DEATH OF A SALESMAN

I.Title. The Death of a Salesman

II. Setings:
Death of a Salesman is set in the late 1940s. The Lomans live in Brooklyn,
and most of the play's action occurs at Willy Loman's house.

III. Characters:
Willy Loman - An insecure, self-deluded traveling salesman. 
Biff Loman - Willy’s thirty-four-year-old elder son.

Happy Loman - Willy’s thirty-two-year-old younger son. 

Charley - Willy’s next-door neighbor

Bernard - Bernard is Charley’s son and an important, successful lawyer.

Ben - Willy’s wealthy older brother. 

The Woman - Willy’s mistress when Happy and Biff were in high school.

Howard Wagner - Willy’s boss. Howard inherited the company from his father,
whom Willy regarded as “a masterful man” and “a prince.” 

Stanley - A waiter at Frank’s Chop House. 

Miss Forsythe And Letta - Two young women whom Happy and Biff meet at
Frank’s Chop House.

Jenny - Charley’s secretary.

IV.Summary

In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is an aging salesman who's fired from

his job. When his son Biff admits that he couldn't get a loan to start his
new business, Willy commits suicide so that Biff can use the insurance
money to secure his future.

V.Symbols

Death of a Salesman Symbols

 Rubber Hose. The rubber hose is a symbol of Willy's impending suicide.

...
 Stockings. During his affair with The Woman, Willy gives her the
intimate gift of stockings. ...
 Seeds. "I don't have a thing in the ground!" ...
 Flute.

VI.Review

A hit at the Young Vic, this majestic reinvention of Arthur Miller’s 1949
classic has become a phenomenon. It has at its heart two tremendous
performances. 

Wendell Pierce, star of The Wire and Meghan Markle’s screen dad in Suits,

fathoms startling depths of emotion as Willy Loman, a byproduct of the
American Dream. He is matched by Sharon D Clarke as Linda, Willy’s proud,
stern, infinitely patient wife Linda. 
Marianne Elliott and Miranda Cromwell’s meticulous production holds you
mesmerised for over three hours, and the ending is devastating. They are
not the first to depart from the idea of Willy as white and Jewish, but
they are the first to imagine a black Loman family in a largely white
Brooklyn milieu. This adds an edge to the setbacks and slurs they suffer,
and a new dimension to the play. Both directors and Pierce are rightly
shortlisted in this year’s Evening Standard Theatre Awards. 

Miller’s script now looks more like a cry for recognition of the underdog
than an outright critique of capitalism. Willy is one payment away from
owning his house, but cares more for affection and admiration than
wealth, for himself and his sons. 

Two impressive newcomers to this West End transfer, Sope Dirisu and Natey
Jones, slot seamlessly into the oppressive family dynamic as failed
football protégé Biff and attention-seeking womaniser Happy.