Tragedy is defined in literature as "the fall of a worthy, usually noble hero or heroine" and would rely basically on a protagonist who started in a high status in society and would eventually have a downfall as the story progresses ("Tragedy."). Traditional tragedy is composed of heroes or heroines that are given unexpected fate. Plots of tragedies would reveal that the hero or heroine of the story would try to resist this unexpected fate but eventually would yield to it. The gods would traditionally determine these fate or destiny in classic Greek literatures. But in modern times and in modern settings, the destiny and fate in the tragic story would be determined by characteristics, which are inherent in the hero or heroine of the story, or by the different influences of the environment or the society in which the hero belongs to. In tragedies, heroes and heroines would usually try to fight the fate that was dealt them and would struggle to become successful in life by achieving their set goals.
[...] However, near the end of the story, Biff, who wanted to please his father, tried to have a good job but was not accepted. Willy, who has been fired that same day, and who found out the once again failed attempt of Biff to get a job became so distressed in the end because of the misfortunes that had happened to him. This eventually boiled down to Willy committing suicide. All the events that developed and all the factors in the play show that this play is indeed a tragedy. [...]
[...] His boss, Frank Wagner, died before fulfilling the promise to Willy of promoting him to another job and thus Willy was forced to become a road salesman for a very long time till he was ultimately fired. The same son of his boss that he helped named fired Willy from his job. Howard Wagner, who was Frank's son, was more focused on technological advancements and did not like how Willy always keep on bringing about the past practices of salesmen and how it was charm and being liked by customers that are the important factors in being a successful salesman. [...]
[...] Willy does not like to know the bitter reality that he is a failure and he still believes that he is a great salesman and that his funeral, which will be attended by many, will be the proof of it. In the end, the funeral was not grand and Willy has failed in what his goals were. Willy was amazed by a previous funeral that he has attended. When he attended Dave Singleman's funeral, he saw the hundreds of people, salesmen and customers that attended the funeral which showed how well-liked Dave was. [...]
[...] Dave was a great salesman because he was well-liked by all. Willy has envisioned that his funeral would be as comparable if not as grand as that of Dave's. It was not the case. Willy's funeral was attended by his immediate family (his wife Linda, Biff, Happy) and his neighbor Charley. Willy's funeral showed that he is not a great salesman and that he is just a mediocre salesman. It was not true that Willy was worth more dead than alive. [...]
[...] Willy was also overwhelmed when Biff suppressed his tears in the end of Scene 13, which showed Willy that Biff still cares for him and that he is not that a failure after all. This made Willy calm and at peace with himself. However, Willy thought that his suicide will make Biff respect him more because it will be a sort of sacrifice for him because of the insurance policy. Willy also would like to show Biff how important he was when a lot of people would come to his funeral. [...]
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