Willy as a Tragic Hero in Death Of a Salesman Essay

Arthur Millers writing of Death of a Salesman does correctly fit the title of a tragedy because his main character, Willy Loman, does possess the qualities needed to be considered a tragic hero according to modern-day tragic heroes. Hamlet and Oedipus are the well-known tragic heroes from the past. They relate more to Aristotle than Willy Loman does and that is what causes the controversy in these tragedies. Aristotle had written down some of the common tragic hero characteristics for Greek tragedies, but those do not relate to more modern tragedies that have been written.

Millers main character Willy Loman does deserve to have the title tragic hero. According to the pink handout, A new kind of tragic hero was created out of a result of this classical definition. The modern hero, it seems, does not necessarily have to be of high estate but rather an ordinary person (Pink Handout). Willy Loman is indeed an ordinary man in Death of a Salesman. He is definitely not born of noble birth either, which is the normal characteristic of a tragic hero, but not so much in the modern day. Aristotle said, A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall (Pink Handout). Willy Loman knows his problem deep down inside, but just doesnt want to admit he isnt doing enough to support his family. He thinks he is going through life just fine, and when he is offered other jobs to try to help his situation, he denies them. Charley, Willys old-time friend, offers Willy a job because Willy is borrowing money from Charley every week, but he will never work for Charley, Whats the matter with you? Ive got a job (Miller 96). Willy has hope in his two sons, but once he finds out they arent going where he wants to see them go, he kills himself. He kills himself because then his family gets twenty thousand dollars in life insurance money, and that will help them survive, Can you imagine that magnificence with twenty thousand dollars in his pocket? (Miller 135). I do agree with Miller when he says Willy Loman is a tragic hero and that his play is a tragedy. Miller writes, It is the idea that tragedy is of necessity allied to pessimism. Even the dictionary says nothing more about the word than that it means a story with a sad or unhappy ending (Tragedy Essay). Millers play does end with an unhappy ending when Willy kills himself by crashing his car. Willy Loman is a tragic hero, just a different kind than Hamlet and Oedipus are.

The plays of Hamlet and Oedipus are some of the most famous tragedies. These characters have what it truly means to be a tragic hero in the past. They both possess the qualities, according to Aristotle, of a tragic hero. They are both born of noble birth, and the audience feels pity on these characters. They also both have Peripeteia, defined as a reversal of fortune brought about by the heros tragic flaw. Hamlets tragic flaw was him waiting too long to kill Claudius and in doing so, everyone died including Hamlet. Oedipuss tragic flaw, on the other hand, was his excessive pride. His ego got too large when he solved the riddle and didnt believe his fate. As Bowra says, For though Oedipus mistake in killing his father leads to other disasters, it is itself fore-ordained by the gods. The tragic career of Oedipus does not begin with it. His doom is fixed before his birth (Bowra). Oedipus and Hamlet are well known tragic heroes from the past, but they do not easily compare to the modern-day heroes such as Willy Loman.

I do agree with Arthur Miller that his play, Death of a Salesman, should be considered a tragedy. It is different than Hamlet and Oedipus, but only in the way that those two are tragic heroes from the past and Willy Loman is a more modern-day tragic hero. Willy Loman knows he has to help his family in some way, and he decided that them getting his life insurance check is the best way which is why he kills himself. He was just trying to help his family so he became the hero of the family. Hamlet and Oedipus are tragic heroes more from the past because they have more of Aristotles common characteristics in them. All three of these characters, Hamlet, Oedipus, and Willy Loman are tragic heroes.