Can Willy Loman Be Considered A Tragic Hero?
Whether Willy Loman can be considered a tragic hero has long been
debated between critics. Ever since Miller produced the play, people
have discussed whether Willy’s status was high enough for his fall to
be considered tragic, or whether Willy can be seen as an altogether
modern tragic hero, I will be looking at both these views taking into
consideration critics views and also adding my own thoughts.
Tragedy has its origin in ancient Greece. In his Poetics Aristotle
defined a tragedy as portraying a serious, complete and important
action involving pain or destruction and shows the fall of an
important person from happiness and prosperity into misery and
catastrophe. The problem with this view is that some believe it cannot
be used to define modern tragedies as many things have changed and are
no longer relevant since Aristotle’s time of ancient Greece.
Critics such as Bier man, Hart and Johnson1 believe that Willy Loman
can be seen as a tragic hero, they have described death of a salesman
as “a tragedy set in our own time, played out on our own scene, in our
own language”. The fact that the play is modern, helps us to identify
with Willy Loman and therefore it affects our emotions more, there is
more of a connection between ourselves and the character, the fact
that we feel more emotion brings us closer to classical tragedy for
example catharsis. There are many factors throughout the text, which
show connections to the modern world, the references to insurance
payments, front porch, refrigerator, Chevrolet and the tennis are
reflective of contemporary society. These things make the play seem
far more realistic to the audience as they can relate to these
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...t at all whether the hero falls from a great
height or a small one”. The fact that Willy Loman is a modern hero
allows us to connect with him and understand his situation more,
“Tragedy, he argues, should bring out not only sorrow but
understanding” I believe that understanding is shown throughout the
play and that things become clearer in the requiem as it provides some
insight.
In my own opinion I believe that it is true, Willy Loman cannot be
seen as a traditional tragic hero, however I believe that he can be
seen as a modern hero to an extent. Willy had a tragic fall in life in
his own opinion, just as it would seem if it happened to someone you
knew. However Willy didn’t do anything in society to make his
character seem heroic. I think that the audience would feel more
sympathetic towards Willy and not feel that the story was a tragedy as
a whole.
What made Willy so important to everyone, as was stated in the article, was not that he was known by so many people, but it was that fact that he made an impact on the lives of all those with whom he came in contact. In the article it talked about all of the people at his funeral who shared stories of love and leadership. Imagine how many more could say the same thing about Willy that didn't make it to the funeral or even those he touched who didn't even remember what his name was or how they knew him. Willy was the kind of person that every leader should aspire to be like. When people develop the characteristics that Willy had, they become true leaders. Willy probably never aspired to be a great leader; he was able to develop those characteristics because of his passion and knowledge of what he did and also his love for other people. One of the most important characteristics of leadership is that a leader must have the ability to see a persons potential and know how to help that person to develop it.
... hero while Willy is a common man and resembles a modern tragic hero, both protagonists demonstrate excessive amount of pride and arrogance. The hubris of the two characters is evident throughout the play as seen through Oedipus, who attempts to alter his fate and Willy, who rejects Charley’s offer for work. The flaws that these characters possess cause them to inflict harm towards themselves, as Oedipus stabs his own eyes and Willy commits suicide. Also, these protagonists are blinded by their own realities. Oedipus tries to change his fate and shows disrespect towards those who speak the truth that he does not want to hear. Willy Loman believes he is a successful businessman and continuously lies to himself so he can prove that he is very well liked. Both Oedipus and Willy have goals to try and prove something, but as tragic heroes, fail to prove themselves.
...ller’s character causes emotion on a personal level through realistic situations, responses, and reactions. Linda Lowman explains quite clearly that although Willy is not as august as someone like Oedipus, in the end, they are still both people that deserve the same amount of decency. She reveals to Biff, “I don't say he's a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall in his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person.” (Miller 44) Whereas the audience knew that Oedipus would crash right from the start, the bumpy ride that Willy takes them upon shows hope and ambition, but even that isn’t enough to stop him from crashing.
Aristotle once said that “A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” Contrary to Aristotle’s definition, Willy Loman is a man of self-deception paired with misguided life goals. Being a salesman his entire career, Willy believes the goal of life is to be well liked and gain material success. Opposing the values and position of Willy, Oedipus is born a noble, and inherited wealth that Willy could only dream of. Even as a royal, Oedipus is as a man of noble cause. Although he is misguided unto his exile, Oedipus is not stubbornly deceived by himself, rather is misguided by his tragic flaw, his pride. While comparing Oedipus and Willy Loman using anagnorisis, it is revealed that Oedipus is a true tragic hero while Willy is not.
