John Proctor is definitely the classic tragic hero. He is a morally honest and decent man. Respected by the community and seen as an example. However, in Greek Classic Tragedy the hero usually falls because he has a fundamentally fatal flaw that undermines all his good other qualities. In the case of Proctor, such flaw is lust. He succumbs to the temptation of becoming the lover of Abigail Williams, his underage maid. Furthermore, because he is respected in the community he fails to quickly admit his affair with Williams which would have unmasked her as a jealous fraudster.
