Death Of A Salesman Vs. Hamlet
Willy Loman and Hamlet, two characters so alike, though different.Both are perfect examples of tragedy in literature, though for separatereasons and by distinct methods. The definition of a tragedy, in anutshell, states that for a character to be considered tragic, he/she mustbe of high moral estate, fall to a level of catastrophe, induce sympathyand horror in the audience, and usually die, and in doing so, re-establishorder in the society. Hamlet follows this to a "T". Death of a Salesmandoes not fall within these set guidelines but is still considered tragicfor reasons, though different, somewhat parallel those of Hamlet's. Hamlet, a rich young price of high moral estate suddenly has hisjoyous life ripped away from him when his father, Hamlet Sr., suddenlypasses away. Though originally thought to be of natural causes, it is
Many years before,Willy had an affair. Willy and Hamlet both fell from grace, both commited morallybankrupt acts and evetually died, giving way to a re-establishment of order. A common man's injured sense of dignity, coupled with forces beyond hiscontrol and/or ability to comprehend, displace him from his perceived place,causing the audience to recognize such and prepare itself for theinevitable finale in which the hopelessness and defeat are more poignantthan the actual death. father's ghost, that dear old dad wasmurdered by his Step-Father, and also his Uncle, Claudius. as the new King of Denmark, and dies. In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, a salesman who believedhimself to be a powerful man, has his life unravel before him as he loseshis job, his sanity and the respect of those around him. Hamlet eventually gets hold of the sword and kills Laertes, thenkills King Claudius. Biff later went on to become a drifter of sorts,dabbling in one low-paying profession after another until finally settlingon a farm. A duel takes place between Hamlet and Laertes where Laertes, usinga poison-tipped sword, cuts Hamlet, thus giving way for his impendingdeath. Tragic men, for different reasons, bound together through their demeanorand their deaths. Ophelia, Hamlet's love interest, commits suicide/dies (that's upfor debate elsewhere) after going slightly mad from the impact of herfather's death, then Laertes, Polonius' son, arrives on the scene enragedand ready to kill Hamlet for what he's done, and just when you thoughtthings couldn't get any worse, unbeknownst to Hamlet, Claudius has beenplotting to kill him. Hamlet and Willy are both considered tragic. Too stubborn to accept a job from his next-door neighbour,Willy is forced to lie to his family.
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