A tragic hero is a protagonist of a tragedy, a person who will not likely achieve his purpose, because he's trying to do the right thing in a situation where the right thing cannot be done or it's very difficult to do it. Let's take as an example John Proctor, a character on The Crucible. He is a father, a husband and a respected man. But as a human being, he isn't perfect, he committed adultery violating the Ten Commandments. He had an affair with Abigail, a girl who in the play, accused others of having relationships with the devil. Eventually cheating on his wife, will completely turn his and hers life.
Once Abigail and the other girls started accusing others, Elizabeth which was Proctor's wife, told him to go to the authorities and told them that the girls were lying. He deny to do this because he was afraid of his and her wife reputation and name, because if he accused Abigail of being a liar, then she could tell about their affair, ruining Proctor's reputation and Elizabeth's feelings. Even though Elizabeth already knew that his husband cheated her, for the entire society to know about this, would make her feel bad. But once Elizabeth is accused of being a witch, as well as Martha and Rebbeca which her respectful people of the town, their husbands go to the authorities and try to defend them. Ninety one people signed a testimony saying that these three woman were good people and eventually the court says that they are just trying to overthrow the court, so they arrested those people. Proctor didn't give up and to explain that Abigail was lying, that God wasn't speaking through her, he admitted his affair and immediately the court called Elizabeth, which lied to save her husband name by saying that he wasn't a cheater. But as John's already said that Elizabeth would never ever lie, this created a new obstacle for proving her innocence. Then once the girls started acting like Mary Warren who was Proctor's servant, bewitched them, Mary was accused of being a witch, so she joins the girls and started saying that Proctor was a devil man, jut for her own safety. Then John is arrested and as Elizabeth was pregnant, the authorities gave her one year. But once the day that Proctor was going to be hanged arrived, he refused to sign a paper in which he confessed himself a devil man, because he cared about his personal integrity and public reputation and besides he was a father of three kids and this wasn't a good example for them to follow. Eventually he is hanged, but through the play he captures the sympathy and pity of the audience, he also he possessed the four major qualities of a tragic hero, which are goodness, appropriateness, lifelike, and consistency and he died defending his beliefs, which makes him a tragic hero.
Once Abigail and the other girls started accusing others, Elizabeth which was Proctor's wife, told him to go to the authorities and told them that the girls were lying. He deny to do this because he was afraid of his and her wife reputation and name, because if he accused Abigail of being a liar, then she could tell about their affair, ruining Proctor's reputation and Elizabeth's feelings. Even though Elizabeth already knew that his husband cheated her, for the entire society to know about this, would make her feel bad. But once Elizabeth is accused of being a witch, as well as Martha and Rebbeca which her respectful people of the town, their husbands go to the authorities and try to defend them. Ninety one people signed a testimony saying that these three woman were good people and eventually the court says that they are just trying to overthrow the court, so they arrested those people. Proctor didn't give up and to explain that Abigail was lying, that God wasn't speaking through her, he admitted his affair and immediately the court called Elizabeth, which lied to save her husband name by saying that he wasn't a cheater. But as John's already said that Elizabeth would never ever lie, this created a new obstacle for proving her innocence. Then once the girls started acting like Mary Warren who was Proctor's servant, bewitched them, Mary was accused of being a witch, so she joins the girls and started saying that Proctor was a devil man, jut for her own safety. Then John is arrested and as Elizabeth was pregnant, the authorities gave her one year. But once the day that Proctor was going to be hanged arrived, he refused to sign a paper in which he confessed himself a devil man, because he cared about his personal integrity and public reputation and besides he was a father of three kids and this wasn't a good example for them to follow. Eventually he is hanged, but through the play he captures the sympathy and pity of the audience, he also he possessed the four major qualities of a tragic hero, which are goodness, appropriateness, lifelike, and consistency and he died defending his beliefs, which makes him a tragic hero.