Salem who many go to for guidance. Even though John Proctor does not fit Aristotle’s definition of a hero perfectly, John still qualifies in most aspects to be a tragic