Hamlet

Germanic definition of the tragic hero

Arthur Miller definition of the tragic hero

The common versus elevated tragic hero

Social displacement and the tragic hero: Willy Loman

The terror and fear of the tragic hero in Willy Loman

The tragic hero and the existential dilemma

Whole self-realization as the “fixed star” in the tragic hero

Courage in the face of reality versus fleeing into an ideal in the tragic hero

If we are to examine if Willy Loman, the protagonist of Miller’s Death of a Salesman represents a tragic hero, we need to agree upon the definition of tragedy and heroes of it. If we look at the Aristotelian definition of tragedy, we feel that it neither fully explains nor even encompasses in many aspects the character of Willy Loman. In Aristotle’s Poetics we read that tragedy is defined as “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions” (O’Brien and Dukore 1-2). When we look at the Germanic definition of the tragic hero we get a little closer to the character of Willy Loman, “The Ger

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be nothing, but his inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what he conceives to be a challenge to his dignity, his image of his rightful status. Only the passive, only those who accept their lot without active retaliation, are ‘flawless.’ Most of us are in that category” (“Tragedy” 2). We see that most of Willy Loman’s frustration is engendered within him because he cannot accept his displaced lot without some form of active retaliation. Like Hamlet avenges the death of his father by killing Claudius, Willy avenges his wounded dignity and displaced status by committing suicide in order to circumvent the society he feels has wrongly put him into the position of not being able to pay for his insurance. As he says, he is worth more “dead than alive”. Death of a Salesman also demonstrates the tragic hero as immersed in the terror and fear Miller argues comes from their illusions being shattered because of the degrading environment in which they find themselves. However, it is their determination to take action against the degradation of their rightful place that creates the terror and fear, makes them heroic and becomes tragic, “there always have been those who act against the scheme of things that degrades
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Approximate Word count = 2098
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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