The structure of the play Essay Example for Free

The structure of the play Essay In the Requiem we see Willys funeral, but alas, the friends and customers he claimed to have has not shown up. Linda and Happy are confused as to why this is, but Charley, Biff and Bernard know and have come to terms with the fact that Willy was not well liked and that his business ventures were ill-fated and old-fashioned. Biff finally opens up and says that Willy had the wrong dreams and Willy never knew who he was. Happy is distressed by what Biff says and is almost ready to fight. Happy obviously still believe in Willys ideals and in capitalism and states that he is gonna win it for him (Willy) much to the distress of Biff who knows that it is a vain attempt at getting rich quick. Linda is comforted by Charley, who says that being a salesman is a good profession and that a salesman has got to dream. Charley goes on to say he was a happy man with a batch of cement, this could be interpreted as the author saying that most people are happy to work for a purpose, e.  g. Socialism. Throughout much of the play we see Willy symbolising old capitalism, the belief that if you work hard and are well liked then you gain lots of financial wealth. In the Requiem we see the death of this old capitalism due to the unscrupulous nature of new capitalism which unfortunately, is not dead yet. Ben, Willys brother, symbolises new capitalism, the belief that if you are merciless and cut-throat in business then you will gain financial success. Much of the play is spent showing how new capitalism is getting rid of old capitalism. The structure of the play Throughout the play we have frequent flashbacks to the past, as Willys life falls apart and he dreams about the past to preserve his happiness. As the play progresses, the flashbacks become more frequent and crossover more into the present. The flashbacks are essential to the rest of the play and provide vital points that are key to the story. As the flashbacks become more frequent and frenzied, Willy starts acting out the flashbacks in the present. This makes him appear crazy and even leads Biff and Happy to openly claim Willy is not their father. Miller uses these flashbacks to adequately convey the emotion and structure of Willys breakdown to the audience. Conclusion Death of a salesman could easily be interpreted as an attack on the unscrupulous nature of all capitalism, but this is only a small part of the play. It is an emotive story of the last few days of a failed salesmans life, as he seeks happiness in the past and can not face the reality of his life. It is about a man who has been robbed by time and takes refuge in the past when he was well liked, yet in the present no-one in the business world likes him. Miller has written Death of a salesman in a powerful way and is successful in his purpose of touching the reader and making the read thinking about the world and the life they lead.