Death of a

Salesman
BY ARTHUR MILLER
Arthur Miller
• Born in New York City on
October 17, 1915
• Began as playwright at
University of Michigan
• Pulitzer Prize winner for Death
of A Salesman
• Double winner of New York
Drama Critics Circle Award
• Suspected of being a
Communist sympathizer
Summary and
Analysis
Play Review
and Report
Mechanics & Content
1. SETTING
Students should identify the setting of the
play and explain why the setting is
important.
• How are the time and place significant
to the events of the story?
• How does the setting contribute to the
overall meaning of the play?
Mechanics & Content
2. CHARACTERIZATION
Beginning with the protagonist and then moving on to the
supporting characters, students should discuss the
characterizations in their play.
• Is the character well-developed, or are they a stock or
stereotypical character?
• Is the character static (unchanging throughout the
story) or dynamic (changes by the end of the play)?
• What personality traits does the character possess,
and how does this affect the outcome of the play??
• Do the character's inner thoughts and feelings reflect
their outward actions? Explain.
Mechanics & Content
3. POINT OF VIEW
Students should identify the play’s point of
view and why it is significant.
• What advantages does telling the story
in (first person/second person/third
person) have? Why?
• Why do you think the author chose this
point of view?
Mechanics & Content
4. CONFLICT
What is the primary conflict in the play? Is it human vs.
human, human vs. nature, human vs. society, or human vs.
themselves? Your students should delve into conflict much
more deeply than they may have in the past. If their story
has more than one major conflict, they should detail the
additional conflicts as well.
• Explain the conflict and how the protagonist deals with
it.
• Does the protagonist overcome the conflict? Or do
they succumb to it?
Mechanics & Content
5. THEME
Students should identify the theme of the play and the
specific meaning of the book they chose. They should
avoid stock themes such as “Don’t judge a book by its
cover” and think more critically on their author’s message.
What was the author’s purpose in writing the book?

6. SYMBOLS
What are the symbols in the play and how are they
significant?
How do the symbols help develop the story and contribute
to the overall meaning of the book?
Mechanics & Content
7. ENDING
Finally, students should evaluate the ending of
the book.
• Was the ending justified? (Was the ending
viable and believable?)
• Was it a satisfactory ending that fit the rest
of the play?
 Quotes
CHOOSE AT LEAST THREE QUOTES FROM THE
PLAY. EXPLAIN THEIR MEANING.

“A man is not a bird, to come and

go with the springtime.”
Linda Loman
Additional. Mechanics
• Work in pairs.
• Complete the review/report using the
template/guide questions.
• Review/Report must be
• printed in a short bond paper.
• Margin - 1 inch all sides
• Font - 12, Century Gothic
• Spacing - 1.5 spacing
• Deadline: 25 May 2023