In his work On Poetics (335 B.C.), Aristotle, the famed philosopher, defined the parameters for the tragic hero. Aristotle was inspired by Oedipus (a Greek mythological King). He described the tragic hero as a man with noble birth, but a fatal flaw known as hamartia. After they recover from their fall, they become an anagnorisis and are considered heroes. John Proctor is the tragic hero in Arthur Miller’s tragedy, The Crucible. Proctor, a Puritan Salem man who is very secular, is still highly respected by the people. Proctor’s obsession with keeping his name in good standing is one of his fatal flaws, his hubris. John Proctor is the victim of his tragic downfall and redemption. Miller has portrayed him as the tragic heroine because he does not experience anagnosis.
Proctor’s affairs are a prime example of his egotistical tendency. He puts himself above the rules others follow and makes the decisions that lead his downfall. Proctor is claiming to be regretful over his affair, which he claims was the catalyst for his downfall. He still believes he is above the law, despite his attitude. Elizabeth asks John about Abigail’s conversation in a private room. John replies that he should have roared him down when he first learned of his suspicion. But I was weak and confessed, just like a Christian. Confessed!” (Miller 55). Proctor sees confession as a sign of weakness, inferiority and is unwilling to comply with the religion. He cannot admit to the affair and accept its consequences. He views himself above marriage vows. However, even after the affair, it is acceptable to talk with Abigail privately. He holds Elizabeth accountable for his inability to be faithful. This is proven when he forgets about adultery in the Ten Commandments, and tells Hale that “Between us we know all of them” (Miller, 67). Proctor’s situation is made worse by Elizabeth being targeted in court. Proctor has learned from Abigail’s private conversations that the witchcraft accusations against his wife are fraud. He believes that it is possible to save his wife, as well as other residents, from being hanged by testifying against them. He is aware that his public confession would be a serious affront to his reputation. He doesn’t want to confess to the court and believes his reputation is greater than the lives he has lost on the gibbet. Proctor only speaks up when Rebecca Nurse, a highly respected town figure, is accused. Proctor regards them as equals to himself. Elizabeth, a shrewd and honest woman, lies when Proctor calls to ask him about Abigail’s affair. John believes he’s superior and is therefore able to admit whenever it suits him. He cannot turn the tide of the consensus tyranny by his testimony. His downfall begins when he is sent to Salem prison to confess or be hanged in time. Proctor’s selfishness is the catalyst for his downfall. His superiority and hypocritical attitude drives his decisions.
Proctor is moved to tears by his confession. But, his redemption is flawed because he acts in a way that protects his reputation and assumes superiority. Proctor confesses to Elizabeth after his conversation in jail. Proctor is furious and grabs Danforth’s signed confession. John Proctor is not Sarah Good, Tituba or Tituba. You won’t use my name!” (Miller 143). Proctor knows that signing a confession is required in order to survive the tyrannical consensus. Although he accepts it for the lower-class, he believes that if he does so, a signed confession is part of the process. However, Proctor feels superior to the others and therefore doesn’t adhere to the same rules. Proctor claims that he took back his confession to set an example for his children. But, Proctor later denies that this was his intention. Proctors ask Danforth to confess. He says Proctor broke his knees, wept like an adult woman, and he did so.
Proctor doesn’t have a moral problem with confessing. Danforth begs him to tell everyone that he confessed. While he does not object to conforming with the crooked rituals and conventions, he does not oppose the physical confession signed with his name and placed on the door of Salem’s most valuable building. He feels superior to those who have hung and he wants to save his reputation, which ironically is what made him need to seek redemption.
Proctor’s hubris and subsequent downfall leads to both his redemption and defeat. Miller’s description of Proctor, as tragic hero, is degraded by the irony that Proctor does not experience the anagnorisis. It allows him to see a heroic character even though his tragic decline. Proctor makes a confession to his pride and tells Danforth Parris Hale that he believes he sees some goodness in John Proctor. (Miller 140). Proctor is lying when he claims his morality has changed to the good. Proctor continues to be morally inept despite the changing environment. His pride and supremacy are his constant companions. Proctor must own up to his sins and take responsibility to reach the tragic epiphany. Proctor convinces himself that he is doing a good thing by masquerading the egotistical tears of the confession to be a personal redemption for his self-serving nature. Although this may seem like an epiphany, it’s not. Proctor confesses only because he can’t bear to see his name in Salem. True redemption would look more like Rebecca Nurse resisting injustice. Miller wrote in Tragedy & the Common Man (1949) about the tragic right as “a condition where the human personality may flower and realize its own potential” (Miller 3.). Miller’s play shows Proctor being redeemed through the same means he had fallen. This is more ignorance than self-realization. Miller did not intend this, but Proctor’s disingenuous redemption removes any possibility that he could be a tragic hero. Because it transforms the character’s tragic nature into heroic, Anagnosis is Aristotle’s most important aspect. Proctor’s claimed epiphany was not enlightening and the result of redemption. Instead, it was a manipulative manifestation he had in his hubris. Which makes him a tragic invalid hero.
Miller’s play makes Proctor a less tragic character than Miller intended. Proctor does not recognize his egotistical tendencies and self-superiority to be fatal flaws, which lead him to his fate in Miller’s Witch Trials. Proctor is doomed to repeat the same fate as he was redeemed. Proctor’s superiority is due to his hubris. He has an affair with Abigail and refuses to testify. Then he rips up the confession he signed after signing it. He is so attached to Salem and his reputation that he does not experience true anagnorisis. However, he deceives him by masquerading his self-serving resistance in a shift of awareness and morality. Even though no character is perfect, anagnorisis can make a tragic hero stand. It makes the difference between a heroic character and one who is just flawed and ends up with a difficult ending. Society loves stories about tragic heroes. While the path they take can be frightening, there are encouraging signs that someone so flawed can overcome it. Americans still look to the media for tragic heroes because they can learn from the mistakes of others and not be doomed.
