A tragic hero is said to be someone with a fatal flaw that leads to their downfall. To be considered a tragic hero you have to meet four characteristics. The first characteristic is goodness; the character must show that they are a moral or ethical person. The second characteristic is that the character must have some form of superiority. The third characteristic is the character suffers from a tragic flaw that will lead to their demise. The fourth and final characteristic says the character must have an eventual realization, typically and epiphany or catharsis, that his actions led to his downfall. John Proctor portrays all the characteristics of a tragic hero.
Even though it is not always evident john proctor does show that he has a goodness
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After being thrown in jail proctor finally realized that he was a terrible person and he even admits it. While talking to elizabeth he says “ I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man.” (Miller 136) Proctor also admits to elizabeth “ My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man.” (Miller 136) In saying this, proctor takes responsibility for what he did, thus proving that he knows his actions are what caused him to be where he is at. In the end proctor says “ let rebecca nurse go like a saint; for me it is fraud” and “it is evil and I do it.” (miller 138) This quote furthermore proves that he knows he is responsible for where he is at and for his actions.
Based on this information proctor meets all the characteristics of a tragic hero and therefore is one. Proctor does have goodness in him, but he tends to keep it hidden. He has some superiority because if he didn’t he would not be so feared. His tragic flaw that he suffers from is being lustful and he even admits it. Lastly, he reveals that he is responsible for his actions and that they are what led him to be where he is at, when he talks to