Modern Tragedy: Death of a Salesman - Essay Sample

Introduction

The play that arises from ancient Greek has become people's favorite. Mainly, tragedy is the most preferred among the dramas. A famous philosopher and a poet originating from Greece called Aristotle gave definition and an analysis of what tragedy constitutes. Aristotle defines tragedy as an imitation of an action that is serious and important, which evokes a feeling of catharsis. However, the drama Death of a Salesman depicts a modern tragedy. A recent tragedy does not contribute to the community and the nation at large but manifests the lives of individuals (Turku 15). The play displays the dangerous outcomes of being committed to a lofty goal, such as the American Dream. In a tragedy, there should always be a tragic hero whose responsibility is to ascertain whether the play is a tragedy or not. Also, Aristotle explains the characteristics of a tragic hero as a person whose downfall is caused by his or her own significant mistakes, which provokes sympathy in the audience. For a character to be considered a tragic hero, he or she must recognize that their flows are the cause of their downfall(Aristotle). The main characters in the play, Death of a Salesman are Willy, Biff, and Linda. Although Willy is not a tragic hero because he fails to recognize the futility of his desires, Linda is not a tragic hero because she cannot make decisions. Still, Biff is a tragic hero because his realization of his downfall fulfills all of Aristotle's characteristics of a tragic hero (Golden 22).

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Willy: Not a Tragic Hero - Failure to Recognize Futility

In the play Drama of a Salesman, Willy is an aging salesman who lives in Brooklyn. He is an unpredictable man who aspires to succeed. However, he suffers from depression and anxiety, which arises from his scattering career, his alienated relationship with Biff, his oldest son, and a feeling of offense over an extramarital affair that he has behind her wife, Linda. Willy commits suicide at the end due to pressure from business and life failures. Biff grew up as a footballer. He despises his father after learning that the father is having an extramarital affair. Biffy controls and overstates reality in a way that favors him. Linda is a kind-hearted, loving, and caring wife. She believes in never giving up on her family in both their happy and awful moments. She shows more affection towards her husband more than her sons, Biff and Happy. Linda is a stay at home wife and offers emotional support to her depressed husband, Willy. She ends up being a window at the end of the play.

Willy is not a tragic hero because he doesn't realize the truth of his futile desire until just before he dies. The drama describes Willy's strong wish and desire to succeed in the Sales market. He likes traveling to meet his business obligations a lot. However, he diverts his attention from working as a salesman and starts enjoying repairing his car and his house (Chen 20). Thus, he is torn between being a businessman or a handyman. He fails to recognize and appreciate his wife's efforts to support him. Willy is full of criticism towards his son's failure as a business person instead of focusing on motivating him. He, therefore, fails to recognize one's tragic flaw, which is a characteristic of a tragic hero. Another aspect of a tragic hero that Willy fails to fulfill is the ability to accept mistakes. He denies enlightenment as a defense mechanism and fails to admit that he is an unfortunate and mediocre salesman. He is not capable of formulating proper business strategies to realize the success of his business. He finally commits suicide as a result of realizing that he cannot fit in the market due to frustrations. Willy does not realize his passion concerning his career until his death. Therefore, he fails to qualify as a tragic hero. However, Willy dies, having left an insurance business cover for his son, Biff, to take over after him.

Linda: Not a Tragic Hero - Lack of Decision-Making

Linda is not a tragic hero because she doesn't make a significant mistake that leads to her downfall. She has a very delicate personality, and she lacks the capability of forming firm decisions. Linda fails to face the reality of Willy and Biff's flaws during their downfall (Smith 12). Linda knows that the American economy has deteriorated and is not safe for the success of his husband's business. However, she continues to encourage his husband to protect his emotions. She understands her husband and respects him to the point that she cannot confront Willy even though she is aware that he is having an extramarital affair with another mistress (Smith 13). Linda is desperate and possesses fear, which makes her accept her husband and son's shortcomings. She motivates his husband to go and search for other job and employment opportunities after the sales job has failed to counterpart depression. Linda shows love to Willy's and Biff's downfall, although this does not qualify her as a tragic hero. She encourages Biff and Happy to support and love their father despite how he treats them (Smith 16). Linda does not portray any form of pride in the whole play. Therefore, Linda's actions and behaviors are not the cause of Willy's suicide. Linda is not faced by misfortunes arising from his poor judgments and actions; thus, she does not qualify to be a tragic hero.

Biff: The Tragic Hero - Recognition, Downfall, and Relief

Biff is considered a hero because he knows that following the part of his father would lead to his ruin. Biff struggles to be recognized by his father even though his father fails to recognize Biff's hard work, and this turns into a downfall in his life (Chen 86). Biff fails a mathematics class when pursuing football training. This portrays that he is following his father's view of life. He lacks identity, and he indulges in stealing, which eventually lands him into prison. For this reason, Biff qualifies as a tragic hero. He finally realizes his own identity, and this makes him separate from his father's desires, and he becomes at peace with it. Thus, Biff's ability to recognize his own mistakes and change for the better signifies the quality of a hero. He was frustrated because he had a feeling that he had failed to meet his father's expectation after failing a mathematics test. He comes to terms that his father always criticized him. Willy always wanted his son to prosper academically and eventually become a doctor or a lawyer to obtain monetary wealth. Willy had high expectations from Biff because he was the eldest son. Therefore, Biff qualifies as a tragic hero in the play because he meets all the qualities, as stated by Aristotle which includes, downfall, sad flaw, problem awareness, and provides relief to his audience at the end of the play.

Conclusion

In conclusion, tragedy is the most favorite among the plays that arose from ancient Greek. A tragedy evokes relief at the end, and modern drama manifests and portrays the lives of individuals. Death of a salesman is a recent tragedy as it depicts the dangerous consequences of being committed to an ideal goal, such as an American dream. The main characters in the play area Willy, Biff, and Linda. Biff is Willy's son, and Linda is Willy's wife. Willy is a salesman who eventually suffers from depression and anxiety due to the failure of his business. He ultimately commits suicide due to frustrations but leaves behind a business insurance cover for his son Biff to take over. Biff is a footballer. He despises his father but at the same time, follows his suite. Linda is a supporting and loving wife and is always beside Willy in his hard times to offer emotional support. A tragedy play should always have a tragic hero. In the game, Death of a salesman, Biff is the tragic hero as he recognizes his flaws and mistakes, encounters downfalls, provides relief to the audience, and finally has problems consciousness. Linda, though a loving wife to her husband, fails to use common sense as she supports her husband in both right or wrong. Thus, she ends up miserable and alone at the end.

Works Cited

Chen, Aihua. "Death of a Salesman." The Arthur Miller Journal 11.1 (2016): 86.

Golden, Leon. Aristotle and the Arc of Tragedy. Radius book group, 2017.

Smith, David. "Death of a Salesman." The Arthur Miller Journal 12.1 (2017): 60.

Turku, Marsela. "The tragedy and the human being in Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman." (2011).