John Proctor as a Tragic Hero. The Crucible Essay Example

John Proctor as a Tragic Hero
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, a husband, John Proctor, deals with the traumatic stress of his wife, Elizabeth, and the accusations of witchcraft pressed onto her. John Proctor is put face-to-face with the men of the court; while righteously defending his family, he is put under the spotlight and accused of witchcraft himself. John Proctor’s characteristics fall into the idea of Aristotle’s tragic hero. Aristotle describes a tragic hero as a virtuous and noble character who meets his demise through a fatal flaw, known as hamartia.

John Proctor is a tragic hero because he experiences hamartia, is provided with a free choice that may degrade his dignity, and produces catharsis, an emotional response, in the audience. Proctor’s fatal flaw is demonstrated