A Tragic Hero would be a superior term for John Proctor, the protagonist of the play The Crucible. Arthur Miller states, that a tragic hero is a normal man with blame, one that prompts his own particular sad destruction. In The Crucible, John Proctor is a typical man and his plummet (or destruction) mixes a feeling of pity and distress; it is appalling, which is the reason he fits the parameters of a tragic hero put forward by Arthur Miller.
The way that John Proctor was not some high power or protector from a faraway land, or his very own nobleman, fulfills the primary essential of being a tragic hero. In the play, John Proctor wasn't rich however nor was he poor; he had a spouse and kids; he served his group well and kept up the regard of his associates and his own nobility. “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 150). This enables the crowd to better relate themselves to him …show more content…
John Proctor denies this offer, as he feels that it would slander his status and be a stain upon his pride. In declining to sign his name, he thus leaves himself to being hanged until dead. This is, doubtlessly, his tragic flaw. “I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name; God knows how black sins are! It is enough!” (Miller 149). Basically, Proctor's respect and pride implied more to him than his life and this is something that many individuals can identify with, and feel for (regardless of the possibility that not to these correct extremes). Also, by holding on to the estimation of his nobility and pride, Proctor can go down as a prudent man (one who is unwilling to trade off). This is the thing that many consider a hero’s
The way that John Proctor was not some high power or protector from a faraway land, or his very own nobleman, fulfills the primary essential of being a tragic hero. In the play, John Proctor wasn't rich however nor was he poor; he had a spouse and kids; he served his group well and kept up the regard of his associates and his own nobility. “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 150). This enables the crowd to better relate themselves to him …show more content…
John Proctor denies this offer, as he feels that it would slander his status and be a stain upon his pride. In declining to sign his name, he thus leaves himself to being hanged until dead. This is, doubtlessly, his tragic flaw. “I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name; God knows how black sins are! It is enough!” (Miller 149). Basically, Proctor's respect and pride implied more to him than his life and this is something that many individuals can identify with, and feel for (regardless of the possibility that not to these correct extremes). Also, by holding on to the estimation of his nobility and pride, Proctor can go down as a prudent man (one who is unwilling to trade off). This is the thing that many consider a hero’s