ANALYSIS PLAY OF “DEATH OF A SALESMAN” BY ARTHUR MILLER

ANALYSIS PLAY OF “DEATH OF A SALESMAN”

BY ARTHUR MILLER

Character  and characterization of the play:

Major character :

·         Willy Loman is a protagonist, antagonist and foil of Biff. He is a salesman and he is past sixty years of age. His dressed quietly, simple man, mercurial nature. He is bad tempered, independent, and ambitious, self confidence, optomism.

·         Linda is Willy’s wife, she is Willy’s confidant. She very loved Willy. She is jovial, she has developed an iron repression of her exception to Willy’s behavior. She admirer Willy, as though his mercurial nature, his temper, his massive dreams, and little cruelties, served her only as sharp reminders of the turbulent longings within him, longings which she shares but lacks the temperament to utter and follow to their end.

·         Biff is is foil of Willy, he is two years older than his brother Happy, well built, but in these days bear a worn air and seems less self-assured. He has succeeded less, and his dreams are stronger and less acceptable than Happy’s.

·         Happy is tall, powerfully made. Sexuality is like a visible color on him, or a scent that many women have discovered. He, like his brother , is lost, but in different way, for he has never allowed himself to turn is face toward defeat and is thus more confused and hard-skinned, although seemingly more content.

Minor character :

·         Bernard is Biff’s friend, he is Charley’s son.

·         The woman is someone who Willy loved, who is quite proper-looking Willy’s age

·         Charley is Willy’s neighbour.he is large man, slow of speech, laconic, immovable.

·         Uncle Ben is Willy’s brother. He is stolid man in his sixties, with a mustache and an authoritative air. He is utterly certain of his destiny and there is an aura of far places about him.

·         Howard Wagner is Willy’s boss. He is thirty six years old.

·         Jenny is his father’s secretary.

·         Stanley is a young waiter, appears.

·         Miss Forsythe

·         Letta

Setting

·         Time : evening and all days

“only the blue light of the sky falls upon the house and forestage, the surrounding area shows an angry of orange.”

·         Place : Willy Loman’s house (in the kitchen)

“before us is the salesman’s house. We are aware of towering, angular shapes behind it, surrounding it on all sides.”

“the kitchen at center seems actual enough, for there is a kitchen table with three chairs, and a refrigerator. But, no fixtures are seen. At the back of kitchen there is a draped entrance, which leads to the living room. To the right of the kitchen, on a levels raised two feet, is a bedroom furnished only with a brass bedstead and a straight chair. On a shelf over the bed a silver athletic trophy stands. A window opens onto the apartment house at the side. Beside the kitchen, on a level raised six and a half feet, is the boys bedroom, at present barely visible. Two beds are dimly seen, and at the back of the room a dormer window. (this bedroom is above the unseen living room.) at the left a stairway curves up to it from the kitchen”

Plot

·         Exposition

Willy, a traveling salesman of 63, is exhausted after years of making his trips He has yet to reach a level of success that would allow him to stop traveling and afford the household bills that always seem to swallow his diminishing wages.

“.Willy  Loman the  salesman, enters, carrying two larger sample cases. He is past sixty years of age dressed quietly.”

·         Rising action

Willy hallucinated about his past with Biff and Happy were still in high school. Willy also hallucinating about uncle Ben. When he hallucinating he always speaks loud, so making noise.

“light rises on the kitchen, Willy, talking, shuts the refrigerator door and comes downstage to the kitchen table. He pours milk into a glass. He is talking immersed in himself faintly.”

“Willy is gradualty addressing, physically a point offstage, speaking through the wall of kitchen and his voice has been rising in volume to that of a normal conversation.”

·         Conflix

There is some debate between Biff and Wily about Biff’s career. Willy is angry at Biff.

“Biff : I don’t care what they think! They’ve laughed at Dad for years, and you know why? Because we don’t belong in this nuthouse of a city! We should be mixing cement on some open place or-or carpenters. A carpenter is allowed to whistle.”

“Willy: even your grandfather was better than a carpenter. You never grew up. Bernard doesn’t whistle in elevator, I assure you.”

“Biff : but you do, pop.”

“Willy : I never in my life whistled in an elevator, and who in the bussiness world thinks I’m crazy?.”

“Biff : I didn’t mean it like that, pop. Now don’t make a whole thing out of it, will ya?”

“Willy : go back to the West! Be carpenter, a cowboy, enjoy yourself. “

·         Climax

Willy was fired from his job and he fails to get a new job to work in the city even Howard fires him.

“Howard : I think you need a good long rest, Willy.”

“Willy : Howard”

“Howard : and when you feel better, come back and we’ll see if we can work something out”

·         Falling action

Willy is happy somewhat because he knows that Biff like and always loves him.

Willy : isn’t that-isn’t that remarkable? Biff- he likes me!

Linda : he loves you, Willy!

Happy (deeply moved): alwayd did. Pop.

Willy : oh, Biff! (staring wildly). He cried! Cried to me. (he is choking with his love, and now cries out his promise.) That boy-that boy is going to be magnificent!

“Willy : loves me (wonderingly). Always loved me. Isn’t that a remarkable thing? Ben, he’ll worship me for it.”

·         Resolution

Willy plants to commit suicide. he wants to get the life insurance to be given to the family.

“he turns around as if to find his way, sounds, faces, voises, seem to be swarming in upon him and he flicks at them crying.”

Types of utterance

·         Dialogue

Dialogue between Biff, Happy, and Willy

Biff : did you knock them dead. Pop.

Willy : knocked ‘em cold in Providence, slaughtered ‘em in Boston.

Happy (on his back,pedaling again) : I’m losing weight, you notice. Pop

·         Monologue

Willy talking himself when he hallucinating in the kitchen.

Willy : just wanna be careful with those girls, Biff, that’s all. Don’t make any promises. No promises of any kind. Because a girl, y’know, they always believe waht you tell ‘em, and you’re very young, Biff, you’re too young to be talking seriously to girls.

Willy : too young entirely, Biff. You want to watch your schooling first then when you’re all set, there’ll be plently of girls for a boy like you. (He smiles broadly at a kitchen chair). That so? the girls pay for you? (He laughs) Boy, you must really makin’ a hit.

·         Aside

Ben talk between Willy, Happy, and Linda talking.

Ben : yes, cutstanding, with twenty thousand behind him.

Ben : and it does take a great kind of a man to crack the jungle. (in accents of dread, Ben’s idyllic music srat up)

Ben : the jungle is dark but full of diamond, Willy.

·         Soliloquy

Performance

The performance of the play is same, but the diologue there is different with in the playscrip. Gesture of the actors are good because same with direction in the playscrip. The characters and characterization of the playscrips same with the actors in the drama.