The famous philosopher Aristotle formally outlined the parameters of the tragic hero in his work “On Poetics”. Aristotle based his model of the tragic hero primarily on Oedipus, a king from Greek mythology. He described the tragic hero as a person of noble birth who harbors a fatal flaw, or hamartia, which causes his downfall and describes his tragic nature. The character is considered a hero once he rises from the fall and experiences an enlightenment and redemption called anagnorisis. In The Crucible, the protagonist, John Proctor, is considered a tragic hero. Proctor is a very secular man from Puritan Salem, but he is still very respected among the people. His obsession with keeping his name respectable is one of the manifestations of his fatal flaw, his arrogance. John Proctor's arrogance is responsible for both his tragic downfall and his redemption. This undermines Miller's characterization of him as the tragic hero because he fails to experience anagnorisis. Arthur Miller's famous play The Crucible, set during the Salem witch trials of 1692, is probably the most powerful allegory of Senator Joseph McCarthy's Red Scare in the 1950s. The story begins with a group of young girls fleeing into the woods to perform an illicit pagan ritual in their strict, puritanical, non-secular society. To avoid guilt, they claimed to have seen the Devil and that other members of society served him through active witchcraft. The city is frightened by their claims and only when several accused witches chose to hang themselves instead of confessing did the hysteria end. Although John's fate was quite unfair and unfortunate to imagine, he still made the right decision to sacrifice himself. Firstly, this ensured a positive future without any lack of goodness for his children, his family and his descendants. Secondly, continuing the first reason, if John had falsely confessed, his and his family's future would have drastically changed in a negative way. Finally, one should go to great lengths to defend one's pride and honor as John did. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Proctor was a man who dedicated himself to God, yet he prioritized the well-being of his family over being a devout member of the church. Many had questioned him over and over about this and his absence from church, and believed that he failed to care for God as strongly as he showed up. However, this was not the case. John Proctor knew that there had been tasks to complete to keep his family alive and well, and he knew that he could pray to God and show his love for God without sacrificing that well-being. Part of his reasoning for not going to church was because he believed that Parris wanted nothing more than a beautiful church and did not talk about God as a sermonist should. Ultimately Proctor can be seen as a respectable man or a hero. He confessed to the sexual activity, knowing he will go to prison for it. “I confessed! … God sees my name, God knows how black my sins are” (Act 4), he confessed his wicked sin. John Proctor admitted the one thing that many Puritans would not do. He does this to avoid wasting the lives of the defendants but above all of his wife. He put his name and his life on the line to save Elizabeth and the others too. Furthermore, John Proctor felt determined to save his wife as he recounts when Abigail confessed to him that she had nothing to do with witchcraft. Prove to the reverend that there were liars among him. Proctor risks everything and tells his storysin, adultery, ultimately making him the hero. He put his life on the line to prove that the accused and his wife were innocent and good people. He did everything he could to save those people. Ultimately, Proctor's truth had caused tension and doubt in the town of Salem. Proctor's story exemplifies his selfish tendency to place himself above the rules he expects others to follow, which pushes him to make decisions that lead to his downfall. The catalyst for his downfall, Proctor claims to be remorseful for his affair with his former maid Abigail Williams. However, his attitude still indicates that he feels superior to the law. Once Elizabeth asks John to talk to Abigail alone in a room, John says, “I should have scolded you when you first told me your suspicion. But I withered and, like a Christian, I confessed. Confessed!”. For Proctor, confession can be a sign of weakness and inferiority, which is one of the reasons for his refusal to conform to the faith, in addition to the later consent rituals within the play. he is unable to confess and accept the consequences of his affair. It is seen at the top of the vows of a wedding; even when the affair happens, he thinks it's okay to talk to Abigail privately once he realizes how it puts a strain on the already broken trust between him and his wife. He holds Elizabeth accountable for fidelity that he himself cannot maintain, which is confirmed when he forgets about adultery in the Ten Commandments and tells Hale, "Between the two of us we know them all." Proctor's crisis worsens when Elizabeth is targeted by Abigail in court. Proctor knows, based on his private conversation with Abigail, that the witchcraft accusations are frauds and that testifying against her could save his wife and other citizens from public hangings. However, he also knows that this could result in a public confession of the affair, which could deeply tarnish his name. He considers himself to be on top of the law when he refuses to inform the court of what he knows, and thinks that his name is superior to the lives that are lost day after day on the gallows. Only when highly regarded people within the city such as Rebecca Nurse are implicated does Proctor speak out, because Proctor considers them suitable for himself. However, once Elizabeth is called to confirm that she fired Abigail for her affair with John, Elizabeth, an impeccably honest character, lies because she is aware of how much Proctor values ​​her respectable name in Salem. John considers himself superior, and therefore is able to confess whenever it suits him and take advantage of it. However, at this point in the tyranny of consensus, it is too late for him to turn the tables with his testimony. He is thrown into Salem Jail to confess or hang in time. This signifies the beginning of his downfall. Proctor's choices are driven by his insincere and superior attitude, leading him to selfish choices that catalyze his downfall. While one might not agree that Proctor's decision is wrong, it is not entirely wrong and quite understandable. Proctor may not be a true hero in Miller's play because he never recognized his selfish problems and superiority as fatal flaws that determine his fate during the witch trials. Proctor is condemned in the same way he was redeemed. His superiority may be a product of his arrogance, which leads him to have an affair with Abigail. At first he refuses to testify, then he tears up the confession after signing it. He is therefore rooted in the preservation of his name in Salem which after his fall he cannot.