9.2.5
Chaos & Disorder
Chaos and Disorder
Chaos and Disorder
In Death of a Salesman, the forces of chaos and disorder are seen in Willy’s psyche instead of affecting an entire nation as in Classical tragedy.
Classical tragedy
Classical tragedy
- In Classical tragedy, the destructive forces of chaos and disorder unleashed by a character’s ‘peripeteia’ or ‘hamartia’ affected the whole state or nation as the tragic hero held an important rank (e.g. King or General).
- In Miller’s play, the chaos is confined to the Loman household.
Willy's psyche
Willy's psyche
- In Death of a Salesman, the forces of chaos and disorder are seen in Willy’s psyche.
- Miller structures the play to allow the audience to see Willy at “that terrible moment when the voice of the past is no longer distant but quite as loud as the voice of the present”.
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown
- To the audience’s horror, and the horror of characters such as Biff and Charley, Willy suffers a psychological breakdown in front of us/them.
- His repressed memories force themselves in to the present with greater frequency the closer the play moves to its finale.
Metaphor
Metaphor
- Willy’s sense of his world spiralling out of control is reflected in his metaphorical language: “The woods are burning!... There's a big blaze going on all around”.
- As Willy’s mind disintegrates, he envisions the world around him in flames.
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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