Response to Course Material February 10

     The first thing we have done in class that I want to comment on is the multiple choice practice. The AP multiple choice questions are quite difficult, but I noticed that the questions were pretty well written. Whenever I got one wrong, I could see where I went wrong and why the correct answer was what it was. The thing I think I have to work on most for the multiple choice questions is reading quickly. The passages found in the multiple choice section are long and often confusing and contain long and complex sentences, composed of multiple clauses, similar to this one, which often obscure, cloud and otherwise make unclear the meaning that the author had intended. The multiple choice questions we practiced at home work took me a lot longer than the time we get on the AP test, and most of it was spent reading the passages rather than answering the questions.
     In class we have finally finished Hamlet and moved on to "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead". So far this new play doesn't seem as complicated as Ms. Holmes hinted when we started it. So far the first act just seemed like a string of dirty jokes. The second act is a little better, and it seems like the author is trying to say a few things that I haven't quite picked up on yet. The thing I am wondering about most is why Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seem to switch roles for the second act. This play is also a nice break from the complex Elizabethan English from Hamlet; it's a lot easier to read and understand the normal dialogue between the characters.
     I hope we don't spend as long on this play as we did on Hamlet. I'm getting a little sick of plays. It's good to study them all at once so that we remember everything and can compare the differences, but it's getting a little monotonous, and I'm excited to get to the non-play part of the course.

Hamlet Summary and Analysis-Jan 21

Summary and Analysis of Hamlet

Author

Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare, the most highly regarded English playwright in history. Little is known about Shakespeare's life. He is the author of 38 plays and dozens of sonnets, including notable plays such as Henry VIII, Julius Caesar, and Romeo and Juliet. It is unknown exactly when Hamlet was written; most estimates are around 1600.

Setting

The play takes place in the castle Elsinore in Denmark. The time period is unspecified, and could be Shakespeare's time period or several centuries earlier. The castle Elsinore is the home of the King of Denmark and his court; deceit and corruption are commonplace within Elsinore. 

Summary

The play begins with the changing of night guard at Elsinore. Bernardo takes over the guard from Francisco. He is accompanied by Marcellus and Horatio, Hamlet's trusted advisor. The guards discuss with Horatio a ghost that they have seen previous nights. Horatio doubts them, but then the ghost appears, but will not speak with them. They decide to bring the news to Hamlet. Horatio explains the background story about the death of Old Hamlet and the challenge from Fortinbras of Norway. The ghost appears once more, but again will not speak with them. 

The next scene takes place inside the castle. The king and queen and their courtiers are present. The son of Polonius, Laertes, requests the king to return to school in France and the king agrees. Then Hamlet is introduced, and the king and queen beg him to stay in Elsinore instead of going back to school. They also encourage him to get over his father's death. Hamlet agrees to stay. Horatio and Marcellus then take Hamlet aside and recount to him the events of the night before, requesting that he keep guard with them that night.

The next scene takes place between Polonius, Laertes, and Ophelia. Polonius gives Laertes advice about what to do while away in France. Laertes gives advice to Ophelia about how to deal with Hamlet, who is supposedly in love with her.

The fourth scene takes place on the guard platform at night. The ghost appears again and beckons Hamlet to follow it. Hamlet's companions try to hold him back, but he throws them off and exits with the ghost.

The ghost speaks to Hamlet, telling him that he is the ghost of Hamlet's father, Old Hamlet. The ghost tells Hamlet that his father was murdered by his uncle Claudius in the orchard, and demands that Hamlet make his revenge. Hamlet swears to avenge the deed, and makes his companions swear to secrecy, saying he will pretend to be mad in the coming days.

The second act begins with Polonius and Reynaldo. Polonius instructs Reynaldo to go to Laertes in France, but to inquire into his business there before meeting him. Reynaldo agrees and departs. Then Ophelia enters, saying Hamlet entered her chamber and seemed mad. 

Polonius goes to the king and queen, reporting Hamlet's actions, and saying that Hamlet's madness must be caused by his love for Ophelia. The king and queen recruit Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet's old friends, to spy on him and discover the cause of his madness. Both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Polonius speak with Hamlet, but he reveals nothing to them, only mocking them, although they do not realize it. Then the players enter and Hamlet exchanges lines with them, reciting excerpts from famous Greek and Roman works. Hamlet ends the scene with his longest soliloquy, in which he contemplates life and death, and decides to put on a play mirroring the events of his father's death to check the king's guilt from his reaction to it. 