According to Frye's definition, tragic heroes bring suffering upon themselves. Willy Loman is delusional and has a skewed view on the world he lives in. Willy asserts that he is young, popular, and respected among his family and workmates. Flashbacks of past memories, which interrupt the present day flow of time, prove that Willy is not everything he used to be in his younger years. This constant misconception of time is Willy Loman's main flaw, and he is the main victim in this suffering. Willy's misunderstanding of the world around him is shown in key scenes, such as his conversation with his brother Ben in the garden near the end of the play (Miller 99). The death of Willy Loman is also a consequence of his flaw: Willy's disorganized state of mind causes him to jump into a car and crash.
According to Miller, a tragic hero is someone who dies for personal dignity. Willy does die for his dignity. “Those who act against the scheme of things that degrades them.”(Miller. Tragedy of the Common Man) Willy, in his ideas and action of committing suicide, fits in that category. In act 2, Willy reveals his desires to win back Biff’s respect by committing suicide.
Explore the view that Willy’s uncertain sense of masculinity is a major cause of his tragic downfall.
...n debarred from such thoughts or such actions," (Miller 1727). Therefore, Willy is his own enemy because his unwillingness to change his behavior and thinking keeps him entrapped in a system of values that prevent him from ever being free. This makes him pathetic and tragic, not heroic and tragic, because the tragic hero rejects any system that prevents the freedom of love and creativity in the self, even if it is a system he himself has adopted. This is possible for the common man, but Willy is a common man, who, by standing in his own path of development, cannot achieve it.
A tragic hero is defined as a person of high social rank, who has a tragic flaw or flaws that lead to their downfall. These heroes’ downfalls are usually either complete ruin or death. Tragic heroes face their downfall with courage and dignity. While many characters in Julius Caesar could fit these conditions, the person who fits the role of a tragic hero the best is Marcus Brutus. Brutus develops into a tragic hero throughout the play, and this is shown though his qualifications of a tragic hero, his high status, his tragic flaws, and his courage in the face of his death.
... morals and personality towards his goals and at the same time trying to pass those values onto his sons, making him lose their respect, which is one of the many reasons that ended up taking his life. For the most part one can see that issues like Willys cannot only be seen or heard of in a play but also in the real world. Everybody in general wants to conform and be liked in today's competitive society, which is one of the reasons why many people don't get to accomplish the things they want to accomplish because they are either to scared or don't have the courage to step out of the social norms and achieve what they what to achieve. If anyone learns anything from this tragic character, one can say that truly knowing ones-self can really help in the long run because if one doesn't know who they are, they can end up leading a miserable life, in a miserable world.
In a way, society alone cannot be held responsible for Willy’s death nor his role as a tragic hero. Miller has stated that for society to be responsible for this, ‘then the protagonist mu...
Willy is a Multifaceted character who portrayed a deep problem with sociological and psychological causes and done so with disturbing reality.
...self to be happy by thinking of his past, which destined him to do what every coward does when faced with problems: run. He runs from his problems, from his friends, from his family, and from himself. I think that Willy could have resolved his issues a lot easier if he had been brave enough to admit that he did have problems. Instead, he bottles them up, hides them deep inside himself, and lives vicariously through his past.
To begin, Willy Lowman took his life because he believe he wasn 't successful, and that shows his poor endurance to try. He believed that he was unsuccessful because he didn 't achieve all the wealth in the world. That shows his poor work ethic to me because he chose to take his life instead of keep trying. The fact that he never succeeded leads to his fall as a tragic hero according to Aristotle. Aristotle once said, “A man doesn 't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” Willy was oblivious to his downfall until his son Biff made it painfully obvious. His health was deteriorating, but that is no reason
Willy is a multi-faceted character which Miller has portrayed a deep problem with sociological and psychological causes and done so with disturbing reality. In another time or another place Willy might have been successful and kept his Sanity, but as he grew up, society's values changed and he was left out in the cold. His foolish pride, bad judgment and his disloyalty are also at fault for his tragic end and the fact that he did not die the death of a salesman.