Can 'Death of a Salesman' be Described as a Tragedy?
Can Death of a Salesman be Described as a Tragedy? Aristotle first defined a tragedy in literature as a story where the main character is a hero - a very brilliant person - except that he has one major flaw which leads to his downfall, namely, death. Shakespeare then expanded on this and produced his world famous tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Hamlet. In all of these plays, the main character is a person of high social standing and exceptionally talented, however each has a very serious flaw as well. For example, Romeo is of Italian nobility and is very efficient with a sword and dagger - but he is a fool for love and falls in love with Juliet as soon as he sees her, despite already being in love with Rosaline beforehand. That is the flaw which eventually leads to his demise. This definition has over time become the benchmark for a tragedy. Arthur Miller was an immigrant to the USA and can be seen as the opposite of Willy. Willy, however, is a proud born and bred American and holds to heart the very fundamentals of the American Dream - a very capitalistic ethos. Miller, on the other hand, had communist beliefs which eventually landed him in trouble with the government. Both Death of a Salesman and another of Miller's plays, All My Sons both have the foundations of the American Dream and also both secretly criticize the capitalistic belief. In Death of a
The Crucible is a study of power and manipulation." Select any two or three characters and show how they illustrate the abuse of power.
"The Crucible is a study of power and manipulation." Select any two or three characters and show how they illustrate the abuse of power. In this essay, I am going to write bout three characters that either manipulate people or are manipulated themselves. The characters I am going to focus on are Abigail, Mary Warren and Judge Danforth. From time to time I might mention John and Elizabeth Proctor as they also become manipulated at one point, mainly by Abigail. As a character, Abigail was created to demonstrate power and manipulation tithing the play. It is possible to argue that for a short period of time, Abigail acts as God as she has the power to make anyone believe her lies, leading to the deaths of innocent people. Abigail became intoxicated by the power and interest people gave to her. Abigail believed she could achieve what she wanted to get herself out of trouble with her new found power. She manipulates other characters in numerous ways which includes physical, sexual, witchcraft types and emotional. During the court scene in Act 3, Danforth says, "What is it child?" Abigail replies by looking about in the air and clasping her arms around her, as though cold, "I- I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come." Clasping her arms around herself is seen as an interpretive action made by Abigail. The stage directions then tell us that her eyes fall on Mary Warren as if to
The original title for Miller's play was 'The Inside of His Head'. How does Miller's use of set, lighting and stage direction help us to understand this idea?
Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller The original title for Miller's play was 'The Inside of His Head'. How does Miller's use of set, lighting and stage direction help us to understand this idea? Arthur Miller wrote Death of a Salesman in 1949. This date is the period after the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression and this is significant, as one of Miller's aims in writing this play was that it would be a tragedy that American workers could relate to. The central themes and issues in the play are consumerism and exploitation; Miller wanted to write a play that was critical of capitalism and that would expose the falseness of the American Dream. The original title reflects one of the underlying themes in the play - the central character's struggle to grasp the distinction between illusion and reality and the past and the present; often Willy Loman's thoughts and views do not comply with those of the majority of the remaining cast. Miller uses symbolism, set, lighting and stage direction to help us to understand what is happening inside Willy's head. One of the several symbols that give us an insight into Willy's thoughts is the athletic trophy. It is placed on a shelf in the sitting room where it can be clearly seen; this demonstrates how important it is to the family. This importance then in turn shows that winning and competition are key ideas here and that this part
Joe Keller is a tragic hero, who has many qualities and one flaw.In the play 'All My Sons', Arthur Miller creates the character Joe Keller
