Compare Death Of A Salesman And American Tragedy

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Tragedy and American Drama As we have learned in the past, the style of literature evolves as time changes. Different events in the world had influenced these changed. The different movements that created its definitions of their work and how we use these definitions today to classify a piece of literature what period it belongs to. The American dramas, The Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller and Glengarry Glen Ross by David Alan Mamet are tragic plays. Analyzing the main character of each drama: Willy of The Death of the Salesman and Shelly of Glengarry Glen Ross will determine if both, neither or one of them possess the features of a tragic hero by the descriptions of Aristotle and Arthur Miller. According to Aristotle, “A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his downfall. ” What is the root of the hero’s downfall? This is what Aristotle calls hamartia or flaw (“Tragic”). Willy Loman lives …show more content…

Miller is implying that the tragedy of nobility is no greater to a tragedy of an ordinary man. The consequences of both noble and common character’s action and flaw is leading them to their demise; in Shelly’s situation is job loss and probable jail time. The essay also mentioned “…tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to laydown his life, if need be, to secure one thing-his sense of personal dignity…Tragedy, then, is the consequences of a man’s total compulsion to evaluate himself justly (Miller 3).” We have witnessed this when Willy committed suicide thinking it is the last resort to help his sons to be successful by using the insurance money the family will receive after his death. After Shelly was identified to be one of the culprits of the crime, he desperately pleaded and offered bribe to his boss to be forgiven of his crime and not to face the chance of jail time with no success. “ John: John: … my daughter…

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