John Proctor as the tragic hero of Arthur Miller's The Crucible In the comedy The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor adapts to the classic Greek definition of tragic hero. Aristotle, one of the greatest Greek philosophers, teachers and writers, stated that one of the most important aspects of a tragedy was the tragic hero. He defined a tragic hero as a noble person who goes from a state of fortune and happiness to a state of utter misery. The character's tragic flaw causes this change. Aristotle stated that witnessing the character's fall triggered an emotional release, which left the audience relieved because they empathized with the character, but not upset because the fall was the character's doing. Over the centuries, there have been many tragic heroes, but none fit the classical Greek definition better than John Proctor. One characteristic of the tragic hero, which John Proctor possesses, is that he is a man of stature. This is evident from the beginning of the work in the exposition on Proctor. The author says: “He was a gentle man, powerful in body, even temperate and not easily governed” (20). He goes on to say that he has a “quiet confidence and an unexpressed hidden strength” (21). He is well respected in the community and Mr. Parris, the town reverend, even goes so far as to say that he has “followers” ​​(30). Furthermore, at the end of the play Parris and Danforth want to post his confession of being in league with the devil on the church door because "it is a heavy name" (141). They believe that because Proctor is such a respected member of the community, his confession will restore people's faith in the court and prompt others to confess....... middle of paper ......d from his past sin that God punishes men for their sins. He saw his conviction for witchcraft as punishment for his sin. He did not confess because he realized that confession would be a lie and lying is a sin for which God would punish him. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, the character John Proctor exemplifies the qualities of the classic Greek tragic hero. He is a man of physical and mental stature and is highly respected in the community. He suffers from the tragic flaw of sin, the sin of adultery, committed with Abigail. He also learns from his mistakes and will not be tricked into doing harm, such as going back to Abigail or confessing to being a warlock. Work cited Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Screenplay. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. Source consultedThe Crucible project http://204.165.132.2:90/crucible/main3.htm