‘The suffering in tragedy usually causes deserved pity in the audience.’ To what extent do you agree?’
In Aristotle's Poetics, Aristotle stated that tragedies should evoke the feelings of "pity and
fear" which can be summarised in the definition of "catharsis". Throughout both tragedies,
“Tess of the D’Urbervilles” and “Death of a Salesman” the suffering experienced by the
protagonists evoke pity through their low status in a hierarchical society, fate and their
inability to achieve success or happiness.
In “Death of a Salesman”, it could be argued that the suffering experienced by tragic
protagonists always evokes pity in readers. As Willy enters the play already "tired to death",
we are presented with the quintessential figure of the broken proletariat who has internalised
the very system which oppresses him so that there is no escape from its ideology. Moreover,
Willy's very position as the worker is what leaves him powerless which ultimately causes his
inherent suffering evoking pathos for the protagonist. Willy powerlessly lowers his wages
from "sixty" to "fifty" to "forty-five" dollars a week just in order to provide for his family, while
Howard takes advantage of his social status to exploit Willy. As Willy becomes frustrated, he
says, "You can't eat the orange, and throw the peel away—a man is not a piece of fruit." This
metaphor could be a commentary on capitalism and the abuse of workers by their
employers. They have taken, or consumed the best of him—the "fruit" of his youth and are
now throwing out what they find distasteful about him —his age and slowness. Moreover,
Howard tells him to "pull yourself together, kid" and fires him. Through the use of the
condescending tone, Miller uses Howard as a mouthpiece to present the villainous aspects
of a capitalist society. The demeaning language such as labelling Willy a “kid” and the lack of
respect shown despite Willy being old enough to be Howard’s father, immediately evokes
pathos for the tragic protagonist. The power imbalance between a young boss and an old
employee elicits pity as we clearly see Willy trying his best to provide a legacy for himself
and his family. Perhaps, the cause of Willy’s suffering is because of his myopic view of
society. Nevertheless, the system has oppressed Willy and when he even tries to fight back,
he belittles himself stating in a resigned tone, expressing his powerlessness which
undoubtedly creates sympathy.
Throughout Willy's tragic trajectory we see a fanatical desire to transcend ordinariness which
ultimately leads to a tragic death but also simultaneously evokes pity. An example of this is
highlighted through Willy's abrupt meetings with Ben where Miller employs the recurring
motif of "diamonds'' and "jungle[s]". In the play, Ben acts as a tragic catalyst who, it can be
argued, is a figment of Willy's conscience. He is representative of success and wealth as a
result of his unscrupulous nature, which capitalism rewards in this society. Willy, tragically,
chooses to idolise Ben's success story and, as such, chases after a "dream" of prosperity
which cannot be obtained. The motif of "diamonds'' clearly symbolises wealth and success.
However, this is juxtaposed with the idea of a "jungle" which has connotations of
claustrophobia and confusion. This motif could suggest that Willy, who idolises Ben, is
chasing after "diamonds" in life, trying to transcend his lowly social position but is lost and
confused on how to reach them. Alternatively, a Marxist interpretation might argue that the
"jungle" is a metaphor which represents social Darwinism and the "common man's" social
struggle in this capitalistic, individualistic society. This is because the metaphor "jungle"
could connote ideas surrounding the animal kingdom: every individual fights for themselves
and the stronger they are –the higher they move up the food chain, or corporate ladder. This
could reflect how capitalism operates in a society which victimises Willy, who is weak and
needs "rest", which is elucidated in the exposition of the play by Linda. This interpretation
would also evoke pity for our tragic protagonist as we see that his noble persistence to
In Aristotle's Poetics, Aristotle stated that tragedies should evoke the feelings of "pity and
fear" which can be summarised in the definition of "catharsis". Throughout both tragedies,
“Tess of the D’Urbervilles” and “Death of a Salesman” the suffering experienced by the
protagonists evoke pity through their low status in a hierarchical society, fate and their
inability to achieve success or happiness.
In “Death of a Salesman”, it could be argued that the suffering experienced by tragic
protagonists always evokes pity in readers. As Willy enters the play already "tired to death",
we are presented with the quintessential figure of the broken proletariat who has internalised
the very system which oppresses him so that there is no escape from its ideology. Moreover,
Willy's very position as the worker is what leaves him powerless which ultimately causes his
inherent suffering evoking pathos for the protagonist. Willy powerlessly lowers his wages
from "sixty" to "fifty" to "forty-five" dollars a week just in order to provide for his family, while
Howard takes advantage of his social status to exploit Willy. As Willy becomes frustrated, he
says, "You can't eat the orange, and throw the peel away—a man is not a piece of fruit." This
metaphor could be a commentary on capitalism and the abuse of workers by their
employers. They have taken, or consumed the best of him—the "fruit" of his youth and are
now throwing out what they find distasteful about him —his age and slowness. Moreover,
Howard tells him to "pull yourself together, kid" and fires him. Through the use of the
condescending tone, Miller uses Howard as a mouthpiece to present the villainous aspects
of a capitalist society. The demeaning language such as labelling Willy a “kid” and the lack of
respect shown despite Willy being old enough to be Howard’s father, immediately evokes
pathos for the tragic protagonist. The power imbalance between a young boss and an old
employee elicits pity as we clearly see Willy trying his best to provide a legacy for himself
and his family. Perhaps, the cause of Willy’s suffering is because of his myopic view of
society. Nevertheless, the system has oppressed Willy and when he even tries to fight back,
he belittles himself stating in a resigned tone, expressing his powerlessness which
undoubtedly creates sympathy.
Throughout Willy's tragic trajectory we see a fanatical desire to transcend ordinariness which
ultimately leads to a tragic death but also simultaneously evokes pity. An example of this is
highlighted through Willy's abrupt meetings with Ben where Miller employs the recurring
motif of "diamonds'' and "jungle[s]". In the play, Ben acts as a tragic catalyst who, it can be
argued, is a figment of Willy's conscience. He is representative of success and wealth as a
result of his unscrupulous nature, which capitalism rewards in this society. Willy, tragically,
chooses to idolise Ben's success story and, as such, chases after a "dream" of prosperity
which cannot be obtained. The motif of "diamonds'' clearly symbolises wealth and success.
However, this is juxtaposed with the idea of a "jungle" which has connotations of
claustrophobia and confusion. This motif could suggest that Willy, who idolises Ben, is
chasing after "diamonds" in life, trying to transcend his lowly social position but is lost and
confused on how to reach them. Alternatively, a Marxist interpretation might argue that the
"jungle" is a metaphor which represents social Darwinism and the "common man's" social
struggle in this capitalistic, individualistic society. This is because the metaphor "jungle"
could connote ideas surrounding the animal kingdom: every individual fights for themselves
and the stronger they are –the higher they move up the food chain, or corporate ladder. This
could reflect how capitalism operates in a society which victimises Willy, who is weak and
needs "rest", which is elucidated in the exposition of the play by Linda. This interpretation
would also evoke pity for our tragic protagonist as we see that his noble persistence to
