1. Arthur Miller & Modern Tragedy

2. BIOGRAPHY
Born in Harlem, New York on October 17, 1915, Arthur Miller was raised in a moderately affluent household until his family lost almost everything in the Wall Street Crash of After graduating high school, Miller worked a few odd jobs to save enough money to attend the University of Michigan. He then moved back east to begin his career.

3. BIOGRAPHY cont’d
Working in the small studio that he built in Roxbury, Connecticut, Miller wrote the first act of Death of Salesman in less than a day. It opened on February 10, 1949 and soon became popular. It won the Pulitzer Prize and a Tony. In 1956, Miller left his first wife, and soon after married Marilyn Monroe. Later that year, the House of Un-American Activities Committee refused to renew Miller's passport, and called him in to appear before the committee.

4. BIOGRAPHY cont’d
In 1961 Monroe and Miller divorced. Within several months, Miller married for a third time. The couple had two children. Daniel, who was born with Down Syndrome, was completely excluded from the family's personal life. His daughter Rebecca married actor Daniel Day Lewis who both worked on the film adaptation of his play The Crucible.
On February 10, 2005 Miller died of heart failure, surrounded by family and friends. He was 89 years old.
Adapted from Biography.com

5. ELEMENTS OF MODERN TRAGEDY

6. HERO/ PROTAGONIST In classical and Shakespearean tragedy, the plot centred on a person of high degree – royalty, soldiers, politicians. In modern tragedy it is centred on the common man – an average person. Miller states, “I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were.”
SONG/MOTIFS In Greek tragedy these contributed to the mood of the play. Consider how a film’s soundtrack and imagery do the same.
CATHARSIS The moment at which the truth is revealed and an emotional release or purging takes place.

7. SETTING Where and when the story takes place
SETTING Where and when the story takes place. In modern tragedy it can be domestic surroundings. TRAGIC FLAW A trait that causes the hero’s downfall. In modern tragedy, the flaw in character is not necessarily negative. Miller believes that a hero’s tragic flaw is, “his inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what he conceives to be a challenge to his dignity, his image of his rightful status.” Miller sees the tragic vision as hopeful, demonstrating “the indestructible will of man to achieve his humanity.” HUBRIS Excessive pride.

8. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “ANTI-HERO”?
The protagonist of a modern tragedy who is not necessarily admired at the beginning of the play and suffers a great failure as the result of a tragic flaw