1. Arthur Miller: Connections to the Past

2. Character: The Hero – a modern view
“ a man or woman admired for his achievements and noble qualities; one who shows great courage. “
Webster’s, 1998 ed.

3. What is a hero?
According to editorial writer and Nazi concentration camp survivor, Si Frumkin, a hero is one who can
Make conscious choices
Endure great suffering

4. Frumkin continues “Heroism is a matter of choice, of a decision
made and an action taken.
Suffering isn’t. Obviously
the two are not mutually
exclusive, but they are far
from identical.”

5. Aristotle and the hero – the ancient view
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’s life: 384 – 322 B.C.)

6. Aristotle says,
“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.

7. Aristotle continues,
“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

8. furthermore Heroes must be true to life be consistent
They must also make an important self-discovery: Oedipus learns that while he is a great and noble man, he is subordinate to the gods.

9. 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?

10. 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

11. men who are irascible or indolent, or have other defects of character, should preserve the type and yet ennoble it.”

12. The chorus in Antigone notes,
“Wonders there are many, but none more wonderful than human beings.”

13. What are Willy’s character traits thus far?
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

14. The bad:
arrogant
self-deceiving
unfaithful to Linda in the past
not wholly honest
quick tempered

15. 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?

16. Compare and contrast Willy with Howard Wagner. What do you see
Compare and contrast Willy with Howard Wagner. What do you see? What does Howard represent?

17. 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

18. At play’s end
Is Willy Loman a modern tragic hero?

19. Structure: What else did Aristotle think?
He believed in the importance of
unity of action
unity of time
unity of place

20. 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

21. Audience response
Aristotle envisioned a cathartic experience (catharsis) for the audience, where their initial feelings of pity and fear are replaced by a sense of relief and a sense of being emotionally cleansed.

22. At the end of a performance of the first Broadway production
From the director, Elia Kazan,: “It was the only time I’ve ever known men in the audience to cry.”
John Huston commented, “I’ll never forget it…I looked around me once, and people had slipped off their seats and were kneeling, they were on their knees crying…It’s like what happens in the last stages of analysis.”

23. When you finish the play….
Does Death of a Salesman provide you with a catharsis?

24. On Death of a Salesman
“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.

25. 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.”
The question of who shall wield the power?

26. 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