Essay Sample on Death of a Salesman: A Tragic Tale of Dignity and Imitation

Introduction

Aristotle defined tragedy as an imitation of complete and serious actions in a given magnitude in language. The definition of tragedy provided by Aristotle fits the two plays; Oedipus the King and the Death of a Salesman. The plays have similar features of the tragedy that justify Miller's phrase, "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" (Martin 96). The play, Death of a Salesman was written by Arthur Miller has a tragedy that fits the common audience in modern times. After the analysis of the two plays, the definition of tragedy provided by Aristotle is no longer appropriate in modern times due to lack of monarchy. This essays will critically analyze how the tragedy was used in the plays; Oedipus the King and Death of a Salesman.

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Tragedy in "Oedipus the King": Fate, Nobility, and Catastrophe

In the play, Oedipus the King, the fate of Oedipus is analyzed based on his actions. The oracle of the tradition tells Laius that his son Oedipus will kill him and take the kingship throne (Alderman 179). Also, tragedy occurs when Oedipus killed his fathers and marry the mother. Oedipus is the tragic hero in the play because he has a noble stature and greatness. From the beginning of the play, Oedipus is identified as a noble and caring man in society. Oedipus dies alone but he surrounded by a crowd; that is, publicly but in secret. The death of Oedipus is only witnessed by the great hero, the king of Athens. The death of Oedipus is of significant value to the Athenians because it fulfils the prophecy that, the dead body of a tragic hero and nobleman will bring power to the region/city. On the other hand, the concepts of Arthur Miller on tragedy are much similar to those provided by Sophocles in the play Oedipus the King. The differences between the two plays arise from the disparities on the nobility of the main characters. The traditional term, "fall of the princess" made Arthur Miller use a common man in his characterization because nobility does not appeal anymore into the modern readers and audience (Alderman 178)

Tragedy in "Death of a Salesman": Dignity, Common Man, and Hubris

According to Arthur Miller, the tragic characters is someone who can surrender his life in case of a disaster to secure personal dignity. In the play, Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman commits suicide to preserve his dignity. Willy Loman is a tragic character because he committed suicide after realizing that his life useless (Martin 56). Also, Willy Loman was aware that his death will benefit the family because they will receive insurance as compensation. According to Arthur Miller, tragedies arise from the fear of displacement; therefore, the common people/the poor understand the fear of being displaced better than the nobleman (Turku 34). In the play, Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman has a fear of being a failure in society.

Comparative Analysis: Tragedy Features in the Two Plays

A critical analysis of the two plays provided how the features of the tragedy were utilized by the authors in their work. Some of the common tragedy features identified in the plays include catastrophe and hubris. Arthur Miller and Sophocles applied the two features of tragedy differently based on the themes, settings, and characterizations in the used in the two plays. First, Sophocles used catastrophe in describing the death of Oedipus. The death of the tragic character, Oedipus in the play is catastrophic since it resulted to tension in the society. Also, Sophocles presented the death of Oedipus as a catastrophe by using messenger who was not allowed to see the occurrence. Therefore, the messenger was required to report the occurrence to Theseus who was allowed to witness the tragedy.

Also, Arthur Miller uses catastrophe as a feature to tragedy to explain the death of a Salesman. The death of Willy Loman is catastrophic because his family depended on his business efforts (Martin 18). According to Arthur Miller, the misplaced optimism and inheritance of Willy Loman are important character traits that makes him to be seen as a tragic figure in the play (Turku 65). From the critical analysis of the play, Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is a tragic character whose death is the main catastrophe to the family and the society. In most cases, Willy Loman acted unwisely especially in the confrontation with his son Biff. Willy Loman's motives are directed towards achieving his dreams of becoming the best American business person. In the play, Willy Loman does not die heroically because he dies blindly and alone.

Secondly, hubris is used differently in the two plays, for instance, Sophocles used hubris in describing how the flow of Oedipus was tragic in the play. In the play, Oedipus the King, hubris of Oedipus made him to fulfil what was provided in the traditional oracle; therefore, intensifying the punishments made against him by God. Also, hubris is identified in Sophocles play, Oedipus the King when Oedipus was controlled by his arrogance and tempers while making important judgements in Thebes (Marino 98). Arthur Miller uses hubris to show how exaggerated pride and overconfidence resulted to Loman's tragedy. In the play, Willy Loman is excited by his unrealistic dream of becoming a successful American businessman. The successes of his son Biff made Willy overexcited about the American dream; therefore, resulting to his tragic fate.

Conclusion

To conclude, tragedy is the main theme identified in the two plays because of the activities undertaken by the main characters. Both Sophocles and Arthur Miller used the catastrophe and hubris in their plays but the differences are based on the characterization. Miller's play, Death of a Salesman is appropriate for the audience/readers in the modern society because the operations of the characters relate to contemporary issues.

Works Cited

Alderman, Harold. "Oedipus the King: A Hermeneutic Tragedy." Philosophy and Literature 5.2 (1981): 176-185. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1353/phl.1981.0012

Marino, Stephen. Arthur Miller-Death of a Salesman/The Crucible. Macmillan International Higher Education, 2015. Retrieved from: https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ghR5CgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=Comparative+Analysis+of+Tragedy+in+Oedipus+the+King+and+Death+of+Salesman&ots=IhMiYwpdIA&sig=vkDPcZBZF_rO_W-mJMlkPHvF6As&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Martin, Robert A. "The Nature of Tragedy in Arthur Miller's" Death of a Salesman"." South Atlantic Review 61.4 (1996): 97-106. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3201170

Turku, Marsela. "The Tragedy and the Human being in Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman." (2011). Retrieved from: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/153446867.pdf