Death of a Salesman Quote Bank Opening stage directions QuoteAnalysis ‘A melody is heard, played upon a flute’Tone for something more poetic is established Link to Willy’s father ‘We are aware of towering, angular shapes behind it, surrounding it on all sides’ Confined space of the stage and setting illustrates the idea of Willy being trapped in his mind His house is overwhelmed and oppressed by the city ‘Only the blue light of the sky falls upon the house and forestage; the surrounding area shows an angry glow of orange’ Unsettling scene ‘We see a solid vault of apartment houses around the small, fragile-seeming home.’ Reflects the bonds between the Loman family ‘home’ refers to the people inside the house, not just the house itself, suggesting the family is fragile-seeming “An air of the dream clings to the place, a dream rising out of reality.” The dream = The American Dream ‘clings’ suggests it is unwanted, troubling “rising out of reality” – enforces the dream-like quality of the play, appearance vs reality ‘There is a kitchen table with three chairs, and a refrigerator’ Sets the scene of a typical 1950s family Refrigerator = materialism The fact there are only 3 chairs, and 4 members of the family, suggests the family is already broken – perhaps foreshadows Willy’s death ‘On a shelf over the bed a silver athletic trophy stands’ The fact Willy has kept Biff’s trophy, and displays it in his own room, shows his inability to move on from the past Shows how Willy still tries to live vicariously through his son, seeing Biff’s successes as his own ‘The entire setting is wholly or, in some places, partially transparent.’ Represents Willy’s deteriorating mental state May represent Willy’s fading reality and his home being consumed by capitalism and the American dream (or his own dreams) 1 / 2
‘In these scenes of the past these boundaries are broken, and characters enter or leave a room by stepping ‘through’ a wall onto the forestage’ Not possible to walk through walls, showing Willy’s confusion and merging between past and present, and disrupts reality in the play Allows for the audience to gather that Willy is not living in reality ‘thankfully lets his burden down.’ Willy did not sell anything that day ‘burden’ suggests his job does not/will not bring him or his family happiness/success The product is never revealed, highlighting that what a salesman must really sell is himself Act 1 “It’s all right. I came back.” Linda constantly lives in fear of something happening to him Suggests that willy himself knows this, and knows that he has to reassure Linda ‘’I’m tired to the death’Foreshadows his later death His work is harming his mental and physical health ‘No, I see everything’Dramatic irony – Willy is blind to the truth (Myopia) ‘I’m the New England man. I’m vital in New England.’ Clings to the idea of being important and irreplaceable He is what he does, not what he is [He starts putting on his jacket] [taking the jacket from him] Willy tries to shelter himself from reality Linda cares for Willy like he is a child “That man was a prince, he was a masterful man.” Biff later describes Willy as a prince in Act 2 – Willy describes the man he wants to be ‘Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there’s nobody to live in it.’
DRAMATIC IRONY
‘it’s more than ten years now and he has yet to make thirty-five dollars a week!’ Irony – Willy does not make this much Criticises Biff’s efforts to live up to Willy’s expectations The America Dream is unobtainable ‘Not finding yourself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace!’ Hypocritical as Willy is unsuccessful at his job Destroying his family – not an element of the American Dream “Biff is a lazy bum!”Willy is full of contradictions
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