Abstract Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" has several strong literary and socially disturbing dimensions, but the one that stands most is its tragic dimension. This paper contends that "Death of a Salesman" is in fact tragic, and that within that tragic dimension there are several themes that are apparent and important: financial failure, emotional inadequacy, false pride, sports promise and sports failure, sexual confusion and impropriety, career stumbling, a dysfunctional family, death and madness. Tragedy to varying and diverse degrees is presented as a dynamic that is witnessed in Willy's family, in Willy's failed careers, and of course in his failed relationship with his son and in his marriage. Additionally there are tragic circumstances within the popular American contemporary vernacular of sports. The paper also examines Aristotle's stance on tragedy and how it compares to that of Arthur Miller.
Outline:
Introduction
What Is Tragedy? Miller's Philosophy on Tragedy and His Perspective on the Play
What Is Aristotle's Philosophy Regarding Tragedy?
The Death of a Salesman: The Literature and the Scholarship
Other Tragic Features of the Play
From the Paper "After going to lengths to point out that Miller sees the central tragic figure in the play as Willy, Hagopian insists that it's Biff Loman, Willy's son, is the one who "ultimately makes things happen, who responds to the great trauma in his life with an emotional and moral paralysis..." That point could be rebutted effectively, but meantime a more pertinent point that Hagopian makes is that, after Biff finds his dad in a hotel room with another woman; "You fake!" he barks. "You phony little fake! You fake!" And now dad has been fired from his job, and Willy fears his son will expose his immoral deeds to mom. But Biff does not, he just wants to rage at his dad, and say "goodbye to you Pop...let's just wrap it up, heh?" The scene that Willy provokes has definite tragic consequences, Hagopian admits on page 40. "
A discussion on the failure of the American dream , as described in "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller and "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams.
1,385 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 0 sources, 2006, $ 46.95
Abstract This paper discusses the lives of the main families in the plays "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller and "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams. It describes the way in which the Loman family experienced tragedy because they hoped and depended too much on the belief that subsistence to the American dream would, inherently, be the catalyst that will propel them towards economic prosperity and success. It then contrasts this to the Wingfield family who experienced tragedy because they thrived in the culture of hopelessness, believing that the world in itself was too cruel and their life was an already tragic one.
From the Paper "The Wingfield family of "Glass," meanwhile, suffered not from the hopefulness, but from the sheer lack of it. The pervasiveness of hopelessness in the family affected the lives and attitudes of Amanda and Tom. Like the Loman sons Biff and Happy, Tom failed to realize that hard work was the best recourse to take in alleviating his family's hardships and sufferings, taking them out of the tragic lives they led. From Tom's end, in fact, he showed no conscious effort to redeem himself from the fact that will always be poor and underprivileged, in the midst of the affluent lives of other people in the society they lived in."
Abstract This essay is a comparison study of the works and views of Plato and Aristotle. The author explains that one of the basic ideas that these two great minds disagreed on was the value of art and of poetry, especially the merits of the Greek tragedy. Aristotle believed that art in all of its forms was a beneficial and necessary outlet for the expression of man's innermost feelings and fears. On the other hand, Plato condemned art and poetry. This paper examines the different ways in which these two great minds interpreted the arts and their purpose allows for a greater understanding of the workings of these two great minds and the two great channels of philosophical thought which they produced.
From the Paper "Three and a half centuries before the birth of Christ, an ancient Athenian known as Plato expressed this negative view of the value of poetry and the arts in an essay he called The Republic. To the occupants of ancient Greece, drama and tragedy were considered part of the poetic arts, and to Plato, the most revered and respected of ancient Grecian philosophers, poetry and art misrepresent heroes, encouraged moral weakness and went against the principles of his notion of the ideal polis, or state. In The Republic, Plato condemns not only the value of poetry, but also the value of art in general. This condemnation was eventually to be refuted in the year 350 BC in an essay entitled The Poetics, an essay written by Plato's philosophical prot?g?, Aristotle."
Abstract The paper portrays how tragedy and death permeated the history and literature of Spain. The paper examines the lives and works of Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, Mariano Jose de Larra, Benito Perez Galdos, Leopoldo Alas (Clarin), Miguel de Unamuno and Federico Garcia Lorca. The paper discusses how their lives were filled with death and sorrow and illustrates how this is reflected in Spanish literature until the 20th century.
From the Paper "Tragedy and death permeated the history and literature of Spain. Despite political upheaval, literature entered the Siglo de Oro (Golden Age) in Spain, spawning many creative and prolific writers in the late 16th century. The Spanish writers wrote of how talents were no match for violence, injustice and ignorance, nor from greater forces beyond Spain's borders. The writers expressed these sentiments, along with feelings of disillusionment with human foibles and the great age that had gone on before (Weller 2)."
Abstract This paper studies the term "tragedy" and defines it using the thoughts of Plato and Aristotle and plays written in ancient Greece and by Arthur Miller's works. In order to do so the paper proceeds to examine each of these thinkers and writers and their works. It details Aristotle's notes that defined tragedy and his play 'Antigone' and 'Oedipus Rex', Arthur Miller's 'On Tragedy', 'The Crucible' and 'Death of a Salesman'.
