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Introduction

How does the Requiem reflect the elements of tragedy explored within Death of a Salesman? In 1949; whilst America saw the culmination of anti-communist feelings, fear of the unknown and the general hysteria which stemmed from the Cold War against Russia; playwright Arthur Miller published what was seen to be a personal criticism of the American way of life, his play, "Death of A Salesman". Death of A Salesman tells the story of w***y Loman, a lowly salesman slowly being estranged from society and increasingly led into confusion by his attempts to escape his own failure brought about by the great American Dream he has served so loyally. It was for this play Miller was brought in front of HUAC (house un-American activities committee) and charged with undermining American Values. Miller defended himself by claiming he simply aspired to "show the truth as [he] saw it". It is because Miller insisted on adhering to realism, that he chose a normal, "Loman", or literally, low man, to be his Tragic Hero. In doing so, Miller broke one rule- that of Aristotelian tragedy, which demands a "noble" hero, of high birth; and simultaneously abided by another, the rule of a Modern Domestic Tragedy which requires an ordinary person's story to be told. ...read more.

Middle

It is perhaps important to consider the role of 'ghosts' or past figures which appear throughout the play. Ghosts and figures from the past litter tragedy throughout the centuries. Indeed, the oldest surviving complete tragedy, Aeschylus's Persians (472 BC) features the ghost of the dead King Darius returning from the past to cast judgement over his son Xerxes, whom he deems to be failing in his role and pursuing the wrong dreams. This is not unlike the mocking presence of w***y's own father and his brother Ben, both deceased who continue to taunt w***y with dreams he cannot achieve. w***y's suicide is at once self-congratulating, misguided and selfless. He wants to escape the feeling he is "temporary" by truly leaving something behind, "something one can feel with the hand". This something is his "diamond" of the $20,000 insurance money, which will make him a "hero" for Biff to "worship" and helping Biff to start up a business of his own. Requiem holds no answers as to whether the premium was paid and through this and the melancholy despair that runs through the final scene, Miller shows how pointless w***y's death truly was. No matter how much money he leaves behind, it will never compensate for the loss the family has to endure. ...read more.

Conclusion

Everything reverting back to the way the play started shows how insignificant w***y's death really is. Capitalism does not crumble, life goes on. It is here that I believe Modern Domestic Tragedies are flawed, where Shakespearian ones are not. When Macbeth dies, the audience is certain that his Kingdom will mourn his loss, however warped he was, he was still their King. There will be a "massive" funeral, of the sorts w***y dreams of, and a Kingdom-wide expression of collective grief. It is this grief that I believe provides the catharsis of emotion for the audience, they know his death will continue to be felt after they leave the theatre and this assurance brings closure. This closure however, does not exist in Modern Domestic Tragedies. w***y's death will go unnoticed by most, and this does not bring significant catharsis to the audience. There is no final completion of raw emotion. To support my view I can only offer the words of Shakespeare himself, "The poor beetle on which we tread In corporal sufferance feels a pang as great As when a Giant dies." Or in other words, an ignoble death such as w***y's is just as pitiful as those of Shakespeare's noble giants and therefore I feel robbed of a glorious ending for w***y which would lift him to the level of Kings, as unfitting as it may be. ...read more.

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