A tragic hero refers to the nature or character of a person. Their characteristics may include having a tragic flaw, falling from a great height in society, and most importantly meeting a death, which causes the reader to ache for this character. There are many ways in which John Proctor of The Crucible by Arthur Miller may be considered a tragic hero. Some of these ways include that he realized all his mistakes and confessed all his sins. 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. He committed adultery with Abigail against his wife. When Abigail stated "I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I came near..." She showed that she and John Proctor did have sexual relations. This flaw along with many others contributed to him being a tragic hero.
The fact that John Proctor realized all of his mistakes was another reason why he can be considered a tragic hero. He confessed to his wife what he did with Abigail. You can see how this was done in act two where Proctor says."..I wilted, and like a Christian I confessed, confessed!" He also confessed to the court this flaw as well. He realized what he did was wrong and apologized. This was a major action that led him into turning into who he did in the end of the play.,
Eventually. John Proctor meets his tragic death and this puts all the other characteristics together and makes him a tragic hero. John Proctor was about to confess to witch craft but when it came to losing his name and sacrificing his friends, he refused to confess. He decided not to confess a lie even though it meant he would be hanged. This was done in act four when John Proctor says .".. because I lie and I sign my name to lies. I cannot live without my name; I have given you my soul leave me my name." After confessing his sins and refusing to blame his friends he considered himself free. With these final words John Proctor is able to die with honor.
Through all of his actions and words, I would say Proctor fulfilled being a tragic hero quite well. John Proctor not only died but he died with honor and freedom. He was also able to forgive himself after confessing his sins. He found peace in knowing that he did not have to blame his friends. After you finish reading this play and you see all the struggles John Proctor faced and how he still came out on top, even through death, you feel guilt for this character and this is what makes him a tragic hero.
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