John Proctor as a Tragic Hero in The Crucible Essay

How does one define a tragic hero? A character who has undergone great suffering, or their own destruction? Both? In the play /The Crucible/, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is the most tragic hero of them all. Aristotle explains that a tragic hero must possess four essential qualities, which are: goodness, appropriateness, life-likeness, and consistency. John Proctor is all of these things. While a tragic hero is usually someone of high social or noble class, Proctor is written to be a common --…

In many acts of literature the tragic hero is often easily to identify, and is often one of the main characters. However, in this play there are many arguments on whether or not John Proctor is the tragic hero of this story. Many believe that in this play Reverend Hale is the tragic hero.In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Reverend Hale solidifies his role as the tragic hero by overcoming his flaw of arrogance and evolving and growing throughout the play, showing that in order for change to happen,…

to Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero. Many authors cling to this idea that a tragic hero must be of noble birth or royalty making it rare to see a tragic hero be anything but high-born. In his play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller defies the rules of this interpretation of a tragic hero and forms his own modified version. Miller takes the Aristotelian idea and changes it so the hero is not royalty but just a regular man. This man can be identified as John Proctor, who starts out as a…

Here! I have confessed myself; it is enough…. I am John Proctor! You will not use me![...] Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(1272). It is thought by many that the errors in judgment made by John Proctor are the main reasons behind the Salem Witch Trials and are what lead to his unfortunate death. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, John Proctor represents the tragic hero because he is a well respected man of noble…

external forces sometimes requires people to exercise good judgement—the impact of a bad decision can be multiplied. That is the situation John Proctor found himself in and unfortunately for him, he exercised poor judgement and became the classic “tragic hero.” In fact, as a result he ultimately dies for a crime he did not commit. Another necessary part of the tragic hero is that he or she has a complete reversal of fortune brought by the hero's own flaw. Proctor's life completely turned…

Tragedy affects people in all different ways, for some it can cause dramatic changes in their lives. Arthur Miller, the author of “The Crucible” believes that a tragic hero is a person who stands up for their own personal dignity and goes against the crowd. In the play John proctor is a tragic hero. His actions show that when a person is being pushed to their limit, it causes them to change their personality from a passive person to an assertive person. In turn, this can be seen as a good thing…

The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller and was set in Salem, Massachusetts. In the beginning of the play a group of girls are caught dancing in the woods; which is prohibited by their beliefs. They know they will get in huge trouble if they admit they were dancing so they claim they were possessed by members of the community trying to initiate them into witchcraft. Since witchcraft is punishable by hanging, judges are brought in from out of town to determine if the people accused are guilty.…

characteristics processed by a tragic hero in a tragedy are morality, leadership, a tragic flaw, and the eventual realization that their decisions have caused his downfall after which they face death or suffering with honor. One example of a tragedy is the 1693 witch hunt. Arthur Miller wrote on this event, and he included his personification of a tragic hero. Within Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the character of John Proctor stands out, exemplifying the traits of a tragic hero. Both leadership…

thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever.(Movie, last scene)” In the book The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, these were John Proctor’s last words before he was pushed off of the platform and was hanged to his death. Proctor was a tragic hero, according to Aristotle’s definition, “A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” A tragic hero must have a few different traits, including weakness, a reversal of actions to seal their fate, a…

A tragic hero is the main protagonist, a character with the potential to have heroic qualities. The tragic hero has a future of facing some sort of supernatural force or is fated by “the gods” to have a great suffering downfall or potentially a death. The tragic hero will potentially have a “tragic downfall”. The tragic downfall is what creates a relation and interest with the reader and this character. The story is usually set up for a great goal to be accomplished and the character that…