Then Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report to the king and queen and discuss Hamlet's condition. Polonius suggests letting him talk to Ophelia while they watch from behind a screen, and they hide as Hamlet and Ophelia enter. Hamlet suspects they are being watched and betrays nothing, communicating his confused feelings to Ophelia with the double meaning of the phrase "get thee to a nunnery." The king recognizes Hamlet still possesses some reason despite his strange actions. 

The characters then all meet for the play. Hamlet speaks with Ophelia at the start, giving mixed messages. The actors perform the play, and the king jumps up, revealing to Hamlet that he is guilty of the crime. Hamlet leaves, his suspicions confirmed. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter, and Hamlet berates them for betraying him. Polonius enters and tells Hamlet to meet with the queen. 

Hamlet observes the king confessing his crimes while at prayer, but decides not to murder him there.

Hamlet then goes to his mother's room and antagonizes her for marrying Claudius after his father's death. He discovers Polonius spying on them and kills him, thinking him to be the king. Hamlet insists to his mother that he is not mad, despite the ghost reappearing, seen only to him. He exits, dragging Polonius's body. 

Act four begins with the king and queen discussing grave matters of Hamlet's madness and Polonius's death. The king instructs Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to recover the body from Hamlet, but they fail. Hamlet enters and tells the king where the b.ody is. The king decides to send Hamlet to England in punishment of the crime, sending letters in secret instructing that he be killed there. Hamlet departs, seeing an army from Norway on the plain, Supposedly marching through to Poland. 

Back in Elsinore, Horatio goes to the queen saying Ophelia has gone mad after he father's death. Ophelia sings in her madness, but communicates certain things about her love to Hamlet. Laertes has returned from France and blames the king for his father's death but the king calms him and turns the blame on Hamlet. In the meantime, Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet saying he is returning from England after being captured by pirates. The king and Laertes make a plan to kill Hamlet in a duel and with poison. 

Hamlet and Horatio go to a graveyard and speak with the gravedigger. They are interrupted by Ophelia's funeral, and Hamlet and Laertes both jump into Ophelia's grave and begin fighting. Hamlet confesses his love for her. 

Back in the castle, Hamlet and Horatio speak, and Osric brings word of a challenge from Horatio. Hamlet accepts, and goes to the duel. He and Laertes begin, and Hamlet begins the fight well, winning the first two exchanges. The king offers him wine that he has poisoned as a reward, part of he and Laertes' plan. The queen takes the cup and drinks and falls to the ground. Hamlet and Laertes begin fighting again, and exchange weapons, giving Hamlet the rapier Laertes had poisoned, also part of the plan. Both are wounded, and Laertes confesses his treachery, saying they will both die and the king is to blame. Hamlet kills the king. About to die, he imparts his final wishes to Horatio, just as Fortinbras storms the castle. Fortinbras honors Hamlet's death.

Characters

Hamlet

The prince of Denmark, beloved by the people. He is 30 years old and highly intelligent but distressed by the death of his father. He is driven to the point of madness by his desire to avenge his father, and constantly debates if he should kill the king although he sees moral problems with it. He also contemplates suicide throughout the play. He spends much of the play philosophizing about life, death, and morality. Hamlet trusts no one except for Horatio, and constantly mocks other characters with his clever wit. Hamlet tends to use extended metaphors and figurative language when he speaks. 

Horatio

Hamlet's right hand man, trusted by everyone at Elsinore. Horatio is regarded as wise and scholarly; other character's heed his advice throughout the play. 

Claudius

The king of Denmark at the time of the play. The younger brother of Old Hamlet and uncle of young Hamlet. He is not well-loved by the people. He became king when he murdered Old Hamlet. Shortly after the murder he married Gertrude the queen, who may have been his main objective in the murder. Claudius is afraid throughout the play that his actions will be betrayed or that the people will turn against him. He acts cautiously though out the play, especially when dealing with Hamlet. He shows some regret for his actions in the scene when he is praying.

