Tragedy and the Common Man

Miller wrote “Tragedy and the Common Man” in 1949, only two weeks after the debut of his most famous play, Death of a Salesman. The two-act tragic play follows Willy Loman, a traveling businessman, during the last hours of his life. The action is told through a montage of Willy’s memories and dreams as he tries, and fails, to pursue the idea of the American dream. This pursuit leads him further into fantasy and disconnects him from reality, eventually costing him his life.

“Tragedy and the Common Man” is Miller’s direct response to immediate criticisms of his play and, specifically, of the protagonist Willy Loman. Some critics objected to the notion of categorizing Death of a Salesman as a tragedy, given that Willy Loman is an everyday, working man rather than a man of high stature or importance, as is traditional to the tragic genre. In arguing that the common man is an apt subject for tragedy, Miller defends Willy—and his own work—against these critics. He insists that Willy—and, by extension, common people of modern times—are fit to be considered tragic heroes, and that a hero need only be someone willing to lay down their life for their sense of “personal dignity.