In the small town of Salem when it was engulfed in hysteria due to the accusations of children that many of the townspeople partook in witchcraft. Among the accused is John Proctor, a strong, steadfast farmer. John Proctor fulfills the requirements of a tragic hero by the way he is perceived in the beginning but how he changes throughout. During the Salem witch trials in the 1690s the situation of John Proctor, in which he shows in his disastrous error in judgement brought out by his tragic flaw as a character that leads to his downfall. Along with his unwillingness to forgive himself Proctor can be seen as selfish in the beginning because many others including rebecca nurse were hung before John confessed of his affair. John proctor