Gertrude

The queen of Denmark and the wife of Old Hamlet. Married Claudius shortly after her former husbands death. She is fond of her son Hamlet and of her new husband. Though she feels guilt about the dishonor that comes from marrying her dead husband's brother when Hamlet accuses her of it. 

Polonius

Advisor of king Claudius. Polonius is very crafty and works for his own political gain and to preserve his position in the court. He works against Hamlet throughout the play. He instructs his children bvery closely, teaching them to also work for political gain and betray nothing to other members of the court.

Laertes

Son of Polonius. Laertes claims to be enraged by his father's murder, but it is unclear whether he truly loved him or just wishes to defend his honor. Laertes often acts rashly and is manipulated by the king to help him against Hamlet. 

Ophelia

Daughter of Polonius, young and most likely innocent and unaware of the gravity of many of the events at Elsinore. She likely loves Hamlet, although her father and brother warn her against it. She hints that she may be pregnant. Her father's death drives her into madness, and to death, possibly suicide. 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Former friends of Hamlet recruited by the king to spy on him. They work mainly with the king and follow his orders blindly. 

Fortinbras

Son of the old king of Norway. Acts as a foil to Hamlet: he acts rashly and is quick to anger and seek revenge for his father- quite the opposite of Hamlet. He attacks Elsinore at the end of the play and demonstrates an honorable nature by his treatment of dead Hamlet.

Style

Shakespeare wrote the play in a masterful style that creates ambiguity. All the events in the play and the lines of characters can be interpreted in multiple ways. Hamlet's capture by pirates for example, creates perfect ambiguity of whether Hamlet outsmarted Rosencrantz and Guildenstern or whether he was truly captured by pirates. The reader cannot know for certain. Similarly in all the speeches, the abundance of lies at Elsinore make it unclear in almost every sentence whether the characters truly feel as they are saying or if they are plotting and lying for their own gain. Shakespeare ambiguous style leaves much up to the reader for interpretation.

Tone 

Shakespeare's tone throughout the play is difficult to identify. Shakespeare deliberately minimizes all stage directions and narration that would give clues about tone in the play. However, the foreboding  tone of the play is communicated through the actions and lines of the characters. Right from the start of the play, it is established through the appearance of the ghost that something in Denmark is amiss and hanging over the people at Elsinore. Throughout the play, dark events continue but the problem is not resolved, foreshadowing the ultimate tragedy that occurs at the conclusion. 

Point of View

Shakespeare's own point of view is impossible to identify through his writing. The absence of narration and stage direction and the ambiguity of the lines of characters make it impossible to decipher how Shakespeare meant the play to be interpreted. The power of the play is mainly the absence of a point of view, which leaves the questions posed by events unanswered.

Imagery

Throughout the play, the dark and foreboding tone is communicated with dark backgrounds and figurative language. In the opening scene and the scene in which the ghost speaks with Hamlet, the setting is given as a cold night. Most interpretations of the play that we watched communicated this cold night as windy, pitch black, and slightly haunting, creating an uninviting and sinister atmosphere. 

Throughout the play, characters also use imagery and figurative language in their speeches. One example of this is in Hamlet's speech to the queen describing his father's picture. He uses vivid imagery and allusions to mythology to communicate that his father was the image of perfection, describing his visage. 

Symbolism:

Emptiness

In almost all interpretations of the play, Elsinore is shown to be deserted in most scenes. This emptiness could reflect Hamlet's inner confusion and the separation he feels from the people around him. 

Yorick's Skull

The skull Hamlet finds in the graveyard represents his fear and wonder about death. The skull represents everything that he has philosophized about death throughout the play and what remains of someone's body  and soul after death.

Hamlet's clothing

No stage direction are given directing Hamlet's costume, but some directors chose to make Hamlet's dress mirror his inner emotions throughout the play. Dressing in dark colors or black has been used to symbolize Hamlet's depression.

Flowers:

Flowers symbolize innocence in the play, especially when relating to Ophelia, who is commonly associated with violets. She is frequently compared with a flower, and describes for herself what the different flowers symbolize during the flower scene.

Quotes

"Give thy thoughts no tongue, nor any unproportion'd thought his act"-Polonius. With this quote, Polonius unintentionally summarizes the state of Elsinore and Hamlet. Most of the character's in Elsinore lie and hide their true motives behind acts for the majority of the play; that is, they do not speak their true thoughts. Hamlet's predicament is that he heeds Polonius's advice too well, thinking too much before he acts.

