Is Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller a Tragedy?

             Five years go Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller had its fiftieth anniversary. After fifty years it is still being discussed if Death of a Salesman is a true tragedy. Some people disagree with this thought and some believe that this is a tragedy. In a critical overview of this play, it states that " critics have differed widely over whether the play is a tragedy or not, ...and whether Willy has or lacks the stature to be a tragic hero."
             When a person wants to categorize a piece of work as a tragedy most look back to the first written definition of what a tragedy is. This definition was by Aristotle in the writings called Poetics. In these writings Aristotle defines tragedy as the following: "According to Aristotle, the central character of a tragedy must not be so virtuous that instead of feeling pity or fear at his or her downfall, we are simply outraged. Also, the character cannot be so evil that for the sake of justice we desire his or her misfortune. Instead, best is someone "who is neither outstanding in virtue and righteousness; nor is it through badness or villainy of his own that he falls into misfortune, but rather through some flaw [hamartia]".
             This definition has been followed ever since when one wants to categorize whether a work is a true drama
             After this play came out in 1949 and there was disagreements about if this play is a tragedy or not an essay was published by Arthur Miller titled "Tragedy and the Common Man" In this essay miller stated,
             "I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were. ...As a general rule, to which there may be exceptions unknown to me, I think the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing--his sense of personal dignity. ...From Orestes to Hamlet, Medea to Macbeth, the underlying struggles that of the individual attempting to gain his...

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Is Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller a Tragedy?. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 12:10, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/24330.html