John Proctor As A Tragic Hero In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

In Salem, at the time of the Salem witch trials, people were being accused of witchcraft left and right. The Crucible is filled with mistakes, guilt, and a man who puts his life on the line to remain true to who he is, but is he truly a tragic hero? According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must possess four characteristics: goodness, superiority, a tragic flaw, and an eventual realization of their tragic flaw. In Authur Miller’s essay, Tragedy of the Common Man, he describes a tragic hero as being a “common man,” someone who suffered from a wound of indignity, and someone willing to lay down their life for their dignity; based on this criteria, John Proctor is a tragic hero. Aristotle states that a tragic hero must possess superiority by holding a supreme or noble authority. Whereas, Miller expresses that, ”…the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were,” meaning that a “common man” can be just as much a tragic hero as someone who holds supreme authority. In The Crucible, John Proctor is described as a well respected man within the town of Salem;

Proctor realizes his tragic flaw, as said by Aristotle, and understands what he must do. When he is pushed to confess to witchcraft; he does so, but refuses to sign his name to the written confession. He would rather be hanged than have his remaining dignity stripped from him by having his confession hung on the Church doors. This marks another reason why John Proctor is considered to be a tragic hero in within Miller’s criteria. “The tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing—his sense of personal dignity” (Miller 1). He has always cared about his reputation, and refuses to let himself take the final step of blackening his good name. In the end, that is what makes him a true tragic