Is John Proctor a tragic hero and is this play an example of a tragedy? John Proctor portrays the tragic hero in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” Proctor, the protagonist of the piece, is revealed to the audience in his time of anguish and struggle, making his untimely death all the more unfortunate. In this tragedy, Proctor fights to save the town from insanity and chooses his death, rather than shame, in his struggle. The elements of a tragic hero are applied to Proctor in order for the audience to a feel sympathetic connection to a character who committed an unholy sin of adultery. John Proctor though not of high noble stature is, nonetheless, a good man and is highly regarded in Salem.
Elizabeth sees his inner goodness shine when he refuses to lie about being involved in witchcraft, and she realizes how unfair she has been. John Proctor saves the lives of the others who are accused when he unselfishly declines to save his own. He acts as a martyr when he places others before himself. He would rather die an honorable death than live a dishonorable life, which is what precedes him to be the tragic hero of the play. John Proctor, being a very complex character stuck in a world full mischief, madness, and chaos shows a major change as the play unfolds.
Both people put their life in danger, be it from themselves or guards looking for them; the difference is how they handle it. Macbeth, in the end, cracks and is killed while Philippe triumphs and is a hero. They both learned the same lesson though, that good always triumphs over evil. In both stories good triumphed over evil. Macbeth ended up dying from the results of his tragic flaw, ambition, and Philippe ended up becoming a hero for helping the two lovers.
Another characteristic that makes John Proctor a tragic hero is his tragic flaw and his final tragic death. All these characteristics make a tragic hero; John Proctor possesses all of them and therefore he is considered one. John Proctor was a tragic hero because he had a tragic flaw. His unfortunate flaw was that he had a physical attraction for someone other than his wife, this person was Abigail Williams. When his wife became sick he began to get emotions for her.
These wrong decisions land Eddie with failed relationships with those who are close to him. Dramatic tension escalates continuously in act two ending with Eddie's fatal flaw, his own death. Eddie's death is fatal because it affects his family who care about him and they suffer as a result. Eddie is described as a tragic hero as he is an ordinary person, as opposed to a modern hero, who is stereotyped as a strong character, able to save the world. Eddie suffers as his happiness turns to misery because of his mistakes prompted by his harmartia.
The fact the Salem court had the audacity to hang Proctor and Rebecca Nurse, people of a good name, there will be actions and consequences taken. The tragic hero must fall due to some flaw in his own personality. In John Proctor’s case he possessed hubris, excessive pride. “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life...How must I live without my name?
With the death of Macbeth, William Shakespeare shows an insight of a perfect example of a classic tragic hero. Despite bending a few rules, Shakespeare illustrates that if a character is not held by fate, causes their own downfalls and realizing it was their own fault, they are what many call a tragic hero. Being a tragic hero isn’t limited to just stories or plays, but can be applied in the real world as well. Richard Nixon was thought to be a great man, but after following the same road Macbeth had taken, they both found themselves destroyed by guilt, and are now considered, “Tragic
The Crucible A tragic hero often pertains to a character that has a tragic flaw which usually leads to their tragic death. They cause the audience to mourn for them and the character usually has excessive pride. In “The Crucible” John Proctor’s character fits perfectly into the characteristics of a tragic hero. He was a well-known, respected and even feared man in the town he lived in. However he had a tragic flaw but him confessing leads up to his tragic death that causes the audience to feel sympathy.
John Proctor is the tragic hero of “The Crucible” as Arthur Miller gives him many positive traits, but he also had a darker side to his otherwise pure nature. His affair with Abigail Williams, leading to his eventual fatal downfall as well as the downfall of others as a result of one action. However, he was very willing to at least reverse the effects of his actions to save others around him, even if it meant he had to die for it. The more shocking reality is that these events were factual. The righteous nature of John Proctor to always seek the truth and denounce those who abuse their given powers is none more evident as he exposes the corruption that existed in Salem.
Knows he will become guilty because everyone else is. Even though he was tortured he refuses to answer and his dying words were “more weight”. He also dies with being a strong honest individual. Arthur Miller creates strong individuals in his characters who stand up for themselves. John Proctor dies for his beliefs.