Joe Keller is a tragic hero. Discuss. Drama originates from the plays of the Greek, in which a tragedy occurs. In these plays the tragic hero (protagonist) commits an offence. He must then find out what he has done wrong, suffer the consequences of his actions and perhaps in the end, die. The Greeks saw the death of the tragic hero as being a way to show that the gods are being fair and the moral order of the universe is restored. A tragic hero according to the Aristotelian Unities is a person who has many outstanding qualities but one tragic flaw. Joe Keller is a tragic hero, who has many qualities and one flaw. In the play 'All My Sons', Arthur Miller creates the character Joe Keller. Joe seems to be an ordinary person, though in the play he represents a man of 'class'. Joe is a very ordinary man, decent, hard-working, self-made and charitable, a man that no normal person could dislike. But, like the tragic heroes in the ancient Greek dramas, he has a flaw or weakness. This flaw causes him to act wrongly in a situation. He is then forced to accept responsibility for the mistake he made with the cylinder heads. His suicide is necessary to restore the moral order of the universe, and allow his son, Chris, to live free from guilt. Joe Keller, the chief character, is a man who loves his family above all else, and has sacrificed everything, such as his honour, in his struggle
Death Of A Salesman (Charly Passage Analysis)
Death Of A Salesman How does Miller make this scene (pages 31-34) such a dramatic and revealing moment in the play? In the scene involving pages 31- 34, Charley and Willy are playing cards, during which Willy has a flashback of his first meeting with his brother, Ben. Many characters are introduced during the course of the scene: Ben, Charley, Bernard as well as Biff, Happy and Linda. It is the second flashback that Willy has during the book and the new character of Ben, Willy's brother is introduced into the story. In order to understand how Miller makes the scene so dramatic and revealing I will be looking at the pace of the scene, the use of foreshadowing, Willy's desperation, and the relationships between the characters. The appearance of Ben in the scene triggers many interjections. When Biff and Ben are mock fighting, short exclamations are heard,' Oh, no Sir!' and 'Okay.' These quick outbursts are surprising to the audience, as they come from various characters at various times. As these cries build up, spontaneous events begin to happen. 'Suddenly [Ben} comes in, trips Biff.... the point of his umbrella poised over his eye.' As the scene so quickly switches from fun to a tense atmosphere, this makes the scene dramatic. The event is out-of-the-blue that it highlights in the instability between the characters behaviours, and the pace at which the scene is moving is
Death Of A Salesman (Linda Analysis)
Death Of A Salesman Willy calls Linda, 'My foundation and my support.' Do you think that this sums up her role in the play? Linda is a mother to Biff and Happy Loman, a wife to Willy Loman. She is always loyal and caring towards Willy even when he is rude to her. She suffers as she watches his condition deteriorate, and she is very helpless. During this essay I will be discussing Linda's behaviour and language, the way she is perceived by other characters, her relationship with Willy, the effect of the woman on Willy and Linda's relationship in order to answer this question. There are many positive aspects of Willy and Linda's' relationship, which can justify that Linda's role in the play, is to aid Willy. Whenever Willy enters the room and Linda is present she will fuss over him. At the beginning of the play, she 'takes off his shoes' and questions him repeatedly about his trip. She also takes his coat off, and offers him an aspirin to make him feel better. Linda always refers to Willy as 'darling' and 'dear' and Willy refers to her as 'pal' and 'sweetheart'. These are the only times in the play that they refer to anybody informally and playfully. This demonstrates how much they mean to each other. When Willy doubts his abilities, she encourages him saying, 'maybe you'll do better next week,' and, 'maybe you should tell him.' When he is insecure about his physical
The Crucible act one
English Questions; "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller 19 April 2008 . In what state of mind is Parris in when we first meet him? When we first meet Parris he is in a state of fear and is upset with the situation that has arisen. 2. What condition is Betty in? Betty's condition is unstable, she won't wake up from the sleep she is in. 3. What has brought about Betty's condition? No one know what brought on Betty's condition. The doctor could not find any record of the like in his medical books and Susanna suggests that it is probably beyond natural, hinting towards witchcraft, though Parris will have none of it. 4. Why is Parris so concerned that the villagers should not know what Abigail and Betty have done? Parris is so concerned that the villagers should know not of what Abigail and Betty did because they would be quick to point the finger and accuse them of being witches which could then lead to a variety of consequences. 5. What did Parris actually see going on in the forest? Parris saw his niece and daughter dancing in the forest like heathen around a fire. 6. What is Abigail's explanation for leaving the Proctors' service for finding no work since? Abigail explains that the reason she's got no work after leaving Proctor's service is because all employers really want are slaves and she will not stand for being a slave. 7. What is Ruth Putnam's
This essay will examine the ideas of manliness, hostility, aggression and how these notions are explored in A View from the Bridge a play by Arthur Miller.
