Arthur Miller Fansite

Death of a Salesman is a play created by Arthur Miller and first shown in 1949. It is considered a masterpiece of American theater.

Death of a Salesman is the tale of Willy Loman, a largely unsuccessful businessman who lives by the belief that one needs only a smile and some fancy clothes to be successful in business. It seemed to work for Willy’s brother Ben, and for Willy’s boss, so why not Willy?

But it doesn’t go that way. Willy has to travel long distances and makes very little money. He gets so depressed about this state of life that he tries to kill himself several times, all without success. His wife discovers this - alongside their older son, Biff - and they eventually confront Willy about it.

Unfortunately by this point Biff and his younger brother Happy have come up with a scheme to make money. The plan is ridiculous but Willy buys into it, thinking they’ll finally hit the big time. And he leaves their house one last time with this delusion, planning to kill himself and leave the insurance money to Biff.

The play ends with mother and sons standing by the grave, thinking back on Willy’s life and realizing their inability to make him face reality is what invariably killed him.

Told in present-time and flash backs, Death of a Salesman is a must-see, in whatever form you might be interested in (and there have been a lot over the years).