Willy Loman, the Modern Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a...

In Arthur Miller’s essay â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man†, a picture is painted of a â€Å"flaw-full† man, known as the modern hero of tragedies. Miller describes what characteristics the modern tragic hero possesses and how he differs from the heroes depicted by classic Greek playwrights such as Sophocles and Aristotle. In order to understand how drastically the modern hero has evolved, one must first understand the basic characteristics that the heroes created by Sophocles and Aristotle encompass. The Greek tragic heroes, otherwise known as the protagonists, illustrated by tragic Greek playwrights, were never normal people. All heroes were citizens of high class, such as princes. This was due in part because plays were seen as a luxury for†¦show more content†¦Willy is a man whose underlying fear of being displaced has created such a powerful unwillingness to be submissive to his perception of his loss of dignity, that he believes only death itself wi ll secure him everlasting admiration. In order to fully appreciate how Willy believes that death will bring him the dignity that he so desperately craves one must first look at the scene in â€Å"Death of a Salesman†, during which Willy visits his boss Howard. During his visit Willy tells Howard about an elderly salesman he met named Dave Singleman and how meeting Dave made Willy realize that â€Å"selling was the greatest career a man could want.† (Miller 1801) â€Å"When he died – and he died the death of a salesman†, Willy tells Howard, â€Å"hundreds of salesmen and buyers were at his funeral†¦In those days there was personality in it, Howard. There was respect, and comradeship, and gratitude in it† (Miller 1801). This quote demonstrates how Willy believed death would bring him the respect, comradeship, and gratitude that he never had in life. As stated in the essay, Arthur Miller describes the modern hero as someone who possesses an â€Å"unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what he conceives to be a challenge to his dignity, his image of his rightful.† Examples of this can be seen on pages 1809 through 1810 of the play. This is the scene where Willy goes to his friend Charley to ask for money in order toShow MoreRelated Willy Loman, Redefining the Tragic Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman1065 Words   |  5 PagesWilly Loman, Redefining the Tragic Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman      Ã‚  Ã‚   The events in the life of Willy Loman in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman are no doubt tragic, yet whether or not he can be considered a tragic hero in a traditional sense is a topic requiring some discussion. 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Willy Loman.1503 Words   |  7 PagesTo what extent can Willy Loman be considered a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s rules? Arthur Miller presents his play ‘Death of a Salesman’ in the ancient form of a tragedy. Aristotle has defined his idea of the ‘perfect’ tragedy in his text, ‘Poetics’ (350 BC).Here he suggests that the protagonist must fall from an elevated social standing as a result of a â€Å"fatal flaw† within the character; the fall from the main character creates resolution to the play which is seen as just; finally, AristotleRead MoreExamples Of Everyday Tragedy732 Words   |  3 Pagesflows to mind is death and destruction. Even though this way of thinking is valid, there are several ways to analyze the concept of tragedy. Tragedy is when one suffers an unexpected punishment that has merged together through ones actions. Arthur Miller believes that tragedy can happen to any type of person if youre rich or if youre poor, no matter what, it can happen to all of us. Arthur shows this to us in the book Death of a Salesman where the common man meets t he fate of modern day tragedy.