11.2.11

Act Two: Key Events 9-10 Quotes

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Act Two: Key Events 9-10

Here are two quotations showing key events in Act Two:

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Key quotation 9

  • The climax of the play - the confrontation between Biff and Willy:
    • “WILLY: [He is choking with his love, and now cries out his promise] That boy - that boy is going to be magnificent!"
      • Willy’s realisation that Biff loves him leads to a moment of discovery and understanding. But almost immediately, Willy falls back on his old dreams for Biff, where his son is like Hercules - a conquering hero.
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Key quotation 10

  • Biff, who has achieved some level of self-recognition, sums up Willy’s tragic flaw - his blindness to who he really was.
    • “He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong.”
      • Biff’s short, emphatic sentences, and his use of monosyllables and repetition help to give these lines their power.

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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