11.2.13

Act Two: The Requiem Quotes

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The Requiem - Quotations

Here are a few key quotations from the Requiem:

Illustrative background for Charley's insights Illustrative background for Charley's insights  ?? "content

Charley's insights

  • “It was a very nice funeral”.
  • “A salesman is got to dream, boy”.
    • Justifies Willy's life as a salesman.
  • “Nobody dast blame this man”.
    • Uses biblical-like language to protect Willy’s reputation in death.
    • The archaic term “dast” may have been intended to provide Willy’s life and death with a sense of grandeur and dignity.
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Biff's analysis

  • “He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong.”
    • Here, the use of monosyllables and repetition lend Biff’s judgement an air of forcefulness and finality which help to give this final scene its power.
  • “I know who I am, kid”.
    • Biff says this to Happy, almost his final words of the play.
    • Shows Biff's self-realisation in the face of his father's failure.
Illustrative background for Linda's ironic final wordsIllustrative background for Linda's ironic final words ?? "content

Linda's ironic final words

  • “We’re free… We’re free…”
    • Linda speaks the final lines of the play. There is bitter irony in these lines. This “freedom” is hollow: the mortgage may have finally been paid on the house, but it has only been bought through a tragically high price – Willy’s life.

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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