Key Facts
full title · Death of a Salesman: Certain Private Conversations
in Two Acts and a Requiem
author · Arthur Miller
type of work · Play
genre · Tragedy, social commentary, family drama
language · English (with emphasis on middle-class American lingo)
time and place written · Six weeks in 1948, in a shed
in Connecticut
date of first publication · 1949
original publisher · The Viking Press
climax · The scene in Frank's Chop House and Biff's final confrontation with
Willy at home
protagonists · Willy Loman, Biff Loman
antagonists · Biff Loman, Willy Loman, the American Dream
setting (time) · “Today,” that is, the present; either the late 1940s
or the time period in which the play is being produced, with “daydreams” into
Willy's past; all of the action takes place during a twenty-four-hour
period between Monday night and Tuesday night, except the “Requiem,”
which takes place, presumably, a few days after Willy's funeral
setting (place) · According to the stage directions, “Willy Loman's house
and yard [in Brooklyn] and . . . various places he visits in . .
. New York and Boston”
falling action · The “Requiem” section, although the play is not really structured
as a classical drama
tense · Present
foreshadowing · Willy's flute theme foreshadows the revelation of his
father's occupation and abandonment; Willy's preoccupation with Linda's
stockings foreshadows his affair with The Woman; Willy's automobile
accident before the start of Act I foreshadows his suicide at the
end of Act II
tone · The tone of Miller's stage directions and dialogue
ranges from sincere to parodying, but, in general, the treatment
is tender, though at times brutally honest, toward Willy's plight
themes · The American Dream; abandonment; betrayal
motifs · Mythic figures; the American West; Alaska; the African
jungle
symbols · Seeds; diamonds; Linda's and the womon's stockings;
the rubber hose
