2.1.2

Key Events 1&2

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Act One: Key Event One

Act One opens with 63-year-old Willy Loman returning home late at night after being unable to make his regular business trip to New England. He is exhausted and badly shaken, but is comforted by his wife, Linda.

Key event one

Key event one

  • Miller immediately presents Willy as a character in a state of crisis.
Significance

Significance

  • Willy is on the verge of breakdown, both physical & psychological.
  • He is unable to concentrate while driving his car and is a danger to himself and others.
  • Willy’s mental strain is suggested by the “strange thoughts” he tells Linda of, thoughts which the audience will soon see recreated on stage.
Quotation

Quotation

  • “I’m tired to the death… I couldn’t make it. I just couldn’t make it, Linda.”
Explanation

Explanation

  • Miller immediately foreshadows Willy’s fate.
  • As is traditional in tragedy, the hero’s fate is presented as inevitable.
  • Willy’s references to “making it” can also be read symbolically as referring to Willy’s crushing sense of failure – he has been unable to “make it” as a salesman.

Act One: Key Event Two

Act One opens with 63-year-old Willy Loman returning home late at night after being unable to make his regular business trip to New England. He is exhausted and badly shaken, but is comforted by his wife, Linda.

Key event two

Key event two

  • Linda tries to comfort and reassure her husband.
Significance

Significance

  • Linda is willing to make excuses to help take the pressure and responsibility off Willy’s shoulders (“Maybe it’s your glasses”).
  • However she is also able to see that her husband cannot go on like this.
  • It is Linda who brings up the idea of Willy retiring from the road and of Willy requesting a position at home in New York, gently insisting that he speak to Howard, his boss.
Quotation

Quotation

  • “LINDA: [very carefully, delicately]: Where were you all day?”
Explanation

Explanation

  • Many critics dismiss Linda as a character who is too forgiving of Willy’s faults but Miller’s stage direction hints at the problem she faces.
  • Linda realises her husband is close to psychological collapse (“Your mind is overactive”) and prone to losing his temper.
Explanation cont.

Explanation cont.

  • As a result, she must treat him sensitively, almost maternally, avoiding direct confrontation.
  • She knows the psychological toll that each outburst has on Willy and is careful to avoid triggering an emotional response from her husband.
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1

Introduction

1.1

Introductions

1.1.1Author1.1.2Historical Context1.1.3Setting1.1.4Social Issues
2

Act One

2.1

Key Events

2.1.1Staging2.1.2Key Events 1&22.1.3Key Events 3&42.1.4Key Events 5&62.1.5Key Events 7&82.1.6Key Events 9&102.1.7Key Events 11&12
2.2

Key Themes & Literary Techniques

2.2.1Foreshadowing, Flashbacks, Settings2.2.2Family, Reality, Fantasy
3

Act Two

3.1

Key Events

3.1.1Key Events 1&23.1.2Key Events 3&43.1.3Key Events 5&63.1.4Key Events 7&83.1.5Key Events 9&10
3.2

Key Themes & Links

3.2.1Pride3.2.2Metaphor3.2.3Self-Realisation
4

Extended Passage Analysis

4.1

Act One

4.1.1Staging4.1.2The Woman
4.2

Act Two

4.2.1In Howard’s Office4.2.2The Final Confrontation4.2.3The Requiem
5

Character Profiles

5.1

Willy & Linda Loman

5.1.1Willy Loman5.1.2Linda Loman
5.2

Biff & Happy Loman

5.2.1Biff Loman5.2.2Biff's Relationship with Willy5.2.3Happy Loman
5.3

Other Characters

5.3.1Uncle Ben5.3.2Charley5.3.3Bernard
6

Key Themes

6.1

Concepts

6.1.1The American Dream6.1.2Fathers & Sons6.1.3Nature & the City6.1.4Success6.1.5Men & Women
7

Writing Techniques

7.1

Structure

7.1.1Act One7.1.2Act Two
7.2

Realism

7.2.1Introduction7.2.2Staging7.2.3Language
7.3

Expressionism

7.3.1Introduction7.3.2Staging7.3.3Music
7.4

Symbolism

7.4.1The Garden / Seeds7.4.2Diamonds7.4.3Alaska & Africa
7.5

Motifs

7.5.1Introduction7.5.2Cars7.5.3Silk Stockings7.5.4Money7.5.5Mythological Figures
8

Historical Context

8.1

Historical Context

8.1.1Miller’s Family & The Great Depression8.1.2America’s Recovery
9

Literary Context

9.1

Tragedy

9.1.1Introduction
9.2

Applying Tragic Concepts

9.2.1The Tragic Hero9.2.2The Tragic Flaw9.2.3Recognition9.2.4Emotional Release9.2.5Chaos & Disorder9.2.6Revenge9.2.7Inevitability
10

Critical Debates

10.1

Introduction

10.1.1Introduction
10.2

The Marxist Reading

10.2.1Marxist Analysis10.2.2The Marxist Reading
10.3

The Feminist Reading

10.3.1Feminist Analysis10.3.2The Feminist Reading
10.4

The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.1Eco-Critical Analysis10.4.2The Eco-Critical Reading10.4.3Post-pastoral
10.5

Other Debates

10.5.1The Play as Tragedy10.5.2The Critics
11

Recap: Main Quotes

11.1

Characters Quotes

11.1.1Willy Loman11.1.2Linda Loman11.1.3Biff Loman11.1.4Happy Loman11.1.5Uncle Ben11.1.6Charley11.1.7Bernard
11.2

Quotes by Act

11.2.1Act One: Key Events 1-3 Quotes11.2.2Act One: Key Events 4-6 Quotes11.2.3Act One: Key Events 7-9 Quotes11.2.4Act One: Key Events 10-12 Quotes11.2.5Act One: Stage Direction Quotes11.2.6Act One: The Woman Quotes11.2.7Act Two: Key Events 1-2 Quotes11.2.8Act Two: Key Events 3-4 Quotes11.2.9Act Two: Key Events 5-6 Quotes11.2.10Act Two: Key Events 7-8 Quotes11.2.11Act Two: Key Events 9-10 Quotes11.2.12Act Two: Howard's Office Quotes11.2.13Act Two: The Requiem Quotes

Practice questions on Key Events 1&2

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    How old is Willy Loman in _Death of a Salesman_?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    What excuse does Linda make to help take the pressure and responsibility off Willy’s shoulders?Multiple choice
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Staging

Key Events 3&4