John Proctor Tragic Hero Analysis

Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero states, "a [great] man who is neither a paragon of virtue and justice nor undergoes the change to misfortune through any real badness or wickedness but because of some mistake." He asserts that his version of a tragic hero is neither a villain nor a model of perfection, but instead, a honorable and decent character that contains a folly which ultimately results in his downfall; whether it be a weakness, moral blindness, or simply an error in action. In addition, he explains the four essential qualities that a tragic hero should possess, which are goodness, appropriateness, lifelike, and consistency. All of these requirements help classify the character of John Proctor in Arthur Miller's, The Crucible, as the tragic hero of the play. I created this modern adaptation of a tragic hero to further connect John Proctor with Aristotle's definition. In this artistic representation, I made a superhero's cape possess the strengths and weaknesses of John Proctor. From the very beginning, it's quite elementary to recognize that Proctor was generally a principled man, represented by the baby blue. The black letters that spell out the word 'pride,' essentially depict that the blackness of his cape overshadows his actions and causes him to shrink away from being a man, though with a basic foundation of virtue. Throughout the play, John Proctor experiences the struggle between his selfish desire to keep his pride and honor intact, and doing the virtuous thing he knows deep down is necessary.

Unlike Rebecca Nurse, who is the stereotype of complete righteousness, John Proctor is morally compromised and must openly struggle to save his morality. Proctor's tragedy is direly significant, for it emerges from ...

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...ver altruistic it was.

Though many argue that John Proctor's ‘flaw’ is his adultery, his true fault exists as his inability to sacrifice something as seemingly small and insignificant as his name and honor in return for his life. The audience is therefore torn: our sympathies for Proctor would have him live, but our desire that he remain a virtuous man require that he not undermine his honor. The tragedy lies in the fact that Proctor’s good action, the only action he had the ability to undertake while remaining a good man, leads inevitably to his death. What defines Proctor's nobility and character isn't necessarily his purity of actions, but instead, his purity of mind and spirit. Outmaneuvered by a series of consequences beyond his control, Proctor advances towards the gallows a gallant man unwilling to compromise his ideals and, thus, he dies a hero’s death.