John Proctor As A Tragic Hero

Many people don’t realize that The Crucible is a tragedy. As defined by Oxford Dictionary, a tragedy is “a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.” This very accurately describes The Crucible. Its tragic events include people being falsely accused of witchcraft and sentenced to jail or death. It has an unhappy ending in which many major characters are killed. The final trait of a tragedy is that it has a “tragic hero”- the main character which experiences a downfall as a result of a tragic flaw. In The Crucible, John Proctor is the tragic hero. John Proctor’s fatal flaw of lust for Abigail was the initiator of numerous events that eventually led to his downfall. A tragedy must deal with tragic events, as well as a tragic or unpleasant ending. There are many bitter or unpleasant scenes, such as when John and Elizabeth Proctor are separated- although the most tragic scenes are the deaths of important characters, such as John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Giles Corey, Martha Corey, and others. This quote from Act 4 is

His fatal flaw of lust for Abigail triggered a series of events, which eventually led to his downfall. Proctor’s fatal flaw not only led to his own downfall but also the downfall of others. As previously stated, a tragedy is defined as “a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.” The Crucible is a tragedy because of the number of tragic events- namely, the executions of so many people- that take place during the play. For a play to be a tragedy, it must also have a tragic hero- the main character of the story whose fatal flaw causes their own downfall. The tragic hero of The Crucible is John Proctor. John Proctor’s arrest and eventual execution are both consequences of his fatal flaw of lust with Abigail, which is why he is a tragic