Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is a Modern TragedyIn the fourth century BC, Aristotle expounded his description of dramatic tragedy, and during Centuries later, tragedy continued to be defined by its fundamental observations. It was not until modern times that playwrights began to deviate somewhat from the fundamental tenets of Aristotelian tragedy and, in doing so, create plays that were more recognizable to the common man and, therefore, less traditional. Even so, upon examination, the basic plot structure of some modern tragedies actually differs very little from that of the ancient classics. Despite its modernity, Arthur Miller's great 20th-century tragedy, Death of a Traveler, can be successfully compared to the Aristotelian description of traditional tragedy. According to Aristotle, the protagonist, or tragic hero, of a tragedy is a person of great virtue and high station, usually a member of a royal family. The tragedy then transports the protagonist from his position of esteem and happiness to that of misery. Although Miller's protagonist, Willy Loman, is not of high station, he is the head of the family. His wife, Linda, although aware of his faults, considers him "the dearest man in the world" (1.1373). Furthermore, this is a man whose intentions to be the best salesman possible are honorable, if misguided. We must not forget that before the 20th century, almost all literature had someone of high status as its protagonist. The typical protagonist of the modern era, however, is one whose primary conflict is survival, and that conflict is certainly true for Willy Loman. Linda sums up the plight of the modern tragic hero when she says: "A little man can be just as exhausted as one... middle of paper... doesn't want to be... while all that that I need is there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am” (2.1421)? The tragedy did not end with the modern era. Instead, it found a new form and is perhaps more recognizable with the common man as the protagonist. Traditional tragedy aims to arouse pity and terror in the audience at the condition of the tragic hero. Most of us see enough of ourselves in Willy to sympathize with him, even when we disagree with him. Furthermore, it's hard for late 20th-century Americans not to feel terror when they think about how the forces that destroyed Willy might also destroy us. Perhaps this fear is indeed the very heart of the tragedy created by Arthur Miller. Works Cited Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman, The Riverside Anthology of Literature. Ed. Douglas Hunt. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton, 1991. 1345-1426.