The Tragedy Effect Of Death Of A Salesman - 1888 Words

Rachel Lopez Professor Brender ENGL 1220 29 June 2015 The Tragedy Effect From sudden death, to catching a loved one in an affair, what effect does tragedy hold on a person? Hamlet from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and Biff Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman both experience life changing tragedy. Hamlet’s father died and his mother remarried to his uncle Claudius within two month of his father’s death. Hamlet is also compelled to avenge his father’s death and against his will he must kill King Claudius. In Death of a Salesman, Biff Loman struggles with the knowledge of his father’s affair, and his lack of success in life. On top of that he finds out that his father is in a state of mental decay. With the effect of tragedy how do Hamlet and Biff measure up through influence, relationships, and emotions? To begin with, when certain events occur it can lead a person like Biff or Hamlet to ruin themselves or others. Both Hamlet and Biff exhibit self-destructive behaviors as a result to their paren ts’ scandalous acts. When Biff had caught his father in an affair the result was Biff’s lack of success in life. It had been a crucial moment in Biff’s life. Biff was just about ready for college with scholarships ready for him. But Biff was going to fail math. He had gone missing for a month to visit Boston specifically to receive his father’s help, but in return he left defeated. He lost hope in his life. Through Bernard and Willy’s conversation in Act 2 it is found out that BiffShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis: Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman† – A Tragedy?1416 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Bible or leave it up to himself? In â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller, but is it correct to define this theatric drama as a tragedy. According to Klaas Tindemans, â€Å"Aristotle’s concept of tragedy has been perceived as both a descriptive and a normative concept: a description of a practice as it should be continued† therefore, Aristotle’s definition of tragedy could be considered complex. On the other hand, according to Tony Hunt in â€Å"The Tragedy of Roland†, â€Å"in the Poetics Aristotle isRead More Comparing the Tragedies of Hamlet, Oedipus the King, and Death of a Salesman1023 Words   |  5 PagesComparing the Tragedies of Hamlet, Oedipus the King, and Death of a Salesman The tragedies Hamlet, Oedipus the King, and Death of a Salesman have strikingly different plots and characters; however, each play shares common elements in its resolution. The events in the plays’ closings derive from a tragic flaw possessed by the protagonist in each play. The downfall of each protagonist is caused by his inability to effectively cope with his tragic flaw. The various similarities in the closingRead MoreDeath of a Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller836 Words   |  4 PagesDeath of a Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Since the beginning of time, man has endeavored to become something more, to grow as a society. This has been accomplished through many extremes from war and conquest to science and exploration. The struggle endured during these events has indeed been great, but there is no greater struggle, nor one that reaps more reward, than that which the individual goes through to discover himself. Benjamin Franklin once said, â€Å"ThereRead MoreHow Is Willy Loman A Tragic Hero727 Words   |  3 Pages The tragic hero referenced throughout the essay Tragedy and a Common Man is Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman. What Arthur Miller means by tragic hero is a protagonist in a play or a different form of filmography who is a subject for tragedy in its highest sense. The essay refers to a character who is ready to lay down his life to secure his personal dignity. The next reference to this character is society the struggle to gain a rightful position. The last proof of this is how Miller talks aboutRead MoreEssay Death of a Salesman, Tragic Hero. Willy Loman.1503 Words   |  7 PagesTo what extent can Willy Loman be considered a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s rules? Arthur Miller presents his play ‘Death of a Salesman’ in the ancient form of a tragedy. Aristotle has defined his idea of the ‘perfect’ tragedy in his text, ‘Poetics’ (350 BC).Here he suggests that the protagonist must fall from an elevated social standing as a result of a â€Å"fatal flaw† within the character; the fall from the main character creates resolution to the play which is seen as just; finally, AristotleRead More Death of a Salesman - A Modern Day Tragedy Essay1184 Words   |  5 PagesDeath of a Salesman - A Modern Day Tragedy The question which arises within Death of a Salesman is, Is this a modern Tragedy? A tragic play can be commonly observed when a protagonist falls from a great height. His decline is not about immediate death, although in most cases death becomes apparent at the end of the play, e.g. Macbeth. A tragedy shows the suffering of a character and utter compulsion of him if he does not succeed to reach his dream. These plays show the blissful releaseRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman Is A Tragedy In The Sense That It Displays1015 Words   |  5 PagesDeath of a Salesman is a tragedy in the sense that it displays the consequences of commitment of one s life towards an idealistic goal such as the American Dream. Willy Loman fails to see that he is an unsuccessful salesman and to escape that harsh reality, he constantly reminisces his past. Which beg the question, is Willy Loman a tragic hero? He may not be a conventional tragic hero but he indeed had a downfall however, he wasn’t in a distinguished position to say the least. He was everybody yetRead More Death of a Salesman Structure Metaphoric Language and Theme1542 Words   |  7 PagesDeath of a Salesman Structure Metaphoric Language and Theme In looking at the characteristics of the tragic hero, it can be see that Willy Loman is not a tragic hero but a victim of a false idealistic pursuit of the â€Å"American Dream†. Willy strives to become and instill in his sons the success of the self made man that American society often advertises but ultimately falls short, and instead, escapes accepting his failure through lies and death. What many flaws Willy possesses, most do notRead MoreAristoles View on Drama1347 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferent categories of drama: comedy and tragedy. Greek theater used two masks known as Thalia (comedy mask) and Melpomene (tragedy mask) to symbolize these two types. In a general sense comedy and tragedy differ only in there endings. For instance both comedies and tragedies can have moments of laughter and sadness, but comedies end happy while tragedies end very sad. While both genres of drama have greatly influenced theater as we know it today, Greek tragedy is better known as ha ving a more importantRead MoreWilly Loman: Truly Tragic or Plainly Pathetic? 1581 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The goat song† is the original meaning of the word â€Å"tragedy.† The word developed when men lined up to offer their goats as sacrifices to their gods. The goats they held or lead realized their fates and began bleating sorrowfully. They mourned that their lives were to be laid down for others; however, Willy Loman from â€Å"Death of a Salesman† gave up his life courageously. Arthur Millers character, Willy Loman, thought the only way he could help his family was to die. After much defeat Willy reflected