10.5.1

The Play as Tragedy

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The Play as a Tragedy

There are three main competing views regarding the classification of Death of a Salesman as a tragedy.

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Debate

  • Since its first performances, critics and commentators (and Arthur Miller himself) have become embroiled in the debate over whether Death of a Salesman should be considered a tragedy.
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Miller

  • As there is no single, universal definition of what constitutes a tragedy, this is an argument that can never be settled.
  • Miller has himself changed his mind on the matter several times while also arguing that it simply does not matter how the play is categorised, admitting, “I have often wished I had never written a word on the subject of tragedy”.
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Different views

  • The next section will introduce you to three competing views on Death of a Salesman as a tragedy.

Jump to other topics

1Introduction

2Act One

3Act Two

4Extended Passage Analysis

5Character Profiles

6Key Themes

7Writing Techniques

8Historical Context

9Literary Context

10Critical Debates

11Recap: Main Quotes

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