The Tragic Hero
"Man is here too little and too passive to play the tragic hero".In Death of a Salesman, Miller presents us with a new version of what we define as tragedy. If we look to the Greek plays such as Oedipus Rex, we are shown very fixed ideas of tragedy that involve a hero falling from high stature to the depths of depravity by the mistakes that he has made. Indeed, Aristotle termed tragedy as downfall that was not the fault of the hero. However, he produced his definitions based largely on The Theban Plays and so perhaps gives us reason to question these archaic prescriptive terms. Moreover, if we are to ascertain whether or not Willy Lowman is able to "play the tragic hero," we must surmise how effectively Miller's writing conforms to our preconceptions of the tragedy genre. It would be luxurious to suppose that these preconceptions are changeable, for to give the above quote any credence, we are acknowledging "the tragic hero" as being one of many such figures that have made literary fame (or indeed infamy) before it. Miller has willingly spoken of his play as being tragic and calls on the reader and his critics to acknowledge it so. "I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kin
There is little doubt that Willy buys into this ideology from the beginning of the play. Ben's character does not contain the realism of the others. Although there is honour in pride, at a family's expense many would perceive this as foolish irresponsibility. In the same breath that Willy speaks of being "vital in New England" (10), he exemplifies everyone's belief that they were someone and could be someone more if they wanted. If we examine for one moment, the more confident and separate the character is from the American Dream, the more detail and information we learn of their lives. If Willy had been a "somebody" at any stage in the play, then perhaps his death would be tragic. it's so beautiful up there, Linda, the trees are so thick, and the sun is so warm. In many people's eyes, a hard-working common man, is the archetypal hero and indeed worthy of our respect. Willy is not entirely to blame, as self-worth is as necessary to him as the money he will earn. Indeed, we have often associated tragedy with someone who starts on a high level (and falls), however, we may suppose that the same is true of Willy Lowman. However, selfishness may well be seen as a flaw, indicative of the morally corrupt Dream this "hero" follows. " (1949 cited Weales 1967) This view forces us to question our initial interpretations of the "tragic hero. On the other hand, if we are not to blame Willy for his own nemesis, then he is not only honourable but his end is indeed tragic. " (9) However, this "honourable" character is then seen to disillusion the reader by his reluctance to conform to the reader's expectations of honourable behaviour.
Common topics in this essay:
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Willy Lowman,
Chevrolet Linda,
Ben Ben's,
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Salesman Oedipus,
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oedipus rex,
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Acceptance Essays