"To be or not to be."-This quote from Hamlet's soliloquy summarizes his internal conflict throughout the play. He consistently wonder whether he should kill the king, kill himself, or do a number of other things. His indecision is the central internal conflict of the play.

Theme

One theme of Hamlet is the mystery of death.

Death and its impact on Hamlet's thought and actions are present throughout the play. From the beginning, Hamlet wonders about the death of his father when the ghost appears. He debates whether the ghost is from heaven or hell, raising question about the immortality of the soul and the purging of sin. Later Hamlet debates suicide, wondering whether what awaits him after death could be better or worse than what he experiences in his torment at Elsinore. Hamlet likewise debates his own ability to deal out death, especially to the king. He wonders if the punishment that awaits the king after death will avenge his crimes.

Open Prompt (Edited) from Oct 14

Prompt:

2004. Critic Roland Barthes has said, "Literature is the question minus the answer." Choose a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes' observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers. Explain how the author's treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

In the novel Animal Farm, George Orwell implicitly addresses the question of why communism fails as a system of government. The question is neither directly stated nor directly answered; instead, through obvious allegory and the fictional farm animal's society, Orwell shows the reader how communism fails. Throughout the novel, Orwell shows in his fictional society that communism fails because it manifests in corrupted form, because it provides only works temporarily, and because members of society are innately unequal, but he leaves his implicit question unanswered. 

       Orwell shows the reader the corruption of true communism through the animals' deviation from the vision of Old Major, who is representative of communism's founder Karl Marx in the novel. In the beginning, Old Major present his pure vision of a utopian society in which all are equal and share the work equally according to their ability. As the play progresses however, that utopia is corrupted as the pigs seize power. This change occurs gradually so that the animals are unaware of it. The reader, however, who can perceive events neutrally and whose memory is superior to that of the animals, sees the gradual progression that leaves the system in a totally different state than that in which it began. These changes are explicitly presented on the barn wall in the novel, where the commandments of the government system are written, which change many times throughout the novel. Each time they change, the animals still treat them as divine law. Orwell never explicitly states anything regarding deterioration of the utopian ideals, but the irreversible trend from good to bad to worse makes his message clear. He does not offer any solution to the problem, simply cutting off the novel at a low point, and leaving the reader to reflect on the problem and think about what a possible solution could be. 

        Orwell shows how short lived of a solution communism is by making the story form a complete circle, ending exactly as it started. In the beginning, the farmer oppresses the animals, and as the novel progresses, the pigs become more and more alike them until the two are indistinguishable to the other animals. Thus the problem was only solved for a short time, because of the nature of the animals themselves. Orwell presents implicit questions of why the animals do not recognize it, or what could be done to prevent the deterioration of the system, but again he gives no answer.

       The main question Orwell addresses with his allegorical society, is whether communism could ever achieve the utopia Old Major saw. He asks this by presenting and emphasizing the main problem with communism-that there will always be innate inequality among people and animals. Each time of farm animal in the novel represents a stereotypical person in society, and throughout the novel the differences between them destroy the system. The main example of this is the horse Boxer, who is loyal and selfless, giving far more to the system than he gets out of it. In the same way, other animals contribute more or less than their equal share of the work because of their personalities or because of the innate abilities of their species. The result is that the farm society is destroyed because some species like Boxer are worked to death, while other's contribute nothing. Orwell leaves the reader with the unanswered question of whether this could have been prevents to realize Old Major's dreams.

       Old the events and representations in Orwell's allegory serve to indirectly ask questions about the nature of communism. Instead of writing an essay giving specific details and professing possible solutions, Orwell presents his questions in an allegory, leaving the readers to make connection on their own. Essentially by leaving the questions implicit and unanswered, he escapes any possible criticism of his views. The obvious allegory paralleling events of the Russian Revolution establish the real and heavy undertone to the events of the farm, which seem rather absurd if taken at face value. With his fictional society, Orwell forced people to reconsider questions about the political movement which shaped the 20th century.

