Aristotles Theory in the Death of a Salesman - Essay Example

Al Balushi Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy as it Relates To Death of a Salesman Qambar Al Balushi Hammersmith Due Al Balushi 2 Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy as it Relates To Death of a Salesman Thesis Statement: In the play Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, some of the criteria of Aristotle’s view of the tragedy are met, but little of the definition of a tragic hero is attained by the protagonist. A. Shades of the definition of tragedy can be found, but on the whole, the play is lacking in some of the elements that have been laid out by Aristotle. B. The themes are life changing for the characters and represent moments of change and importance. C. The words chosen by Miller are poetic, even as they are simple. D. The poetry of eliciting emotion can be its own form of song. E. Most of the events surrounding the story are done in a narrative fashion, designed to appear through memory and delusion. F. The will of the play is driven by the emotional development of each individual character and how his past has created his circumstance. G. Even in his own inability to impact his family in the way that he most desired, Willy was the master of his destiny. H. The play has a beginning, middle, and end that are connected by the emotional content that is revealed for Willy Loman. I. He sees the world in a way that leads to the destruction of his children and the disintegration of his own identity. J. How Willy is perceived is relevant to the way in which the audience member relates him to their own father. Conclusion: It’s divergence from the Aristotle definitions does not diminish the tragic quality of this play by Arthur Miller. 2 Al Balushi 3 Qambar Al Balushi Professor Hammersmith Name of Class Date Due Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy as it Relates To Death of a Salesman In the play Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, some of the criteria of Aristotle’s view of the tragedy are met, but little of the definition of a tragic hero is attained by the protagonist. The emotional journeys undertaken by the characters are serious and have importance with life changing consequences. The use of words and the way in which Miller writes his emotional translations of the characters creates a form of verse that can fit into Aristotle’s criteria. While the plot is carried out in the traditional form that creates the Aristotelian tragedy, the way in which the action progresses may not adhere to that form. Tragedy, according to Aristotle, must meet a set of criteria that he has defined in his writing entitled, Poetics. Aristotle defines the tragedy by: Tragedy, then, is 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. By language embellished, I mean language into which rhythm, harmony, and song enter. By the several kinds in separate parts, I mean, that some parts are rendered through the medium of verse alone, others again with the aid of song. (Aristotle, 350BC) Within the story of the play, the protagonist, Willy, isn’t completely sympathetic. His 3 Al Balushi 4 tunnel vision of his world leaves him vulnerable to the scrutiny of the audience which diminishes their ability to find pity for him and his circumstances. Shades of the definition of tragedy can be found, but on the whole, the play is lacking in some of the elements that have been laid out by Aristotle. To examine the play by the criteria defined by Aristotle, it is helpful to break down the definition into separate parts. The first definition is described as, “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude”. This portion of the definition is met by the play. The themes and motifs of the play are of a serious nature as this family navigates through issues of expectation, abandonment, and betrayal. The themes are life changing for the characters and represent moments of change and importance. In this way, the play fulfills this portion of the definition of tragedy. The play is written to represent a slice of time and lifestyle that existed for the American people. Lines like “"You cant eat the orange and throw the peel away. A man is not a piece of fruit.", and "I looked up and I saw they sky ... and I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been.", as written by Arthur Miller help to fit the definition that Aristotle designed for tragedy. Aristotle said that the work must be “in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament”. The words used by Miller are artistic and creative, even in their common vernacular. His design is flawless as it paints the picture of this story, creating a sad, empathetic familiarity within the audience. Aristotle clarifies his definition by saying “By language embellished, I mean language into which rhythm, harmony, and song enter” The words chosen by Miller are poetic, 4 Al Balushi 5 even as they are simple. While the way in which plays were presented in the time of Aristotle differed from the way in which more contemporary plays are created, this embellishment of words can be re-interpreted to describe an artistic use of words to poetically convey the emotions of the characters. While there is not actual verse and song, the rhythm of the words and the way the evoke emotion can be described as a form of song and verse. The poetry of eliciting emotion can be its own form of song. In “Death of a Salesman“, Willy Loman is a character that is caught up in his own interpretation of the world around him to the exclusion of all other possibilities. In this way, it is possible that we see a divergence from the definition of tragedy from Aristotle. As he says “in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.” as part of his defining criteria, the character of Willy Loman doesn’t actually do anything that will move the action forward. He lives in his memories and regrets. He is in a state of loss as he realizes he has lost his identity through the loss of his job and that he lost his son through the revelation that he had been betraying his wife with a mistress. Most of the events surrounding the story are done in a narrative fashion, designed to appear through memory and delusion. To further explain this divergence, one must look deeper into Aristotle‘s writing. “Dramatic action,” he says “therefore, is not with a view to the representation of character: character comes in as subsidiary to the actions” (Aristotle). Miller’s play is heavily driven by the development of the characters within the play. For Aristotle, the 5 Al Balushi 6 action defines the character, whereas the character is what defines the action in Death of a Salesman. These richly developed characters are trapped by their own vantage point on the world. The events are not impacting the characters, but the characters are impacting the events. The will of the play is driven by the emotional development of each individual character and how his past has created