Key Events 9&10

Test yourself

Act Two: Key Event Nine

The confrontation between Biff and Willy is the climax of the play, bringing its central conflict out into the open.

Key event nine

Biff confronts Willy with the rubber tubing before breaking down in tears and, “exhausted”, heading upstairs.

Significance

The confrontation between Biff and Willy is the climax of the play, bringing its central conflict out into the open.

Quotation

“WILLY: [He is choking with his love, and now cries out his promise] That boy - that boy is going to be magnificent!"

Explanation

Willy’s realisation that Biff loves him leads to a moment of discovery and understanding.
However, this moment is short-lived.
Almost immediately, Willy falls back on his old dreams for Biff, where his son is like Hercules - a conquering hero.

Explanation cont.

Immediately after this line, Ben responds, “Yes, outstanding, with twenty thousand behind him”, showing how Willy links Biff’s golden future with the proceeds of his own life insurance policy.

Act Two: Key Event Ten - Requiem

Biff conducts a post-mortem analysis of his father's character, concluding Willy’s tragic flaw was his blindness to who he really was.

Key event ten

In the play’s short closing scene the Loman family, Charley and Bernard stand by Willy’s grave.

Significance

The requiem acts as a Chorus in Classical tragedy, allowing those present to comment on the tragic hero, Willy.

Quotation

“He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong.”

Explanation

Biff’s short, emphatic sentences, and his use of monosyllables and repetition help to give these lines their power.
Biff, who has achieved some level of self-recognition, sums up Willy’s tragic flaw - his blindness to who he really was.

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 & Links

2.2.1Foreshadowing & Inevitability

2.2.2Time

2.2.3Settings

2.2.4Family

2.2.5Reality v 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

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