Response to Course Materials Jan 13

     After doing the close read of Hamlet and the annotations, I have decided that I actually enjoy the play very much. Most of the subtlety and meaning, I now realize, went right over my head the first time through. Going over some of the speeches again, especially some Hamlet's, revealed the thought that went into the writing. Some of Hamlet's word play and metaphors are unbelievable clever. The simplest example I can think of is the word play on "lying" in a grave in the first scene of act 5. All throughout the play, Hamlet practically never breaks character from speaking in elaborate riddles and metaphors that, when you think about them, actually have multiple levels of meaning to fit the situation.
     With regards to the movies we have watched in class, I found the second movie much enjoyable and in accordance with how I pictured the scenes. The scenery is much more elaborate, and the majority of the characters are cast much better. The first video also took many interpretive liberties, like playing up the relationships between Hamlet and Horatio and Hamlet and his mother. As I have said multiple times, there is really no evidence to make either of those more than wild speculation. And even so, the ambiguity of it is part of the genius and beauty of the play. By making that choice for the reader/watcher the director took away some of the deeper meaning of the play. The only thing I found strange about the second version of the play we watched was the time period. The actors and weaponry and buildings were in a style that suggested a time period much later than I had envisioned.
 

Close Reading December 16

This article I read can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/opinion/sunday/kristof-do-we-have-the-courage-to-stop-this.html?ref=opinion

      After the recent violence in Connecticut, many editorials have been written arguing for various methods of preventing similar crimes in the future. Among these is an article written by Nicholas Kristof titled "Do We Have the Courage to Stop This?". In the article, Kristof argues for increased regulation on firearms, saying such regulation will greatly reduce the number of violent crimes in the United States. Throughout the article, Kristof uses strong diction, quantitative details, and syntax to create a though-provoking argument.

      In the article, Kristof uses carefully chosen diction to make his point and opinion powerful in a subtle way. He uses words that have certain connotations, for example he describes the politicians, whom he clearly blames for their inaction, as "feckless" (paragraph 7). Later he criticizes politicians again, saying Obama had a given a "moving" speech. This word generally has a positive connotation, but that connotation is one of emotion rather than of literal motion, and Kristof uses that to contrast what is currently being done from the strong action he thinks should be taken. For most of the article, Kristof's diction is mechanical and logical, but with a few choice words such as these he changes the opinion of the reader. 

      The details of the article are perhaps what makes the argument the strongest. By presenting numerous facts and statistics, Kristof is able to make his argument logical and convincing. He presents statistics comparing gun control in the US to that in other countries, such as Canada and  Australia, saying how restrictions on firearms there led to a clear decrease in violent crimes. He also makes comparisons with restriction on automobiles, citing the long list of regulations on automobile safety, which makes the lack of regulation on the obviously more dangerous things, guns, seem absurd. Finally, with a slightly satirical tone, he compares regulation of guns to that of ladders. He cites the regulations that exist on ladders, which are quite extensive, and then notes that guns cause over one hundreds times more deaths than ladders annually, but are not as strictly regulated. The statistics are the basis of Kristof's argument in the sense that they make his points hard to challenge.

      Finally, with syntax that challenges the reader, Kristof drives home his point. Throughout the article, he writes almost as if he were directly addressing the reader. This begins right in the title: "Do We Have the Courage to Stop This?" The use of the first person plural pronouns brings the reader into the text, empowering him or her to take action. The rhetorical question is thought provoking, and could possibly even cause feelings of guilt or defiance. Kristof continues asking rhetorical questions and including the reader through the use of pronouns throughout the article. He concludes it with the "Some of you…", again using a pronoun that includes the reader directly. Altogether, Kristof's use of these three literary tools create a powerful and convincing argument. 

Open Prompt-Dec 9

1990. Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent (or a parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid plot summary.

      In Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman the main character Willy Loman and his son Biff are constantly at conflict. Throughout the play, Willy believes in the capitalist business system and that anyone can be successful, whereas Biff denies this and tries to escape the business world. The origin of this conflict, as we find out towards the end of the play, lies in the family's past. In Death of a Salesman, Miller uses the conflicting ideals of Biff and Willy to contrast conventional views of the business world with human nature.