his circumstance. This would be the strongest evidence of an area where Aristotle’s definition cannot be applied to the play. Even though the circumstances that bring about the end are being placed on the shoulders of Willy Loman, it would be a valid statement to say that he brought about these things on his own. Fate did not burden him with this story, but his past set up this story to occur as it did occur. Even in his own inability to impact his family in the way that he most desired, Willy was the master of his destiny. Within the tragedy, Aristotle defined six elements that comprised the tragic play. “ plot, character, thought, spectacle, diction, and music. The most important of these elements, according to Aristotle, is the plot” As well, “There are many criteria that Aristotle sets for a tragic plot. One such criterion, is that the plot must have a beginning, middle, and end. The emphasis here is on the logic of connection“ (Aristotle’s Definition). The play by Miller has met this definition of the tragic plot. The play has a beginning, middle, and end that are connected by the emotional content that is revealed for Willy Loman. There are many points of connection, but the most important is that he seeks for his son what he could not fully achieve for himself. The importance of the connection of the parts of the play create the tragedy. That connection is vital in that “the 6 Al Balushi 7 parts should not be …episodic in which the episodes or acts succeed one another without probable or necessary sequence.”(Perry). As he finds the answer to the question that has weighed on him most - the question of why his son Biff has not come near to living up to his expectations - he discovers that his betrayal was the source of that eventuality. As Willy commits suicide at the end of the play, the audience does is not necessarily moves to pity for him. While Joel Perry in his essay, “ The Extents to Which The Death of a Salesman is an Aristotelian Tragedy” suggests that Loman meets the criteria of a tragic Aristotelian hero, however, the superficiality with which Loman chooses to see the world creates a difficult bond with the audience. Perry says that Aristotle says “An ideal central character should be “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.” The reason for this is clearly to “imitate actions which excite pity and fear, this being the distinctive mark of tragic imitation.”(Perry) Perry suggests that it is the nature of how Willy does as one might expect him to do that gives him the definition that is consistent with Aristotle. He says that: He is a salesman; we expect him to struggle. He is overbearing on his children; we expect them to grow up confused. His whole world crashes down on him when he loses his job, dignity, and income with no apparent recourse. We expect him to kill himself. This satisfies Aristotle’s suggestion that the character act in such a way as is “…necessary or probable.”(Perry) This view of Willy would give him the criteria to meet the Aristotle definition. However, Willy can also be seen from another point of view. Willy has an immature outlook on the world. He doesn’t see the shades of gray the way that his son has had to learn to view the 7 Al Balushi 8 world. Willy’s view of the American dream has diminished the value of those around him who he believes have not achieved that goal. He sees the world in a way that leads to the destruction of his children and the disintegration of his own identity. When he loses his job, he no longer can function. He could have made other choices. This distinction changes the way in which the audience sees his fate. This divergence diminishes his connection to the Aristotle tragic hero. The third element of Aristotle’s tragedy definition is that of thought. Perry says that “He defines this as “the faculty of saying what is possible and pertinent in given circumstances.” In general, what the speaker says should coincide with what he thinks.” This coincides with diction in his elements of tragedy. He defines it as “the expression of the meaning in words.” He suggests that this “province of knowledge belongs to the art of Delivery and to the masters of that science.” (Perry) While Perry believes that this is accomplished by the actor who plays Willy Loman and how he expresses himself physically, it also possible that this contributes to the way in which Loman is not a tragic hero. Willy expresses what he feels by remembering moments in his life and how they impacted him. This somewhat narcissistic view of his life is part of what separates the audience from its sympathy with Willy. This lack of compassion - which is not a total lack of compassion - that is present in the character of Loman is symbolic of a character that creates controversial emotional response and is part of what makes the character so very good. One alternate to Perry’s viewpoint on Willy states: 8 Al Balushi 9 "Tragic characters are those who take life seriously and seek worthwhile goals, while comic characters are "good-for-nothings" who waste their lives in trivial pursuits."(qtd. in Brown) Given the clarification by Aristotle "Death of a Salesman" does not fit Aristotles model of a tragedy. Willy Loman spent his life searching for success and happiness based on self centered ideals and illusion. How Willy is perceived is relevant to the way in which the audience member relates him to their own father. However, the shallow course that Willy’s emotional level laid out for himself and his family is apparent. While the character of Willy Loman is a classic portrayal of the impact of the American dream and the potential for the failure to meet the expectation of that dream, Loman is not necessarily a classic tragic hero as laid out by the definitions of Aristotle. While the plot follows the form of the tragedy with consistency, the issue of fate is in question and whether or not the events create the story or the character creates the eventual end. As a modern tale, Death of a Salesman is a very successful example of rich character driven story telling that evokes a multitude of emotional responses on a deeply personal level in an American audience. It’s divergence from the Aristotle definitions does not diminish the tragic quality of this play by Arthur Miller. 9 Al Balushi 10 Works Cited Aristotle, 350 BC. Poetics. Interpretation presented by Identity Theory. 13 December 2008. “Aristotles Definition of Tragedy in The Poetics of Aristotle”. 17 July 2007. Associated Content. 12 December 2008 “Discuss Death Of A Salesman As A Tragedy. As Defined By Aristotle, Is It Correct To Label The Play As A Tragedy?” 03 March 2006. OP Papers. 11 December 2008. Miller, Arthur and Bigsby, Christopher. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Books, 1998. Perry, Joel. “The Extents to Which The Death of a Salesman is an Aristotelian Tragedy” Joel Perry: “It might look like Im doing nothing, but at the cellular level Im really quite busy” 11 December 2008 10 Read More