Purchase Solution

Death of a Salesman By Arthur Miller

Not what you're looking for?

Ask Custom Question

What are the important elements of drama?
How do the characters and setting/staging of a play help develop the drama and theme?
How does style and tone develop a play?
What is the plot and structure of the play?

Purchase this Solution

Solution Summary

Death of a Salesman By Arthur Miller is briefly explicated.

Solution Preview

For the Student,
First and foremost, thank you for choosing Brainmass for your homework assistance. By our definition of assistance, I can only help you achieve the goal of completion of this assignment. It is against my company's policies to directly write homework or answer questions for you. However, based on my well trained knowledge of this play, I can most certainly help with these questions. I'll do necessary research for you to help you complete it.

Without further delaying this process, your first question asked me of the following~
1. "What are the important elements of drama?"

***Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text's major themes.***Early American literature usually centers themes around the American dream. From one of the legitimate online sources, it states and defines the American dream (according to the play) this way:

The American Dream
"Willy believes wholeheartedly in what he considers the promise of the American Dream?that a "well liked" and "personally attractive" man in business will inevitably and deservedly acquire the material comforts offered by modern American life. Oddly, his fixation with the superficial qualities of attractiveness and likeability is at odds with a more gritty, more rewarding understanding of the American Dream that identifies hard work without complaint as the key to success. Willy's interpretation of likeability is superficial?he childishly dislikes Bernard because he considers Bernard a nerd. Willy's blind faith in his stunted version of the American Dream leads to his rapid psychological decline when he is unable to accept the disparity between the Dream and his own life."

Questions you can ask yourself when you write this assignment are the following because these questions would contribute to the American dream in regards to the play:
A. Do you think that Willy Loman makes a successful living for his family?
B. If you think Willy Loman is a failed businessman, how does that affect his immediate family (for example, Biff Loman, Linda Loman etc.)?
C. What does the American dream mean to Willy Loman? [These are some questions for you to use as you brainstorm on this assignment.]

~There's one more term you should keep in mind about the elements of drama:
"Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts." (You should locate some symbols as you try reading some portions of this play.)

2. How do the characters and setting/staging of a play help develop the drama and theme?
Characters are extremely crucial in that they are part of the literary elements that drive a play moving with life. Without characters, there wouldn't be a play. There are serveral types of characters involved: Protagonist, antagonist, major characters and minor characters. The protagonist is the central most essential character of the play---the one who the playwright focuses his/her most his/her plot around.

Questions you need to keep in mind when brainstorming are:
A. Who is the protagonist ...

Purchase this Solution


Free BrainMass Quizzes
Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal

This quiz was written to test your understanding of Jonathan Swift’s essay, A Modest Proposal.

How to use Homonyms

Homonyms are words that sound the same, but have different meanings. See if you can tell which word goes with each sentence.

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer Quiz 1 (Prologue & Introduction Content with Chapter 1 Vocabulary)

The following questions are taken from the prologue and introduction of the novel, Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. Read each question carefully and choose the correct answer.

Reading for Cues to Audience, Purpose and Significance

This quiz will help students hone in on their skills for interpreting a piece of writing.

19th Century American prose authors

Test your knowledge of American prose writers of the 19th Century. Use this quiz to brush up on your familiarity of major titles and writers.