John Proctor-A Tragic Hero in Crucible

John Proctor-A Tragic Hero in Crucible

Aristotle defined a tragic hero as someone who is superior to other characters. However, he was quick to point out that a tragic hero must be imperfect and has tragic flaws in order to evoke pity from the audience. A tragic hero always makes judgmental errors, which when combined with external forces and fate leads to tragedy. In the Crucible, Millar brings out John Proctor as a tragic hero. John Proctor is a protagonist who is marred by major flaws including lust for his house servant. His efforts to hide the adulterous act leads to constant struggle and later catastrophe. THIS IS A PREVIEW ORDER YOUR PAPER NOW

John Proctor is a highly respectable man in Salem despite being the less significant individual in the society. However, in the bid to establish his fate, Proctor makes severe and regrettable mistakes that destroys his positive image. “Proctor, respected and even feared in Salem, has come to regard himself as a kind of fraud” (Miller 21). Proctor is about to be exiled in another town, where the positive personal image is highly regarded. To avoid being evicted from Salem, Proctor resorts into lies to cover his acts of adultery. Nevertheless, his adulterous act with Abigail, teenager servant in his house, triggers turn of events in Salem and the yet unconfirmed allegations towards him would make matters worse. In the conversation with Abigail, Proctor appears a frightened and guilty man. “Abby—you mean to cry out still others?” And Abigail responds, “If I live if I am not murdered, I surely will, until the last hypocrite is dead” (Mthe iller 150). Out of external forces which he has endured for long, Proctor is desperate to reveal his affair, but he does so when it is too late to be forgiven. In the end, he is condemned for witchery, and the punishment will be hanging.

Even though Proctor is given a chance to prove his innocence, he is never a changed person because he lies to have seen a Devil with hopes that his deceits will save him and his wife. PREVIEW ORDER YOUR PAPER NOW

Works Cited

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts. New York: Penguin Books, 1976. Print.