A View from the Bridge This essay will examine the ideas of manliness, hostility, aggression and how these notions are explored in 'A View from the Bridge' a play by Arthur Miller. The play is set in the 1950s based on the American working class community in Brooklyn. The play 'A View from the Bridge' was written by Arthur Miller while doing research on a man called Pete Panto who was executed by the Italian mob for snitching on an Italian immigrant. While researching he came across a story about a man who snitched to the Immigration to prevent the marriage of his niece to one of the two brothers who were cousins with his wife. He was then known around in the Italian communities for snitching, some people rumoured that he was killed by one of the two brothers but was known for a fact. Eddie Carbone is the tragic protagonist of 'The View from the Bridge'. Eddie is a character who has own ideas of what a 'real man' should be like. Eddie is a helpful, uneducated longshoreman who lives with his wife Beatrice and his niece Catherine. His ideologies regarding masculinity revolve around physical strength, mean attitude, being breadwinner and earning income through tough labour. He believes that the leader of the house should have control of other people's actions. Eddie also has hostile characteristics because when his masculinity is questioned he starts to threaten people
Discuss the role and importance of the first "flashback" scene in Death of a Salesman.
Discuss the role and importance of the first "flashback" scene in Death of a Salesman. This scene is the first in the play which gives us any real insight into the past of Willy, the protagonist of the play. Its purpose is to show the audience of some of where Willy went wrong; we see some of his mistakes through his memories of his own past. We see the way that he treated his sons, and how this relates to what they are like now; we witness the difference between what the impression of himself he gives and the failure he really feels; we discover his affair with the woman, why he had it, and the terrible guilt that overhangs him because of it. This then explains some of the tension and unhappiness that we have seen so far in the play. This, though, only takes us so far; we do not learn the full story, of why he and his son do not now share the bond we see in the flashback scene, and of why he becomes so depressed. He does not want to see the truth - he is not ready to realise where he went wrong. The scene gets more and more dramatic as it gets on. At first, it shows us an idyllic, happy time; Willy is apparently a fantastic success, who is idolized by two loving sons. The eldest son, Biff, is popular with the others at school and with girls, a great sportsman, and generally "well liked". They all live in a beautiful house, surrounded by fields. But we then find about Biff
"He have goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!" What leads Elizabeth Proctor to make this powerful and disturbing comment on her husband's decision and why do you think Miller lets these words bring the play to an end?
"He have goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!" What leads Elizabeth Proctor to make this powerful and disturbing comment on her husband's decision and why do you think Miller lets these words bring the play to an end? I think Miller ends the play with these words to show that Elizabeth has forgiven John of his adultery and that John has finally after a lot of mistakes made the right moral decision- which has given him back his ''goodness''. The word goodness has many different meanings. Its first meaning is the state or quality of being good. The second is generosity or kindness; the third meaning is moral excellence, piety, or virtue. The fourth meaning is a euphemism for God: used as an exclamation of surprise (not relevant to this) and the final meaning is 'what is good in something; essence. Different definitions of goodness can be applied to different characters within the Saleum community: For Reverend Hale it may mean moral excellence as he takes on the role of a judge in court. For Elizabeth Proctor it would be appropriate in several ways because she has unshakable religious faith (piety), is honest, never lies, leads a moral life following the ten commandments but stands in judgment on her husband. For John Proctor he is basically a moral man, despises greed (i.e. Reverend Parris demand to own the preachers house), he is rational rather than
