John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

When I first heard the word stooge for this assignment, I’ll admit I thought something along the lines of the three stooges, but a quick google search defined it as a person who merely supports or assists someone else. To this respect, I am certain that John Proctor is definitely not a stooge. He is much more of a tragic hero of a Shakespearean nature. Basically, a tragic hero is a somewhat normal person, not particularly great, with greatness or heroics thrust upon them, often resulting in his tragic failure or demise. An example of a tragic hero could be Oedipus, Batman, or Sydney Carton. I think John Proctor is especially similar to Sydney Carton from ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. Both are men with dissatisfied with their lives, who have made mistakes in the past, but reclaim their goodness in a noble act of self-sacrifice. It may seem like John Proctor was somewhat stooge-like in the beginning, since he seems more concerned with keeping his mistakes a secret and preserving his family’s reputation. It is only later in the play that he demonstrates his heroics, sacrificing his life not only to preserve his family’s good name, but also the good name and innocence of those condemned with him.