     The origin of the conflict between Willy and Biff originates at the end of Biff's high school years, as we find out in a mental flashback of Willy's in the second act. Biff had originally believed in his father and his father's world, thinking business was the only path to success and that Willy had succeeded and become essentially a perfect human being. In the flashback, Biff goes to meet his father in a hotel in Boston to ask him to speak to a teacher about changing a grade, again assuming his father is influential enough to have anything done. He finds Willy in a hotel room with an unknown woman. Immediately Biff becomes disillusioned with the Willy's whole world. He wonders how many other parts of what Willy has told him have been a lie besides his marriage. This disillusionment continues throughout the rest of the play, as Biff rebels against his father's views for the remainder of the play. The single scene in the hotel is the reason for the conflict, but it was built up to for years by Willy's lies or fantasies. If Willy had exposed Biff to the truth and given him a vision of a less ideal world, the events in the hotel probably would not have effected him so greatly.

     The conflict is the central theme of the play and provides context for Miller to communicate his themes. One of those themes is the failure of the capitalist business system. Miller feels that many people have views similar to Willy about the business world, and have bought into the system enough to have lost some perspective. In the play, Miller exaggerates this in Willy's case, making him in a complete fantasy world, and Biff serves to make it apparent to the audience how far Willy has gone from reality. Willy constantly makes statements about the business world that are generally accepted as true, for example, that one will start off with a low position, but move up after years of working somewhere. Willy has come to believe it so completely that he almost doesn't recognize that has not happened in his own case. Biff continually points out the flaws in Willy's thinking, giving entirely negative feedback and saying Willy has failed and that he himself does not have chance to succeed. Biff's disillusionment and the contrast with Willy's delusion's puts the dire situation of the Loman family in perspective.

Death of a Salesman Summary and Analysis-Dec 3

Death of a Salesman 

Author

Death of a Salesman was written by Arthur Miller in 1949. Miller is a famous playwright who won the Pulitzer prize for Drama and also authored several other well-know plays including The Crucible. Arthur Miller was also politically involved throughout his career as a writer.

Setting 

The play takes place in New York City. Most of the action occurs in the Loman's home and at several other scenes around the city including an office building, a restaurant, and Charley's Business. One scene occurs in a hotel in Boston. The time period of the play is unspecified, but it can be implied that it is meant to take place around the time the play was written, 1949.

Plot

The play begins with Willy coming home from a business trip, supposedly to Boston. Soon, it is revealed, that Willy never made it to Boston, because he couldn't stay focused on driving. Linda comforts him, saying he is just too tired after years of work to be on the road all the time anymore. The scene then switches to the two sons Biff and Happy, who are visiting their parents. The two boys talk as they sit in their old room, talking about their current lives and the changes since their high school years. As they fall asleep, a scene from Willy's memory of their days in high school takes over. A scene is replayed from before Biff's big high school football game showing the dynamic of the family in those years. A conversation between Willy and Linda is interrupted by the Woman's laughter in Willy's head, foreshadowing the later realization. The flashback ends and Happy talks to Willy just before going to bed. The neighbor, Charley enters and he and Willy engage in a game of cards. The game is interrupted by another flashback in Willy's mind, in which he converses with his brother Ben. It is revealed that Ben was a successful businessman and Willy missed the opportunity to go into business with him, and it has troubled him ever since he started doing poorly in his job. Meanwhile, Biff becomes aware of Willy's mental state and discusses it with Linda expressing concern. Linda is defensive of Willy and attacks Biff for being unable to find a suitable job and allowing Willy to rest easy. Willy enters the conversation, accusing Biff of not being true to Willy's dream of him being a salesman. Happy puts forward the idea of he and Biff going into business together, calming Willy. They discuss the idea and decide to meet with Bill Oliver, a big businessman about it in the morning. 

The second act begins in a positive scene as Willy wakes up well rested and obviously comforted by the idea of his sons going into business. This is the high point of the play as Willy leaves for work, he seems mentally at ease. Willy goes to his boss Howard to ask to be given a job off the road. Howard says there are no jobs for Willy in town, and Willy is reduced to almost begging, embarrassing himself. He loses his confidence from that morning and has another flashback of Ben while in Howard's office. Howard suggests he takes some time off, telling him to come back to work when he is mentally ready. Willy goes out on the street, recalling a scene about Biff not doing well in math class. He goes to Charley's business and meets Charley and Bernard, learning that Bernard has become a successful lawyer. Charley offers Willy a job, but he is too proud to accept it. Willy then goes to meet Biff and Happy in a restaurant for dinner. Before he arrives, Happy is distracted by a girl, and when Willy arrives, he asks how the business meeting went, not listening to Biff when Biff says he was unable to meet with Bill Oliver. Biff tries to communicate his sense of self-failure, but Willy does not heed him. Willy goes into the bathroom and recalls the scene where Biff discovers him in a hotel room with a woman, while Biff and Happy leave with the girls. 

