Transcript Arthur Miller: Connections to the Past

Arthur Miller: Connections to
the Past
Character: The Hero –
a modern view
“ a man or woman admired for his
achievements and noble qualities; one who
shows great courage. “
Webster’s, 1998 ed.
What is a hero?
• According to editorial writer and Nazi
concentration camp survivor, Si Frumkin, a
hero is one who can
• Make conscious choices
• Endure great suffering
Frumkin continues
“Heroism is a matter
of choice, of a decision
made and an action taken.
Suffering isn’t. Obviously
the two are not mutually
exclusive, but they are far
from identical.”
Aristotle and the hero
– the ancient view
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A mixture of good and bad personality traits
Of high moral worth
Elevated above the common man
“larger than life”
Possessing a character flaw and/ or ignorant of a
key fact
(Aristotle’s life: 384 – 322 B.C.)
Aristotle says,
“There remains, then, the character between
two extremes – that of a man who is not
eminently good and just, yet whose
misfortune is brought about not by vice or
depravity, but by some error or frailty. He
must be someone highly renowned and
prosperous.” On Poetry and Music, 330 B.C.
Aristotle continues,
“The hero experiences the change of fortune
from good to bad. It should come about, as
the result, not of vice, but of some great
error or frailty in a character.”
On Poetry and Music
furthermore
Heroes must
• be true to life
• be consistent
• They must also make an important selfdiscovery: Oedipus learns that while he is a
great and noble man, he is subordinate to
the gods.
• Biff says in the Requiem, “Charley, the man
didn’t know who he was.”
• Can a character be a tragic hero if he never
attains self-knowledge?
Aristotle’s reflections on tragedy
“Tragedy is an imitation of persons who are
above the common level [and thus] the
example of good portrait painters should be
followed. They, while reproducing the
distinctive form of the original, make a
likeness which is true to life and yet more
beautiful. So, too, the poet, in representing
men who are irascible or indolent, or have
other defects of character, should preserve
the type and yet ennoble it.”
The chorus in Antigone notes,
“Wonders there are many, but none more
wonderful than human beings.”
What are Willy’s character traits
thus far?
The good:
• love for his wife
• love for his sons, esp. Biff
• Hardworking; can endure suffering
• loyalty to his company;
• devoted to the concept of the strength & beauty of
America; self-less
• idealistic
The bad:
• arrogant
• self-deceiving
• unfaithful to Linda in the past
• not wholly honest
• quick tempered
The Common Man as Hero
Miller’s thoughts:
“The common man is suitable for a tragic
hero.”
Willy is meant to be seen as greater and
better (at least in potential) than his society.
Is he? In what ways?
• Compare and contrast Willy with Howard
Wagner. What do you see? What does
Howard represent?
More from Miller
• Willy Loman is worthy of being viewed as a
tragic hero because he “is ready to sacrifice
his life to secure one thing--his sense of
personal dignity.”
Arthur Miller
At play’s end
Is Willy Loman a modern tragic hero?
Structure: What else did Aristotle
think?
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He believed in the importance of
unity of action
unity of time
unity of place
What does Miller use?
• Unity of time ? - Yes! Last 24 hours of
Willy’s life
• Unity of action? - Yes! The play is
complete unto itself
• Unity of place? – No – there are multiple
settings
Audience response
Aristotle envisioned a cathartic experience
(catharsis) for the audience, where their
initial feelings of pity and fear are replaced
by a sense of relief and a sense of being
emotionally cleansed.
At the end of a performance of
the first Broadway production
• From the director, Elia Kazan,: “It was the only
time I’ve ever known men in the audience to cry.”
• John Huston commented, “I’ll never forget it…I
looked around me once, and people had slipped
off their seats and were kneeling, they were on
their knees crying…It’s like what happens in the
last stages of analysis.”
When you finish the play…
.
Does Death of a Salesman provide you with
a catharsis?
On Death of a Salesman
“Miller’s achievement [in Death of a
Salesman] is genuine and important,
embodying a serious theme and defining a
serious flaw in a modern, materialistic
world.”
Thomas Arp, S.M.U.
Themes in Death
• The love of a father for a son and a son
(Biff) for a father
• The conflict between father and son
• Man’s need to “leave a thumbprint
somewhere in the world.”
• The question of who shall wield the power?
Additional themes…
• An examination of the materialistic values
of society
• An individual’s search for meaning and
purpose in life (not Willy, but Biff)
• failure in pursuit of success
• the problem of communication