Characterisation Flashcards
Willy is meant to be played by someone who, to use the playwrights words, has “_______________” but also indulges in “_______________”
massive dreams
little cruelties
arthur miller has defended Willy’s character by arguing that he does have values. Why would Willy like to have his own business and be successful?
In order to spend more time with his family
Wily berets his wife for getting the wrong cheese, unable to comprehend the fact that she was trying to please him. Both his dreaming and cruelty thus suggests what?
that he is living in a world of his own
Within the space of few lines, he says that Biff is “___________’ and then that he is “__________.”
lazy bum
not lazy
Within the space of a few lines, he says that Biff is a “lazy bum” and then that he is “not lazy” why is this important?
as he is able to idealise Biff one moment and attack him viciously the next, symbolic of his inner confusion
Why might Willy also be a hypocrite?
as he attempts to lecture Biff on a moral fault of which he is guilty by lecturing Biff not to get too involved with women because they are gullible, when he has a mistress
What is an example how Willy is conflicted in regards to Biff when he was younger?
he both rejects and condones Biff;s theft of a school football; demonstrating his willingness to reinterpret events to fit his dreams
A salesman lives by his ability to engage other people and make them believe in him, and this carries over into Willy’s private life. How is this clear?
as he even lies to Linda, his wife about the sales he has made. Willy in turns refuses to face the realities of his family debts
Willy appears egotistical, claiming he has a supreme popularity among his clients. These boasts turn out to be ill founded. What does WIlly claim gets you ahead in the business world?
“the man who makes an appearance”
Willy admits that he is aware that his colleagues mock him. What quote reflects that he envies Charley?
“He;s a man of few words, and they respect him”
Linda’s reassurance shows how fragile Willy’s self-respect is. When she says that he is “______” by his sons, we the audience know this not to be true?
idolised
`what suggests that WIlly does harbour hidden guilt about his affair?
his attitude towards Linda mending her stockings
What also reflects that Willy is hypocritical and conflicted in regards to Charley?
the fact that he accepts charity from Charley, but refuses and insults his offer for a job
Willy is a competent builder and regards it as an essential manly virtue to be able to handle tools, yet what does he prefer because of the American Dream?
he prefers to be a salesman
What reflects that Willy lacks self-awareness?
when Biff goes to Bill Oliver asking for a loan over a proposed business scheme, forgetting that Biff never knew him nor had a substantial role at his business.
what can be said about the fact Willy protests “a man can end with diamonds here on the basis of being liked” when talking to Ben?
this is false, Willy dies as a financial failure, and can only acquire the “diamonds” through death
It is not easy to decide whether Willy refuses to face reality or is unable to do so. He acknowledges the possibility of Biff failing to take a maths exam when he asks Benard if it was his fault, however he seems to ignore ….?
the effects of his affair on Biff.
It is possible that Willy makes other suffer for his inability to fulfil his dreams in an attempt to do what?
to delegate blame to others
What is Willy’s tragic fall?
the fact that he believes he must be materially successful in order to win his familys love
What does part of Willy’s appeal as a tragic hero lie in?
the universality of some of his beliefs and concerns such as his attack on consumer society which has landed him in debt- “always in a race with the junk yard”
What is the effect of Willy declaring that he is “always in a race with the junkyard”?
His frustrations are all too familiar and we identify with Willy as an average citizen of the 20th century
Willy tends to ride the crest of emotional waves. How does he react when Linda tells him the boys are taking him for a celebratory meal?
he declares that he will return with an advance
What does Willy’s remake that he should have bought a “well advertised machine” after he shouts that he is “always in a race with the junk yard” suggest?
that he is attracted to the notion of material goods as status symbols despite his anger against consumer society
When Dave Singleman died, who went to his funeral?
“hundreds of salesmen and buyers”
not family
Willy has nostalgia for the days when business involved “______,_________,________”
respect and comradeship and gratitude
Why was it futile for Willy to believe that his nostalgia for the days when business involved “respect and comradeship and gratitude “ could sway Howard?
as emotion has no place for the world of commerce
Willy undoubtedly has “the wrong dreams” as Biff says, but he is also a man who works hard and wishes to do the best for his family. What would to condemn him be the same as?
as believing that he has played no part at all in his downfall
What reflects Willys virtues as a tragic hero?
the way that the play contains many sincere tributes to his courage and determination
What has Arthur Miller apologised for in regards to Biff?
that he was not a “weightier counterbalance to Willy’s disaster”
Why has Arthur Miller apologised that Biff was not a”weightier counterbalance to Willy’s disaster”?
as Biff’s character arguably should have offered the basis for optimism to balance Willy’s profound despair