Willy comes home after having bought some seeds and begins trying to plant them in the back yard, while talking to an imaginary Ben. He discusses a plan to get his family twenty thousand dollars from life insurance by committing suicide. Biff and Happy come home. Linda gives many harsh words about them abandoning Willy in the restaurant. Biff demands to see him, intending to tell him once and for all that he is not a businessman and is leaving to go back to the West. Linda refuses to let him see Willy but he finds Willy. At first the two yell at each other, Willy saying Biff was failing at business to "spite" him. Finally Biff breaks down crying and the two of them hug. Biff and Happy and Linda go upstairs to bed. Willy is unfazed by the entire episode and continue with his plan, killing himself in the car. The last scene is of the funeral. All the characters express sorrow at Willy's death. Happy and Charley support Willy's dream, Biff says he had a false dream. Linda seems to be in shock, saying she was finally done with the mortgage on the house after so many years of struggling. The play ends after the funeral. 

Characters:

Willy Loman: The main character of the play who has many characteristics of a tragic hero. Willy is just over sixty years old and has been working in the same company for over thirty years as a traveling salesman, without ever much success. Despite his failure to make it big in the business world, Willy continues to pursue the "American Dream" of becoming a great salesman even though it has begun taking its toll on him. By the time of the play, Willy is old an exhausted from many years of hard work trying to support his family. He suffers from constant mental scenes reminds himself of earlier days when things seemed better: when his boys were young and full of potential and his job was looking up. He also frequently recalls conversations with his older brother Ben. By the end of the play, Willy is consumed by these delusions and is no longer able to distinguish the truth from memories he has likely altered. Throughout the play it becomes apparent that Willy's job, family, and marriage all have serious flaws. His main delusion is his unfounded pride and confidence in his older son, Biff. It also becomes clear that Willy's true talent lies in construction, thought he continues to pursue business until his suicide at the end of the play.

Linda Loman: Willy's wife. Linda is a static character throughout the play, remaining steadfast in the face of Willy's mental breakdown. She always encourages Willy, comforting and soothing him. Linda constantly encourages Willy to continue his business dream, even though, as she acknowledges herself, he is not "well-liked" which is consistently quoted as a requirement to make it in business. Linda encourages her boys Biff and Happy to start a career in business, but it seems her only concern is taking weight off of Willy's shoulders. 

Biff Loman: Willy's oldest son, 34 years old during the action of the play. During high school, Biff was a football star, winning a championship game. After high school, Biff planned to attend the University of Virginia, but failed math class during his senior year. After he discovers Willy having an affair with another woman, Biff loses faith in his father's visions and does not attend the University, instead seeking out his fortune in the West. When he returns, Biff makes attempts at his family's persistence to try to make something in the business world, although Biff knows in his heart all along that he is not cut out for work in business. Throughout the play, Biff steals material objects from other characters.

Happy Loman: Willy and Linda's younger son, mostly ignored by his parents in the light of his older brother's accomplishments. Happy acts just as his name suggests, always trying to be agreeable and help out the other characters. Happy is not disillusioned about business as Biff is, and continues to pursue a successful business career. Happy holds a job as an assistant sales clerk, and constantly seduces women, including the those in relationships with his coworkers. 

Charley: The Loman's neighbor. A successful businessman who is not unkind but never particularly friendly to the Lomans. He clearly does not believe in Willy's fanciful business dreams. He lends money to the Loman's times to help them pay their mortgage.

Bernard: Charley's son. Constantly bullied by all three Loman men while in high school, but still holds a fierce loyalty to Biff. In the action of the play, Bernard has become a successful lawyer, arguing a case before the supreme court. His success serves to spite Willy's dreams, since Willy always denied he would be successful.

Other Characters: Ben, Stanley, Howard, unnamed Woman.

