Krantz
HU2500
Drama
Death of a Salesman

1. Is Willy Loman a tragic hero? What admirable characteristics does Willy have? Could any of his desires or motivations be called noble? In what respect are Willy's motivations in committing suicide to be admired? In what respect are they mistaken? Does Willy make any "discovery" before his death? If so, does it involve an increased self-knowledge?

2. Miller says that "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. Is this remark applicable to Willy Loman, and, if so, how?

3. Regardless of the answers to questions 1 & 2, there can be little doubt that, Willy Loman is the victim of a "tragic flaw." Can you isolate that flaw? Is it Willy's own tragic flaw that causes his downfall? Is it society's? Is is a combination of both?

4. Willy is generally assumed to be the protagonist of the play, but some argument is made that Biff is the protagonist. If Willy is the protagonist, who or what constitutes the antagonistic force? Is the antagonist the same if one considers Biff as the protagonist? Explain.

5. Which characters change during the course of the play? In what respects?

6. Discuss the interaction of the characters in Death of a Salesman. What effect has Willy had upon his sons' lives? They on his? Linda has been described as the "perfect wife." Do you find her so? What has been her effect on the lives of Willy and her sons? Willy's brother Ben is in many ways a character foil to Willy. To what extent, if any, has Ben's "success" contributed to Willy's failure? What is Ben's role in the play? What function do Charley and Bernard serve in the play?

7. What purposes are served by the Requiem? What ironies does it contain? What would be lost by its omission?

8. To what extent is Death of a Salesman realistic? To what extent is it nonrealistic? Describe the nonrealistic devices Miller uses and comment on their purpose.