Essay on Death of a Salesman Tragic but Not a Tragedy

Death of a Salesman: Tragic but Not a Tragedy Though a more modern version of tragedy in its’ classical sense, Death of a Salesman in many ways is very much like an ancient Greek play. In his ‘Poetics’ Aristotle tries to set out the common ideas throughout tragedy, attempting to demystify the necessary elements for such plays. One of his main ideas was that of the ‘Three Unities’ - that of Space, that of Time and that of Action. He stated that all the action of a tragedy must occur in the place, which was often the front of a palace, which allowed the poet to have many characters coming and going, and allowed random meetings to occur easily, rather than having to ‘explain’ the reason why any meeting should occur. It was,†¦show more content†¦While these other scenes might seem like they are set elsewhere they are much like the speeches from messengers - which take the audience to another place, while still watching the action played out in the same place as the rest of the play - just that these scenes are played out rather than just discussed by the characters in a way that classical play would not have been able to, without the use of lighting and sound effects to create a change of scene. Again with Time, the action does all, in fact, take place in real time, with the flashbacks occurring in tandem with the immediate events leading up to Willy’s death, with the exception of the interval between the two acts, during which the nights passes. On the most part, the flashbacks do not cause any loss of tension or immediacy within the play so it can be seen as being a closely focused view of Willy Loman’s last hours, including a view of what he is thinking and how past events have shaped the present for him. The play looks only at Willy’s plight and does not have distracting subplots alongside the main story-line - as Aristotle had set out - causing, again, the play to be held taut and allowing for a full view of Willy and who he is. Why then might this play not evoke tragic emotion for Willy? It does follow the general practise of classical tragedy. Willy, like most tragic heroes seems to be essentially a goodShow MoreRelatedâ€Å"Aristotle’s Definition of the Tragic Hero and Irony in Tragedy† Oedipus Rex, Othello, and Death of a Salesman3217 Words   |  13 PagesClassification and definition of tragedy are among many things widely disputed in the all too equivocal realm of composition and literary studies. 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In addition, in traditional tragedy, the main character falls from high authority and often it is predetermined by fate, while the audience experiences catharsisRead MoreLiterary Analysis: Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman† – A Tragedy?1416 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Bible or leave it up to himself? In â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller, but is it correct to define this theatric drama as a tragedy. According to Klaas Tindemans, â€Å"Aristotle’s concept of tragedy has been perceived as both a descriptive and a normative concept: a description of a practice as it should be continued† therefore, Aristotle’s definition of tragedy could be considered complex. On the other hand, according to Tony Hunt in â€Å"The Tragedy of Roland†, â€Å"in the Poetics Aristotle isRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1573 Words   |  7 PagesIt is known that in literature, a tragedy is one of the most popular genres. 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In The Poetics, Aristotle gives a clear definition of a tragedy, writing that it is â€Å"an imitation