From the Paper "The simplest, most reasonable definition of tragedy is that found in dictionaries and the definitions of laymen and theater -goers everywhere: ?a story with a sad ending.? However, literary theorists and critics would quickly be out their jobs if they simply left the common law of art alone. Thus for centuries there have been disagreements as to what constituted "true" tragedy. In ancient Greece, both the merits and ideal qualifications of tragedy were under debate. Plato suggested that tragedy might be best defined as people pretending to be villainous or sad for no good reason, and thus corrupting society. Aristotle, on the other hand, said that tragedy was a form of social good, for it allowed the rational soul to vent its emotions in a process he referred to as a ?catharsis.? He went on to define the trademarks of a tragedy it in some detail, including such plot elements as the noble birth of the protagonist, and the inevitability of the ending. Works that followed his model, such as Oedipus cycle, set the standard for centuries to come. Aristotle's conventions became a measuring stick for literary critics, though they were not always followed by poets and playwrights. In the modern era, many of these conventions were challenged, and this was particularly noticed in the case of Arthur Miller. After his play, Death of a Salesman, was lambasted by critics for not being a "real" tragedy, he responded with a seminal work on the modern adaptation of tragic conventions. The ideas put forth in his "On Tragedy" were deeply important to parts of his later play The Crucible. It is fascinating to see that despite the fact that many critics saw Miller's works as antithetical to ancient ideas of tragedy, and assumed that ancient tragedies would not be based around the ideals embraced by Miller, in many ways there are distinct parallels in thought between such works as The Crucible and older masterpieces such as Antigone. The inevitability of each play is iron-wrought, and each is driven by the inseparable division between the straight edge of power and the personal freedom of choice and self-definition. "
Abstract This paper explores the characters and the main theme of Miller's play. The author explains that the salesman's lot is to deal with rejection. A good salesman can deal with a customer not liking a fabric, that is to be expected. But, having to give up a salary to work only on commission, having the best portion of his territory given to a younger person, realizing that he can't carry his weight any more, that is the real death of a salesman. The paper reflects that a tragedy is made out of an ordinary man's life.
From the Paper "And yet there is no resolution, as Biff shouts out that he knows his Father is a fake, "and he doesn't like anybody around who knows." (p. 444) To which his mother gently and sadly and calmly replies: "He's dying", and tells about Willy trying deliberately to smash into the guard rail of that bridge and the other accidents that were not accidents. And we know from the way she says this in her matter-of-fact way, that his death is now preordained, and that she has accepted it as much as any wife of more than 35 years can accept getting older, and weaker, and the mind and reflexes going, and the memories of a life that was never happy. Perhaps that was why they nick-named their youngest Happy. To create something happy in that dreary home with the husband gone so frequently."
Abstract This paper looks at Arthur Miller's American masterpiece, "Death of a Salesman", which was first presented on the stage in New York City in 1949. The writer shows how the play is a successful literary attempt at blending the themes of social and personal tragedy within the same dramatic framework. By contrast, the writer focuses on the character of Willy Loman, which shows false values sustained by almost every publicity agency in the national life of the U.S.
From the Paper "The character of Willy Loman, the themes of social and personal tragedy, and the overall commonality found within Miller's play are prime territories for further exploration through the use of psychological criticism and literary deconstruction. In the realm of psychology, Willy Loman's accomplishments and sources of pleasure appear to be simple and straight-forward, yet they do provide an excellent psychological foundation on his life, due to leading a very average existence as a traveling salesman which he believes will enable himself and his family to attain wealth and comfort."
Abstract In this paper, the theme of tragedy is analyzed in relation to "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" by William Shakespeare and "Death of A Salesman" by Arthur Miller. The paper describes how in many ways, the psychological character flaws within Willy and Hamlet reflect a saddening demise to essentially good men. They both exhibit a tendency to rise above their station, but there is usually no consistency or rationale for their self-destructive behaviors.
From the Paper "This study will analyze the theme of tragedy within "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" by William Shakespeare and "Death of A Salesman" by Arthur Miller. By realizing the often noble and courageous beliefs of Hamlet and Willy Loman, they invariably do not have the ability to overcome their own personal weaknesses. In the noble Hamlet, one can find psychological madness and isolation as a tragic perspective; as one can find in the self-destructive tendencies of Willy Loman in Miller's tragedy. In essence, the personality flaws found within these two characters often reflects a saddening and 'tragic' fall of good men that seek to rise above their station in life. The play "Hamlet" is similar in how usurpation of power is a clear motivation for Hamlet's love for his father and family.
Abstract One of the most significant aspects of the concept of music that is examined in this paper is the use of the flute to represent the role of the father. Another aspect of the music in the "Death of Salesman" that is discussed in this paper, is the ever conscious portrayal of present day scenes duly combined with the flashbacks into history and vice versa.