Tone and Style: Miller's tone and point of view are difficult to identify exactly because the work is a play. The tone of the work can be identified as harsh and pessimistic through the atmosphere the play creates. The entire play's events, except for a brief scene at the beginning of Act II are catastrophic and heartbreaking at worst, and delaying the inevitable at best. The complete lack of joy except for empty sad, ironic humor in some places, communicates Miller's distaste with the whole affair of the play. In some places, it seems his tone is almost satirical, since he creates essentially an "anti-American Dream," by having every aspect of the American Dream escape the family without fail. 

Miller's style throughout the play is masterful. His character come to life and move the plot along through their personalities and goals. Miller's hand driving the plot is completely invisible. It is usually difficult to tell how he feels about specific events and character, since his narrative style offers no bias. 

Point of View

Miller's clear point of view is that the business world and the "American Dream" can both be quite harmful, and he means to illustrate this through the play. It seems that Miller's point of view is most associated with the character Biff. Biff is the only one of the Loman family who is willing to speak out against the business dreams of his father and brother. Biff tries to point out the obvious destruction caused by the capitalist business system, which Miller tries to say through the entire work. If any character's lines are Miller speaking through one of the characters, they are definitely Biff's.

Imagery

The imagery is vivid and realistic by nature of the work being a play. In most of the scene (in the movie version) the Loman home was portrayed as dark and uninviting. The constant disrepair of the house, and the apartment buildings towering backstage shutting out view of the outside world cause this. The set of the play creates the atmosphere and sets the mood. 

The imagery changes when Willy travels back in time in his head. In the past, the backyard is shown as open and free, with tries, sunlight, and grass. This contrast from past to present emphasizes Willy's dreams of the past as a better place, whether or not it is true. Ben is constantly portrayed with a golden light around him, making him seem almost divine, and contributing to his image as a flawless figure in Willy's eyes. The past is also often accompanied by flute music, meant to recall Willy's father. The music serves as auditory imagery, making the past scenes soothing and peaceful.

Symbolism

There are many symbols throughout the play. I will discuss only a few of the main ones.

Seeds/Nature/Growth: Throughout the play, to both Willy and Biff, nature represents freedom, though only Biff realizes it. Biff constantly talks about how he feels shut off by the city and the business world, saying how he wishes he was in the wide open spaces of the west, under the sky, working with his hands, etc. In the West, Biff would not be closed off by the city, and so he views the west as a sort of paradise. Willy, on the other hand, seems to subconsciously realize that nature is freedom. He mentions several times that the new apartment building, which took the place of the Lomans' backyard, is shutting them in. By contrast, the wide open space they had before let them be free. In the end of the play, Willy constantly struggles to buy seeds to plant a garden. He uses his garden as an escape from the events of the play.

Trophy/Football: To Willy, the days of Biff's high school football career represent the safety and success of the past. The trophy symbolizes the culmination and downfall of the Loman's happy lifestyle. During high school, everything was looking up for the family: Willy was doing well in his job, Biff and Happy were successful, promising success in business that would be able to support their parents in old age. These dreams all came crashing down. In Willy's memory, as is clear from all the flashbacks, football was the cause of all this success and the thing he associates with it. Football and the Trophy from the Evan's Field game come to metaphorically be the success of the past.  

Quotes 

"You can't eat the orange and throw the peel away- a man is not a piece of fruit."- Willy

This line summarizes Arthur Miller's view of the nature of the business world, and puts Willy's downfall in perspective. 

"After all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive."-Willy

Summarizes the great irony of the play and of the capitalist business world. 

Theme

In one sentence: One theme of Death of a Salesman is the falsehood of the American economic dream.

Explanation: The setting is New York in the late 1940s contributes to this theme ironically because it seems that it would be the place where the American Dream was most achievable. The post world war II period is generally though of as being the most prosperous in American history with the American Dream most attainable. New York offers a setting that is American through and through, further adding to the irony. The work's title contributes to this irony by juxtaposing the obviously negative word "death" with the generally positive or neutral word salesman. The play's atmosphere is usually chaotic and unsettling, subtly communicating some impending doom, which is made inevitable by the title and the continuous downward spiral of events. The atmosphere gives the play a distasteful air which is blamed on Willy's false dreams.