BACKGROUND
Arthur Miller- Born in New York
Most popular work won him the pulitzer prize in 1949 turned him into a national sensation.
Many critics described Death of a Salesman as the first great American tragedy
He gained great praise as a man who understood what it meant to be an American following the American Dream it's one of the major themes of the play
Plot (opening scene)
As mentioned Wednesday, the play begins with Willy entering his house after a failed sales trip
Linda worried what happened?
Explains he dozed off while driving and doesnt remember what happen Linda wants him to talk to his boss
Biff and Happy
Willy criticizes Biff for being lazy and shorty after says he's anything but lazy
As they argue Biff and Happy wake up and listen
Biff is the older son, he was a football star, but he didn’t graduate because he failed math got fired from every job ever since
Happy is the younger son lives in the shadow of Biff he's described as a womanizer
Willy's mind
Just by the opening scene we see there's something wrong with Willy
Willy's mind is so mest up that he's calling Biff lazy at one point and then saying he's not
He denys it, beacuase he doesnt want to damage Biff's ego he holds on to the hold that Biff's will become something big in life.
Fantasies
Throughout the play, Willy daydreams and has has fantasies about the past Goes into these fantasies to see where he went wrong with his relationship with Biff and why he didnt gain the fame and fortune to dreamed about in the fantasies his family is happy and secure but in reality there's a lot of tension
His relationship with Biff: he see's him as bright hope for the future he allows him to get away with theft
Happy tries to gain his father's attention but fails It's clear that he favors Biff over Happy
His relationship with Linda is more complex
Linda is there to remind Willy to stay true to himself
Exaggerates his salary
Linda deeply loves Willy no matter what
The Woman and the Stockings back to reality
We hear a laughter of a woman she thanks him for the stockings fades away
The Woman symbolizes= something sexual, or discontent
Not clear if Willy cheated on his wife also represents Willy’s discontent in life
Linda is mending her stockings
Yells at her to throw them away
Willy's belief of them being financially stable and it's a matter of his pride yells at her due to guilt of cheating on her
Death Of A Salesman Willy Loman rides on the views of illusion and doesn’t open his eyes to his present reality. His failure is the failure of American myth of success. According to this myth being “well liked” was what one needed for being successful. Another assumption examined by the play is that petty crimes like adultery and stealing are evidence of high spirit. Another assumption examined by Willy was that being an athlete brings glory and privilege, but being studious leads nowhere…
Elements that make a play Successful Death of a Salesman is arguably one of the most successful playwrights to date. Miller won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award for Best Play as well as many other awards (Wikipedia). The play was written in 1949, in postwar time economy, demonstrating the hardships and struggles of a middle class family. What makes this play so successful is Millers use of dramatic element such as plot and characterization, as well as dramatic action and tone, which…
Death of a Salesman Why come to America? What does America really have to offer, one may ask? What sets America aside, and makes it different from other nations around the world? The “American Dream” simply answers all of these questions. In Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman, a man hopelessly chasing the “American Dream”, is unsuccessful in his journey to “paradise.” The “American Dream” is the belief that through hard work, patience, and courage, one can achieve success and…
opportunity to go to a play with my Intro to Art class. This play was called Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller. Arthur Miller has written a lot of plays that have been very popular. So I was very intrigued to see some of his work. However, the title did not make me very excited to see it. It sounds very depressing, and in fact, it was depressing. I had mixed emotions about this play while watching it. Death of a Salesman was a very interesting play that did not keep me on the edge of my seat…
Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The main character Willy Loman is a 60-year old unstable salesman who bases his life on the idea of the American dream. Willy suffers from self-delusion and is obsessed with the desire to succeed. In the play Death of a Salesman Willy Loman is considered the static protagonist. In the play Willy Loman is the static protagonist. The plot of the play focuses on Willy not being aware of the difference between reality and…
Drama Review –Theme and Conflict in Death Danyelle Westphal Rasmussen College Author Note This paper is being submitted on August 10, 2014 for Vicki Phillips, G330 American Literature. The story “Death of a Salesman” was written by Arthur Asher Miller in 1949. Arthur Miller was an American playwright, essayist and prominent figure in twentieth-century. He was born in Harlem, New York City on October 17, 1915 and died in Roxbury, Connecticut on February 10, 2005. He was married three times…
Joseph Grippo Comprehensive English 12 – Death of a Salesman “Problem Essay” Mr. Mouzon 5 January 2, 2015 “And I was fine… I opened the windshield and let the warm air breathe over me. And then all of a sudden I’m going off the road!”- Willy Loman (pg 14) This doesn’t quite sound like the words of a man who is perfectly stable in life. Normally if you are fine just a moment ago and then the next thing that happens is you zoning out and driving off the road, this means that your mind is having…
Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman illustrates the culture of entitlement. Miller shows us a man who fails in his own life and whose children fail also in their own lives. At a time when Willy should be retiring, he falls lower and lower on the ladder of success. First losing his salary and then losing his job. Willy’s idea of American dream and entitlement is completely contrary to reality. Willy believes that happiness will be fed to him because of his personality…
prosperous, America was in better economic condition than any other country in the world, but this didn’t mean all Americans were home free. Especially working-class Americans still clinging to the hope of the infamous American dream. Both Death of A Salesman, and Fences major themes revolve around the demise of the American patriarch of a single family, including fathers who commit adultery and illustrate their characters' attempts to make the elusive American dream a reality, specifically the fictional…
How is the American Dream portrayed within the play? The 'Death of a Salesman' was written in 1949 by a playwright named Arthur Miller, who was showing what could be called the antithesis of the American Dream. The general description of the play's theme would be, an individual man involved in business laboring to become successful in a world which to him has become mystifying and unfriendly. Even in the name of the play the idea is vague, because of the use of 'a' instead of 'the', but throughout…