From the Paper "Finally, Willy reveals the nostalgic quality of a dreamer. This is emphasized subtly by the plaintive, light theme played on the flute as background music. Moreover, there is his delighted response to the pleasant scenery along the road, as well as his recollections of the lilac, wisteria, and peonies that used to give out a springtime fragrance before the apartment builders "massacred" the neighborhood. There is nostalgia, too, as he thinks of the smiling, popular younger Biff, who shined up the Chevrolet so beautifully that no one would believe it had gone eighty thousand miles."
Abstract This paper looks at the notion of the American Dream as seen in Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman". The characters in the story are analyzed in terms of how they reflect attitudes about the American Dream, and scenes and dialogue are described to demonstrate how the story questions whether the American Dream is myth or reality.
From the Paper "Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman was written in the 1940s, and it showed that Americans after the war were questioning certain values they had long held dear and were asking whether the new world in which they found themselves would be as optimistic as the old one. The play presents a sort of Everyman in Willy Loman, the salesman who has lived his whole life on the road and who has survived largely by creating an illusion of himself not unlike the wider illusion by which Americans viewed themselves as superior in the world. Now he is faced with the loss of his illusion as he is no longer needed, and this forces him to reassess his life. The play reflects many American's concerns about the Twentieth Century and their place in it, and most of these are concerns that are still cogent today. One of the issues underlying the action is the idea of the American Dream and whether that dream is real or an illusion. The concept had fueled American optimism for decades. The concept is still raised today, though just as often it is raised as a false hope given to people with little chance of succeeding. Willy Loman is a man who believed in the American Dream but who now sees it as an illusion that has given him false hope for a better future. He believes he has done everything he was supposed to do to achieve it, yet it remains elusive."
Abstract This paper examines the tragic heroes from Sophocles' "Oedipus the King" and Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman." It looks at the characteristics and fates of tragic the heroes and the effect of their quests.
From the Paper " The tragic heroes of Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, Oedipus and Willy Loman respectively refuse to passively accept their fate. In his essay Tragedy and the Common Man, Miller argued ..."
Tags: fate, king, materialism, blind, vision, American dream, tragedy, hero
Abstract This essay evaluates the authenticity of Euripides, Bacchae as a typical Greek tragedy. Bacchae's structural features are compared to Aristotle's definition of an archetypal tragedy. Also, Bacchae's story plot is analyzed and compared to other authentic Greek Tragedies such as Oedipus Rex and Antigone. Besides analyzing the structure, this essay also correlates the Greek cultural background with the context of Bacchae.
From the Paper "Bacchae, written by Euripides in 5th century, is a Greek tragedy illustrating intricate relationship between human offense and divine revenge. Both shocking and compassion provoking, the play has remained popular for countless years. Having read many Greek plays over the years, I was fascinated by the similarities between Bacchae and other tragedies such as Oedipus, Antigone, and Electra. Striking structural uniformity of these plays made me investigate characteristics of a typical Greek tragedy, and I discovered that Bacchae displays various aspects of classical tragedy. I concluded that Bacchae is an archetypal Greek tragedy because it exhibits a typical story plot, a tragic hero with pitiful downfall, and a moral theme."
Abstract This paper talks about how things like the message, metaphor, setting, design specifics, performance space and a possible cast list for a mock performance of the play "Death of a Salesman."
From the Paper "When considering different types of theatrical productions, one of the most popular and common types is the tragedy. Normally a tragedy involves the misfortunes and death surrounding a central character who is a very important person in society. Arthur Miller takes a different look at tragedy in his production of Death of a Salesman. Miller believes that the central character does not have to be of nobility or of any great importance at all, but rather that even the death of a common man can be tragic. When considering how to do a production in general there are many things that must be taken into account before the piece can move from just a script on paper to living production. Such examples of the criteria for a live production are the message, metaphor, setting, performance space, design specifics, and cast list. First, however, a brief of the plot of the story is necessary."
Abstract This paper tries to determine whether Greek tragedy supports or refutes the idea of fate through looking at the plays of Sophocles and Euripides, and the writings of Aristotle. The author examines how Aristotle is used to set up the question, and give an algorithm for finding the answer. By looking at Sophocles, it appears that fate is being fought, and by looking at Euripides, it looks like fate is upheld.
From the paper:
"Throughout the course of time, many cultures have held the belief that events happen for a reason, and that peoples? lives are predestined. This concept is a controversial one, and there is no good way to prove that fate is actually a force that acts upon people. Some argue that life is what people make of it, others contend that it is impossible that life is completely random and something out there is controlling the outcome of all that humans do. When analyzing tragedy, it is difficult to determine whether or not fate plays a role."
Abstract This paper argues that William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a true tragedy according to Aristotle's definition of tragedy. The paper includes textual examples to back up author's opinion. The paper also discusses how the timeless tale is still widely popular and evokes compassion and pity by all who experience the play.
From the Paper "By the end of the play, Romeo and Juliet are in a highly unfavorable position death. Their families also suffer they have lost their only children. This very complicated sequence of events is complex enough to be interesting, but the emotions behind the situations are extremely real. Anyone watching the play would have had experience with missed chances and the consequences of hurrying things. Therefore, we find that " Romeo and Juliet" is a true tragedy according to Aristotle. It follows the sequence of events that define tragedy and evokes the emotions of pity and fear in an audience that identifies with the main characters."
