Death of a Salesman-Is Willy a Modern Tragic Hero

Attention, attention must be paid to such a man. In which parts of the play can Willy Loman be considered great, and where does he seem a low man. Do you agree that he is truly a modern tragic figure? Death of a Salesman is a play that has come to redefine the concept of modern tragedy. A challenge to Philip Sydneys judgement that tragedy concerneth the high fellow Death of a Salesman is the tragedy of the common man of the low-man. Many critics charge that Death of a Salesman falls short of tragedy and is therefore disqualified as a great play. Tragedy is developed as a form of drama that incorporates incidents arousing pity and fear, to accomplish the catharsis of such emotions. The ancient philosopher, Aristotle, wrote†¦show more content†¦However, this play is not about capitalism versus communism but about a man disenchanted by the passage of time and dismayed at the realism that has robbed him of his dreams, ambitions and success, he feels kind of temporary about himself, which is why we see him at the end of his career and not the beginning. Conversely, the ability of Willy, the common man, to take on the role of the tragic hero can be seen as a demonstration that those worth nothing can achieve anything and is therefore a realisation of the American Dream. Eric Bentley argues that Death of a Salesman arouses pity but no terror. Man here is too little and too passive to play the tragic hero. However, I feel that the fact that Willy is a little man evokes both pity and terror. Willy moves us to fear because we can recognise similar possibilities of error in ourselves. Willy is universal in the sense that he is typical of us all, he is a low-man. Many of us know how it feels to struggle to succeed, and like Willy, material success is often an inescapable part of our lives whether or not we wish to admit it. Act I might be said to inspire horror, as Willys deteriorating mental state is made clear and Act II could engender pity as he suffers even more for it than he perhaps deserves. We can see that although he may not necessarily a great man now, Willy once was. Up until the discovery ofShow MoreRelatedWilly Loman, the Modern Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman1739 Words   |  7 Pagesman, known as the modern hero of tra gedies. Miller describes what characteristics the modern tragic hero possesses and how he differs from the heroes depicted by classic Greek playwrights such as Sophocles and Aristotle. In order to understand how drastically the modern hero has evolved, one must first understand the basic characteristics that the heroes created by Sophocles and Aristotle encompass. The Greek tragic heroes, otherwise known as the protagonists, illustrated by tragic Greek playwrightsRead MoreExamples Of Tragedy In Death Of A Salesman1199 Words   |  5 PagesAlthough both are the top elements that are the focus of tragedy, the other four are imperative to achieve the tone and overall character of one. In Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller, the character Willy Loman is an average modern American man with a superficial American Dream: to be liked, to succeed over everyone else, to be a great salesman. Willy possessed a misguided love for his family and a yearning for success. As his life takes its course, it peaks in his son’s high school years when heRead More Willy Loman, Redefining the Tragic Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman1065 Words   |  5 PagesWilly Loman, Redefining the Tragic Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman      Ã‚  Ã‚   The events in the life of Willy Loman in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman are no doubt tragic, yet whether or not he can be considered a tragic hero in a traditional sense is a topic requiring some discussion. Aristotle set the criteria for qualities a character must possess in order to be considered a tragic hero. In order to reach a conclusion on this matter, all six criteria must be examined to determineRead More Willy Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a Salesman Essay1519 Words   |  7 PagesWilly Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a Salesman       Willy Loman, the title character of the play, Death of Salesman, exhibits all the characteristics of a modern tragic hero. This essay will support this thesis by drawing on examples from Medea by Euripedes, Poetics by Aristotle, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, and Shakespeares Julius Caesar, while comments by Moss, Gordon, and Nourse reinforce the thesis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Death of Salesman, by Arthur Miller, fits the characteristics of classicRead More Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman is A Modern Tragedy Essay1044 Words   |  5 PagesArthur Millers Death of a Salesman is A Modern Tragedy  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      In the fourth century B.C., Aristotle set forth his description of dramatic tragedy, and for centuries after, tragedy continued to be defined by his basic observations. It was not until the modern age that playwrights began to deviate somewhat from the basic tenets of Aristotelian tragedy and, in doing so, began to create plays more recognizable to the common people and, thereby, less traditional. Even so, upon examinationRead More Common Man as Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman Essay1518 Words   |  7 PagesCommon Man as Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman What is tragedy? While the literal definition may have changed over the centuries, one man believed he knew the true meaning of a tragic performance. Aristotle belonged to the culture that first invented tragic drama – the ancient Greeks. Through this, he gave himself credibility enough to illustrate the universally necessary elements of tragic drama. In The Poetics, Aristotle gives a clear definition of a tragedy, writing that it is â€Å"an imitationRead MoreEssay on Can Willy Loman Be Considered A Tragic Hero?1632 Words   |  7 PagesCan Willy Loman Be Considered A Tragic Hero? Whether Willy Loman can be considered a tragic hero has long been debated between critics. Ever since Miller produced the play, people have discussed whether Willy’s status was high enough for his fall to be considered tragic, or whether Willy can be seen as an altogether modern tragic hero, I will be looking at both these views taking into consideration critics views and also adding my own thoughts. Tragedy has its origin in ancient GreeceRead MoreEssay Death of a Salesman, Tragic Hero. Willy Loman.1503 Words   |  7 PagesTo what extent can Willy Loman be considered a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s rules? Arthur Miller presents his play ‘Death of a Salesman’ in the ancient form of a tragedy. Aristotle has defined his idea of the ‘perfect’ tragedy in his text, ‘Poetics’ (350 BC).Here he suggests that the protagonist must fall from an elevated social standing as a result of a â€Å"fatal flaw† within the character; the fall from the main character creates resolution to the play which is seen as just; finally, AristotleRead MoreWilly Loman Tragic Hero730 Words   |  3 Pages1949, the forlorn life of Willy Loman is introduced in Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman†. At this time the American Dream was something everyone craved during the peak of suburbia. The American Dream was the golden standard of living like Donna Reed, all wrapped up with a white picket fence. To Willy Loman, The American Dream was not the golden standard, but the only standard. His wife Linda dutifully greeting him as he came home from a successful day as a salesman, and sits down to dinner withRead More Death of a Salesman - A Modern Day Tragedy Essay1184 Words   |  5 PagesDeath of a Salesman - A Modern Day Tragedy The question which arises within Death of a Salesman is, Is this a modern Tragedy? A tragic play can be commonly observed when a protagonist falls from a great height. His decline is not about immediate death, although in most cases death becomes apparent at the end of the play, e.g. Macbeth. A tragedy shows the suffering of a character and utter compulsion of him if he does not succeed to reach his dream. These plays show the blissful release