Willy Loman is often described as a Tragic Hero. To What Extent is 'Death of a Salesman' a Tragedy? Critics have hotly debated the question of whether Willy Loman is a tragic hero or whether Death of a Salesman is a tragedy. Dramatic tragedy was invented and defined by the Greeks. Aristotle said a play has to have four elements to qualify as a tragedy: 1) noble or impressive characters; 2) the main character's discovery or recognition …showed first 75 words of 2592 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2592 total…of high moral stature, he need not have the power or largeness of a King but he can be an ordinary 'Lowman' to be influential on an audience and because Death of a Salesman is also a criticism of the moral and social standards of contemporary America, not merely a record of the particular plight of one man. And, also, it presents Willy as a victim of the deterioration of the 'American dream'. To conclude