1. Aim: how can we begin to characterize the loman family in the play, DEATH OF A SALESMAN?
Do Now: Look at the page across from Act 1, pg. 1: What is the setting of the play, Death of a Salesman?

3. Staged play - SETTING

4. VOCABULARY
TREPIDATION (Hearing Willy outside the bedroom, Linda calls with some trepidation.) – noun – a feeling of fear
VITAL (They don’t need me in New York. I’m the New England man. I’ve vital in New England.) – adjective – absolutely necessary
ACCOMODATING (You’re too accommodating, dear.) – adjective – fitting in with someone’s wishes or demands in a helpful way
UNDERCURRENT (There’s such an undercurrent in him.) – noun – a hidden feeling
CRESTFALLEN (He was crestfallen, Willy.) – adjective – sad and disappointed
SIMONIZE (Remember those days? The way Biff used to simonize that car?) – verb – to polish
BASHFUL (I bet you forgot how bashful you used to be. Especially with girls.) – adjective – shy
MOCK – (Why does Dad mock me all the time?) – verb – to make fun of – to tease or laugh at

5. READING A PLAY
PLAY: a story that is told through dialogue and often performed on a stage
DIALOGUE: a conversation between two or more people
STAGE DIRECTIONS: an instruction in the text of the play of what direction to move, what tone to use, lights, sounds, etc

6. THE SALESMAN – willy loman
Tired
Contradicts himself
Talks to himself
Loses focus
How is Willy characterized?
Characterization is the way a character revealed – through description, dialogue, actions, looks, etc.

7. LINDA
“… she more than loves him, she admires him, as though his mercurial nature, his temper, his massive dreams and little cruelties, served her only as sharp reminders of the turbulent longings within him, longings which she shares but lacks the temperament to utter and follow to their end.” p. 2
Which theme is presented in these lines about Linda? Hint – the theme has to do with love, but what kind of love is depicted here?

8. Loman brothers
“Biff is two years older than his brother, Happy, well built, but in these days bears a worn air and seems less self-assured. He has succeeded less, and his dreams are stronger and less acceptable than Happy’s.” p. 8
“Happy is tall, powerfully made. Sexuality is like a visible color on him, or a scent that many women have discovered. He, like his brother, is lost but in a different way, for he has never allowed himself to turn his face toward defeat and is thus more confused and hard-skinned, although seemingly more content.” p. 8
Based on these descriptions, in what ways are both Biff and Happy lost?