Act II of Death of a Salesman
E592651
Act II of Death of a Salesman is the pivotal middle section of Arthur Miller’s classic play in which Willy Loman’s illusions increasingly collide with reality, driving the drama toward its tragic climax.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf | act of a play ⓘ |
| centralTheme |
conflict between illusion and reality
ⓘ
failure of the American Dream ⓘ family conflict ⓘ personal responsibility ⓘ |
| dramaticFunction |
builds toward the tragic climax
ⓘ
pivotal middle section of the play ⓘ |
| featuresCharacter |
Bernard
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Biff Loman NERFINISHED ⓘ Charley NERFINISHED ⓘ Happy Loman NERFINISHED ⓘ Howard Wagner NERFINISHED ⓘ Letta NERFINISHED ⓘ Linda Loman NERFINISHED ⓘ Miss Forsythe NERFINISHED ⓘ Stanley NERFINISHED ⓘ The Woman ⓘ Willy Loman NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| follows | Act I of Death of a Salesman NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| leadsTo | Willy Loman's suicide in the Requiem ⓘ |
| narrativeTechnique |
expressionistic shifts between past and present
ⓘ
use of flashbacks ⓘ |
| partOf | Death of a Salesman NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| plotEvent |
Biff and Happy abandon Willy in the restaurant
ⓘ
Biff and Willy have a climactic confrontation at home ⓘ Biff attempts to meet Bill Oliver ⓘ Biff breaks down and cries in front of Willy ⓘ Biff realizes he has been living a lie about his past success with Bill Oliver ⓘ Biff steals Bill Oliver's fountain pen ⓘ Biff tries to tell Willy the truth about his failures ⓘ Flashback reveals Biff discovering Willy's affair in Boston ⓘ Howard Wagner fires Willy Loman ⓘ Linda confronts Biff and Happy for deserting Willy ⓘ Willy and his sons plan a celebratory dinner at Frank's Chop House ⓘ Willy asks Howard Wagner for a non-traveling job NERFINISHED ⓘ Willy decides on suicide to provide life insurance money ⓘ Willy interprets Biff's tears as proof of love ⓘ Willy learns Bernard is successful ⓘ Willy retreats into denial during the restaurant scene NERFINISHED ⓘ Willy visits Charley for money ⓘ |
| precedes | Requiem of Death of a Salesman NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| settingPlace |
Charley's office
ⓘ
Frank's Chop House NERFINISHED ⓘ Howard Wagner's office NERFINISHED ⓘ New York City NERFINISHED ⓘ Willy Loman's house ⓘ |
| settingTime | one day ⓘ |
| tone | increasingly tense and tragic ⓘ |
| workBy | Arthur Miller NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.