Search results
Arthur Miller’s 1949 play, Death of a Salesman, explores the promises and perils of the American Dream. As the Loman family struggles with what it means to be successful and happy in post-war America, its members serve as symbolic representations of the struggle to define that dream.
The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montage of memories, dreams, and arguments of the protagonist Willy Loman, a travelling salesman who is despondent with his life and appears to be slipping into senility.
- February 10, 1949
- Morosco Theatre, New York City
- Late 1940s; Willy Loman's house; New York City and Barnaby River; Boston
- Arthur Miller
Death of a Salesman, a play in “two acts and a requiem” by Arthur Miller, written in 1948 and produced in 1949. Miller won a Pulitzer Prize for the work, which he described as “the tragedy of a man who gave his life, or sold it” in pursuit of the American Dream .
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller premiered in 1949 and remains a powerful exploration of the American Dream and its toll on individuals and families. The play revolves around Willy Loman, a traveling salesman whose aspirations for success and elevated social status lead to a tragic unraveling of his mental state.
Aug 17, 2021 · A Summary and Analysis of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Death of a Salesman is that rare thing: a modern play that is both a classic, and a tragedy. Many of the great plays of the twentieth century are comedies, social problem plays, or a combination of the two.
As a flute melody plays, Willy Loman returns to his home in Brooklyn one night, exhausted from a failed sales trip. His wife, Linda, tries to persuade him to ask his boss, Howard Wagner, to let him work in New York so that he won’t have to travel. Willy says that he will talk to Howard the next day.
The play is a montage of memories, dreams, confrontations, and arguments, all of which make up the last 24 hours of Willy Loman’s life.
