The Critics

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Eric Bentley

For Eric Bentley, the play is not a satisfactory tragedy.

Lack of terror

Bentley argues that, although audiences may feel “pity”, Willy is too lowly and pathetic a figure to inspire “terror”.

Lack of resolution

Bentley also argued that the play never resolves the question of who is responsible for Willy’s death: is Willy the victim of his own tragic flaw or is he brought down by external (e.g. socio-economic) forces?

No man's land

For Bentley, Miller’s play falls between two stools – the tragedy and the socio-political play – and, as a result, ends up being neither.

Harold Bloom

For Harold Bloom, the play is a tragedy “despite itself”.

Not a tragedy

The play does not work as a tragedy in that Willy never achieves self-knowledge and the society of the play is not “cleansed” by Willy’s death.

A tragedy

But Willy’s death leads to Biff’s path to self-knowledge, while also “releasing” Biff from following Willy’s destructive dream.

Stephen Barker

Stephen Barker sees the play as a Nietzschean tragedy.

Nietzsche

The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) argued that human life was essentially meaningless and that “God is dead”.
Nietzsche saw tragedy as an art-form allowing audiences to recognise this truth.

Lack of closure

For Nietzsche, tragedy does not offer closure or understanding and Barker argues that Death of a Salesman conforms to this.
Willy kills himself for nothing and that Linda is the key figure in the play’s closing Requiem in that she does not understand Willy’s final act: “Why did you do it?”

Lies

Barker also sees the play as a Nietzschean tragedy in that it conforms to Nietzsche’s views that, as life was often unbearably cruel and painful, human beings essentially lie to each other in order to survive.
For Barker, Willy has spent his life lying to himself about who he really is and the Requiem shows that Happy will continue to follow Willy’s delusions (“he had a good dream”).

1Introduction

1.1Introductions

1.1.1Author

1.1.2Historical Context

1.1.3Setting

1.1.4Social Issues

2Act One

2.1Key Events

2.1.1Staging

2.1.2Key Events 1&2

2.1.3Key Events 3&4

2.1.4Key Events 5&6

2.1.5Key Events 7&8

2.1.6Key Events 9&10

2.1.7Key Events 11&12

2.2Key Themes & Literary Techniques

2.2.1Foreshadowing, Flashbacks, Settings

2.2.2Family, Reality, Fantasy

3Act Two

3.1Key Events

3.1.1Key Events 1&2

3.1.2Key Events 3&4

3.1.3Key Events 5&6

3.1.4Key Events 7&8

3.1.5Key Events 9&10

3.2Key Themes & Links

3.2.1Pride

3.2.2Metaphor

3.2.3Self-Realisation

4Extended Passage Analysis

4.1Act One

4.1.1Staging

4.1.2The Woman

4.2Act Two

4.2.1In Howard’s Office

4.2.2The Final Confrontation

4.2.3The Requiem

5Character Profiles

5.1Willy & Linda Loman

5.1.1Willy Loman

5.1.2Linda Loman

5.2Biff & Happy Loman

5.2.1Biff Loman

5.2.2Biff's Relationship with Willy

5.2.3Happy Loman

5.3Other Characters

5.3.1Uncle Ben

5.3.2Charley

5.3.3Bernard

6Key Themes

6.1Concepts

6.1.1The American Dream

6.1.2Fathers & Sons

6.1.3Nature & the City

6.1.4Success

6.1.5Men & Women

7Writing Techniques

7.1Structure

7.1.1Act One

7.1.2Act Two

7.2Realism

7.2.1Introduction

7.2.2Staging

7.2.3Language

7.3Expressionism

7.3.1Introduction

7.3.2Staging

7.3.3Music

7.4Symbolism

7.4.1The Garden / Seeds

7.4.2Diamonds

7.4.3Alaska & Africa

7.5Motifs

7.5.1Introduction

7.5.2Cars

7.5.3Silk Stockings

7.5.4Money

7.5.5Mythological Figures

8Historical Context

8.1Historical Context

8.1.1Miller’s Family & The Great Depression

8.1.2America’s Recovery

9Literary Context

9.1Tragedy

9.1.1Introduction

9.2Applying Tragic Concepts

9.2.1The Tragic Hero

9.2.2The Tragic Flaw

9.2.3Recognition

9.2.4Emotional Release

9.2.5Chaos & Disorder

9.2.6Revenge

9.2.7Inevitability

10Critical Debates

10.1Introduction

10.1.1Introduction

10.2The Marxist Reading

10.2.1Marxist Analysis

10.2.2The Marxist Reading

10.3The Feminist Reading

10.3.1Feminist Analysis

10.3.2The Feminist Reading

10.4The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.1Eco-Critical Analysis

10.4.2The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.3Post-pastoral

10.5Other Debates

10.5.1The Play as Tragedy

10.5.2The Critics

11Recap: Main Quotes

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