"Built Like Adonises": Evoking Greek Icons in Death of a Salesman

Abstract

Throughout Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller's 1949 Pulitzer Prize winning play, Willy Loman, the tragic title character, has been unable--due to his many personal shortcomings--to rise to an executive position with his longtime employer, the Wagner Company. And so the aging salesman, recently demoted to "straight commission, like a beginner, an unknown", seeks to fulfill his corporate ambitions through his two stunningly handsome sons, Buff and Happy Loman, hoping for reflected glory via their business achievements. Thompson examines how the Death of a Salesman evokes famous Greek icons.