As soon as Death of a Salesman opened, critics began

writing about its relation to Greek tragedy, usually pointing

out that Willy doesn't qualify as a tragic hero. Without

mentioning his critics, Miller replied with an essay titled

"Tragedy and the Common Man." Death of a Salesman does

have a shattering emotional impact that corresponds to that

of a Greek tragedy. There are some other similarities- the

inevitable movement toward death of the protagonist (or

central character) with growing self-awareness, the single

story without subplots. Critics have hotly debated the

questions of whether Willy is a tragic hero or whether Death

of a Salesman is a tragedy. Dramatic tragedy was invented

and defined by the Greeks. Aristotle said a play has to have

four elements to qualify as a tragedy: 1) noble or impressive

characters; 2) the main character's discovery or recognition

of a truth about himself; 3) poetic language; and 4) the ability

to arouse and then soothe the audience's pity and fear. Some

critics consider that Death of a Salesman is debatable on all

four elements, while others think the play meets all these

criteria. Arthur Miller argued that times have changed- we

no longer live in an era dominated by kings and queens- and

so maybe our definition of tragedy should change, too.

Though he is a common man- Low-man-, Willy was later

described by the author who created him as "a very brave

spirit who cannot settle for half but must pursue his dream of

himself to the end." Though Willy did not have great

intellectual powers, Miller claims he did have a

self-awareness- otherwise he would not have killed himself

when he realized his life was meaningless. The difference

between Willy and his salesman neighbor Charley is that

Willy is intense and passionate and cares about his dream

enough to sacrifice his life to it. A tragic hero is someone

with the dedication to die for a belief, but also someone who

has a tragic flaw or limitation that defines him as a character

and makes the tragedy happen. He has alternatives, but he

chooses to live in a certain way that brings about his

downfall. All of this is true of Willy. Willy's struggle was long

and finally tragic. Linda says, "A small man can be just as

exhausted as a great man." Miller writes, "...this man is

actually a very brave spirit who cannot settle for half but

must pursue his dream of himself to the end." We can find

joy in what Willy manages to learn about himself- and in the

forgiveness and love he wins from his favorite son.