Hello ladies!
As we wrap up Othello, so also we rip into our next text; I know you were all expecting Americana, yet I have chosen to skip directly to Death of a Salesman.
The division of scenes is largely subjective, as the author has seen fit only to differentiate between acts 1 & 2. Scene demarcation in plays is widely accepted to be based upon a shift in location. This guideline may be loosely applied here as we will shift through time (flashback), topic, character grouping and more. The author seems to have been going for a seamless stage production, the possible effect of which we will be discussing further in class.
Beyond the various research resources off to the side, I'd like you to notice the opening of the play. How much of the stage direction would be instantly obvious to the audience? How much would they miss entirely, or seems more directed at the actors than the audience?
This is a Tragedy, so let's look at how tragic theatre theory applies to Miller's work. In the essay "Tragedy and the Common Man," we will hear from the author himself in his personal defence of how he defined tragedy.
(Having gotten an overview of this, make sure to try to attribute other tragic roles to each character as we go!)
Read the back of the book; Miller has defined the purpose of creating Loman as 'to set forth what happens when a man does not have a grip on the forces of life.' With that in mind, it would be good to also monitor the characteristics and allegorical lessons which may be observed of the other characters surrounding Willy Loman.
More in class. This should get you started. :)
Enjoy!
- T. Marcus
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