7.2.2
Staging
Stage Design
Stage Design
Miller changed his mind about the stage design of the play several times, finally deciding on Jo Mielziner's vision.
Original concept
Original concept
- Miller’s initial idea for the stage design of the play which would become Death of a Salesman was highly original.
- In order to compliment his initial working title, “The Inside of his Head”, Miller imagined “an enormous face” the height of the stage which would “then open up”.
Changing design
Changing design
- As he drafted the play, both the title and the concept behind the stage design changed radically.
- Miller now wanted a very minimal design with three simple black platforms used to signify different settings.
Mielziner's influence
Mielziner's influence
- Miller was persuaded by his original set designer, Jo Mielziner, to once again change his ideas.
- Mielziner argued that the Loman house should be “the most important visual symbol in the play” and that the stage design should reflect this.
Significance
Significance
- The house dominates many of Willy and Linda’s discussions in the play and the play ends with Linda telling Willy’s grave that they have paid the final mortgage payment meaning that, after twenty-five years, the house finally belongs to them.
Stage design
Stage design
- Mielziner wanted to give the house a physical reality and it is his design which is captured in the opening stage direction of the play: “we see a solid vault of apartment houses… the kitchen at centre… a kitchen table with three chairs, and a refrigerator etc.”
Props
Props
Jo Mielziner, the stage designer, helped to create the illusion of realism through his use of props.
Choice of props
Choice of props
- Although minimal, confined to just a few material objects, Mielziner decided to use objects and appliances that would be found in almost every lower-middle-class household of the time and took care to ensure that key props such as the refrigerator did not look brand new.
Socio-economic status
Socio-economic status
- It was important that the Loman household looked lived in, and that it reflected the Loman's inability to buy top-of-the-range appliances.
Contemporary times
Contemporary times
- Moreover, Miller uses real, contemporary brands and celebrity endorsements in his dialogue in order to make the world of the play as close as possible to that of his audience.
1Introduction
1.1Introductions
2Act One
3Act Two
4Extended Passage Analysis
5Character Profiles
5.1Willy & Linda Loman
5.2Biff & Happy Loman
5.3Other Characters
6Key Themes
7Writing Techniques
7.1Structure
7.3Expressionism
8Historical Context
8.1Historical Context
9Literary Context
9.1Tragedy
10Critical Debates
10.1Introduction
10.2The Marxist Reading
10.3The Feminist Reading
10.4The Eco-Critical Reading
10.5Other Debates
Jump to other topics
1Introduction
1.1Introductions
2Act One
3Act Two
4Extended Passage Analysis
5Character Profiles
5.1Willy & Linda Loman
5.2Biff & Happy Loman
5.3Other Characters
6Key Themes
7Writing Techniques
7.1Structure
7.3Expressionism
8Historical Context
8.1Historical Context
9Literary Context
9.1Tragedy
10Critical Debates
10.1Introduction
10.2The Marxist Reading
10.3The Feminist Reading
10.4The Eco-Critical Reading
10.5Other Debates
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