Transcript Arthur Miller: Connections to the Past

Arthur Miller
About The Tragic Hero –
a modern view
“ A man or woman admired for his
achievements and noble qualities; one who
shows great courage. “
Webster’s, 1998 ed.
Aristotle and the hero
– the ancient view
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A mixture of good and bad personality traits
Of high moral worth
Elevated above the common man
“larger than life”
Possessing a character flaw and/ or ignorant of a
key fact
Aristotle
“There remains, then, the character
between two extremes – that of a man who
is not eminently good and just, yet whose
misfortune is brought about not by vice or
depravity, but by some error or frailty. He
must be someone highly renowned and
prosperous.” On Poetry and Music, 330 B.C.
Aristotle
“The hero experiences the change of
fortune from good to bad. It should come
about, as the result, not of vice, but of some
great error or frailty in a character.”
On Poetry and Music
Aristotle’s reflections on tragedy
“Tragedy is an imitation of persons who
are above the common level [and thus] the
example of good portrait painters should be
followed. They, while reproducing the
distinctive form of the original, make a
likeness which is true to life and yet more
beautiful. So, too, the poet, in representing
Death of a Salesman
• Biff says in the Requiem, “Charley, the man
didn’t know who he was.”
• Can a character be a tragic hero if he never
attains self-knowledge?
Willy Loman
The good:
• love for his wife
• love for his sons, esp. Biff
• Hardworking; can endure suffering
• loyalty to his company;
• devoted to the concept of the strength & beauty of
America; self-less
• idealistic
The bad:
• arrogant
• self-deceiving
• unfaithful to Linda in the past
• not wholly honest
• quick tempered
The Common Man as Hero
Miller’s thoughts:
“The common man is suitable for a tragic
hero.”
Willy is meant to be seen as greater and
better (at least in potential) than his society.
Is he? In what ways?
More from Miller
• Willy Loman is worthy of being viewed as a
tragic hero because he “is ready to sacrifice
his life to secure one thing--his sense of
personal dignity.”
Arthur Miller
Structure
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He believed in the importance of
unity of action
unity of time
unity of place
What does Miller use?
• Unity of time ? - Yes! Last 24 hours of
Willy’s life
• Unity of action? - Yes! The play is
complete unto itself
• Unity of place? – No – there are multiple
settings
Themes in Death
• The love of a father for a son and a son
(Biff) for a father
• The conflict between father and son
• Man’s need to “leave a thumbprint
somewhere in the world.”
Additional themes…
• An examination of the materialistic values
of society
• An individual’s search for meaning and
purpose in life (not Willy, but Biff)
• failure in pursuit of success
• the problem of communication
Reception
“Miller’s achievement [in Death of a
Salesman] is genuine and important,
embodying a serious theme and defining a
serious flaw in a modern, materialistic
world.”
Thomas Arp, S.M.U.