Who Is John Proctor A Tragic Hero

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“The Crucible” by Arthur Miller sparks a large debate, whether or not the main protagonist, John Proctor ,is a tragic hero. John Proctor is seen to the townspeople as a saint, though in the reader's eye he is a cheater. Though he might have every other characteristic of a tragic hero his punishment did not exceed his crime.
A tragic hero is made up of six different characteristics, a moment of recognition, reversal of fortune, they also need to be a middling character, they also need to have a tragic flaw, and they must have a moment of free choice, a tragic hero’s punishment have to exceed their Crime. Proctor had a moment of recognition. On line 1115 of Act three when Proctor confesses “She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat.” Proctor’s fortune definitely changed throughout the course of the play. At the beginning of the play Proctor is holy and righteous man who is looked up to throughout the village, he is a role …show more content…
Proctor was not only in jail for fraud, that would've been acceptable for him being a tragic hero, but he was an adulterer he cheated on Elizabeth, his wife, with Abigail, his former maid. The punishment back then for cheating was death.
Though some might argue that Proctor’s punishment fit his crime and he is a tragic hero, they could never be more wrong. John Proctor never confessed to being a wizard. He only confessed that he was an adulterer. In act 3 Danforth questions Proctor about whether he is a wizard/witch or not. But he only confessed that he cheated on Elizabeth with Abigail.
Therefore, John Proctor is not a tragic hero because his punishment never exceeded his crime. Proctor was a man who cheated on his wife and was too full of himself to savell of the rest of his friends in the town. That is not hero

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