Willy Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a Salesman Essay -- Death Sales

Willy Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a gross salesman Willy Loman, the title character of the play, Death of Salesman, exhibits all the characteristics of a modern sad hero. This essay will have got 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. Death of Salesman, by Arthur Miller, fits the characteristics of classic tragedy. ?.... this is, first of all, a play about a mans death. And tragedy has from the beginning dealt with this awesome experience, regarding it as significant and moving.? (Nourse). The first defining point of a tragedy is the hero. The traits for a sad hero, as defined by Aristotle in Poetics, are social rank, hamartia, ability to arouse pity, peripeteia, hubris, and anagnorisis. Will Lomans classification as a tragic hero has been debated because he lacks the high social rank and nobility to be cons idered so. Arthur Miller chose to argue this, however, by stating that Willy Loman was ?a very brave life history who cannot settle for but mustiness pursue his dream of himself to the end,? (Moss, 27) reasserting the character of a modern hero as noble, not in position ... ... Twayne Publishers, 1967. Nourse, Joan T. Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman and All My Sons. raw(a) York, 1965. Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Elements of Literature. Ed. Edwina McMahon et al. New York Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1997. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Elements of Literature. Ed. Robert Scholes, Nancy Comley, Carl H. Klaus, and David Staines. Toronto Oxford University Press, 1990. 714-757. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. New York capital of Delaware Publications, Inc., 1991. Clinton W. Trowbridge, Arthur Miller Between Pathos and Tragedy, Arthur Miller, ed. Harold Bloom (New York Chelsea House, 1987) Willy Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a Salesman Essay -- Death SalesWilly L oman 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. Death of Salesman, by Arthur Miller, fits the characteristics of classic tragedy. ?.... this is, first of all, a play about a mans death. And tragedy has from the beginning dealt with this awesome experience, regarding it as significant and moving.? (Nourse). The first defining point of a tragedy is the hero. The traits for a tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle in Poetics, are social rank, hamartia, ability to arouse pity, peripeteia, hubris, and anagnorisis. Will Lomans classification as a tragic hero has been debated because he lacks the high social rank and nobility to be considered so. Arthur Miller chose to argue this, however, by stating that Willy Loman was ?a very brave spirit who cannot settle for but must pursue his dream of himself to the end,? (Moss, 27) reasserting the character of a modern hero as noble, not in position ... ... Twayne Publishers, 1967. Nourse, Joan T. Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman and All My Sons. New York, 1965. Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Elements of Literature. Ed. Edwina McMahon et al. New York Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1997. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Elements of Literature. Ed. Robert Scholes, Nancy Comley, Carl H. Klaus, and David Staines. Toronto Oxford University Press, 1990. 714-757. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. New York Dover Publications, Inc., 1991. Clinton W. Trowbridge, Arthur Miller Between Pathos and Tragedy, Arthur Miller, ed. Harold Bloom (New York Chelsea House, 1987)