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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This paper examines Arthur Miller's play, Death of a Salesman, and attempts to determine if Willy Loman fits the profile of the tragic hero. The paper also discusses the play as a good example of a tragedy, as defined by Greek philosopher Aristotle.
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File: D0_MTdthsal.rtf
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the breakdown and disillusionment of a typical American man who works hard so that his wife and children can have more than he has. The character of Willy Loman has
been dissected by critics and English teachers alike to determine what his connection to everyman is. The question arises, however - is Willy Loman a tragic hero? And can Death
of a Salesman be considered an actual tragedy? The answer is: it depends on how the term "tragedy" is defined in the context of American theater.
A literary tragedy is defined by The Columbia Encyclopedia as "a form of drama that depicts the suffering of a heroic individual who is often overcome
by the very obstacles he is struggling to remove" ("Tragedy," 1993). The purpose of tragic drama, noted Greek philosopher Aristotle, was very specific - tragic dramas were in existence to
help spectators purge their own emotions of pity and fear by living and experiencing emotions vicariously through the actors on stage who are experiencing the tragedy (Tragedy, 1993).
According to Aristotles Theory of Tragedy, a play had to meet four conditions to be considered a true, dramatic literary tragedy (McClelland, 2001).
First, is that the play should be of serious magnitude, and have an impact on many, many people (McClelland, 2001). The second factor is that the play have a tragic
hero, complete with a character flaw that is responsible for his ultimate downfall, leading to the plays tragic ending (McClelland, 2001). The third factor for tragic theater is that the
play should evoke pity or fear, so that the audience pities the hero, while in the deepest recesses of their minds, and are thankful that the same things arent happening
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