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The Crucible John Proctor Tragic Hero

Decent Essays

How far do you agree that John Proctor in “The Crucible” is a tragic hero?

In Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” John Proctor is portrayed as the tragic hero throughout most of the play. The character of John mirrors both Aristotle’s definition of tragedy and Miller’s account of “Tragedy and the ‘Common Man’”, therefore John Proctor is a tragic hero. Proctor struggles against society during the play whilst portraying nobleness and wisdom, and reveals hamartia, his tragic flaw of adultery. One could argue that Proctor’s first thoughts were to save himself when condemned, but the crucial turning point of his character portrays peripeteia. To conclude, John Proctor is the tragic hero of “The Crucible” because he exhibits all the qualities of a tragic …show more content…

For example, “Sweated like a stallion.” A “stallion” is a strong, uncastrated male horse, but also slang for a virile, young man who has lots of lovers. Both connotations present John Proctor with strong motivations. Miller’s use of alliteration links the words ‘sweated’ and ‘stallion’ to intensify John’s desire for Abigail. The audience question John’s morals, firstly John Proctor wrong to turn to Abigail and secondly, John shouldn’t have turned from Elizabeth. But most significantly, the character of John Proctor accepts his flaws and he is willing to own up to adultery, a trait which outweighs the crime. In parallel to Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero we feel fear and sympathy towards Proctor. Furthermore, Aristotle states, “Only when characters have been defeated by their own tragic flaw, can they be considered ‘tragic heroes’.” Miller has made adultery John Proctor’s tragic flaw because it allows the audience to reflect on their own society and is still a wrongdoing that is relevant today. It also ties in with Miller’s definition of a tragic hero, “When tragedy befalls the hero, the audience is left to contemplate their own perception of the world.” Therefore the character of John Proctor is the perfect mirror of a tragic

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