Willy Loman As A Tragic Hero

A tragedy is a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character. Tragedy, however, is a broad genre. Arthur Miller defines a tragedy as a work that has a character trying to gain a rightful position in society, brings a sense of relief to the audience, has a common man as the tragic hero, has a character that is willing to lay down their life, and includes glimmers of hope for the characters within the work. After reading and analyzing Death of a Salesman, Othello, and Oedipus as tragedies; Death of a Salesman best exemplifies the definition of a tragedy presented by Arthur Miller. Arthur Miller describes that in a tragedy, a character is trying to gain their rightful position in society. This aspect is part of the reason behind the downfall of the
Arthur Miller defines this character as a common man. This common man allows the audience to relate to the tragic hero and feel sympathy for them when tragic events do occur. “Willy was a salesman… He don't put a bolt to a nut, he don't tell you the law or give you medicine. He’s a man out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine” (Miller 1832). This quote describes how Willy Loman, the tragic hero, was just a common man. Willy was nobody special but he thought of himself that way and played his cards that way. He thought of this false reality so much that he was willing to lay down his life in order to obtain it. Arthur Miller also defines a tragedy is having a character that is willing to lay down their life. The character is willing to give everything they have in order to obtain the position they feel they have and deserve. This is what brings tragic situation to a tragedy and makes the tragic hero a great person for the role. In Death of a Salesman, Willy is willing to end his life so that his family will gain some money and so that maybe his son will see how liked and popular he says he