Research Article

An Aristotelian Approach to Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Number: 33 June 30, 2017
  • Serkan Ertin *
TR EN

An Aristotelian Approach to Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Abstract

The earliest discussion of tragedy as a genre is found in Aristotle’s Poetics. Aristotle based his theory on induction from the tragedies of Greek playwrights such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Although different centuries have given rise to various types of tragedy and the definition of tragedy considerably changed especially after Arthur Miller’s Tragedy and the Common Man, Aristotle’s discussions –when flexibly managed— apply to many tragic plots. Accordingly, domestic tragedies in American Drama in the mid-twentieth century follow a pattern similar to that of Aristotle’s. Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is one of the masterpieces of the particular period, which –for many— rejects some of the Aristotelian principles in Poetics. However, in terms of plot structure, character, and thought, the most important three of the six components of tragedy for Aristotle, Miller’s play conforms to the rules set for a tragic play.

Keywords

References

  1. Abrams, M. H (1999). A Glossary of Literary Terms. Boston: Heinle &Heinle.
  2. Aristotle (1995). Poetics. Harvard University Press: Cambridge.
  3. Field, B. (1972). Hamartia in Death of a Salesman. Twentieth Century Literature, 18(1), 19-24. www.jstor.org/stable/440691 doi:1/30.06.2016
  4. Jacobson, I. (1975). Family Dreams in Death of a Salesman. American Literature, 47(2), 247-258. doi:1. www.jstor.org/stable/2925484 doi:1/30.06.2016
  5. Martin, R. (1996). The Nature of Tragedy in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" South Atlantic Review, 61(4), 97-106. doi:10.2307/3201170
  6. Miller, Arthur (1986). Death of a Salesman. Middlesex: Penguin.
  7. Miller, Arthur (1996). “Tragedy and the Common Man”. The Theater Essays of Arthur Miller. De Capo Press: New York.
  8. Schlueter, J. (1995) "Re-membering Willy's Past: Introducing Postmodern Concerns through 'Death of a Salesman.'" Matthew Roudané (Ed.), Approaches to Teaching Miller's “Death of a Salesman" (143-145). New York: Modern Language Assocation.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

-

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Serkan Ertin * This is me

Publication Date

June 30, 2017

Submission Date

April 7, 2017

Acceptance Date

-

Published in Issue

Year 2017 Number: 33

APA
Ertin, S. (2017). An Aristotelian Approach to Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Kocaeli Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 33, 105-111. https://izlik.org/JA23AK26MM
AMA
1.Ertin S. An Aristotelian Approach to Miller’s Death of a Salesman. KOSBED. 2017;(33):105-111. https://izlik.org/JA23AK26MM
Chicago
Ertin, Serkan. 2017. “An Aristotelian Approach to Miller’s Death of a Salesman”. Kocaeli Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, nos. 33: 105-11. https://izlik.org/JA23AK26MM.
EndNote
Ertin S (June 1, 2017) An Aristotelian Approach to Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Kocaeli Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 33 105–111.
IEEE
[1]S. Ertin, “An Aristotelian Approach to Miller’s Death of a Salesman”, KOSBED, no. 33, pp. 105–111, June 2017, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA23AK26MM
ISNAD
Ertin, Serkan. “An Aristotelian Approach to Miller’s Death of a Salesman”. Kocaeli Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 33 (June 1, 2017): 105-111. https://izlik.org/JA23AK26MM.
JAMA
1.Ertin S. An Aristotelian Approach to Miller’s Death of a Salesman. KOSBED. 2017;:105–111.
MLA
Ertin, Serkan. “An Aristotelian Approach to Miller’s Death of a Salesman”. Kocaeli Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, no. 33, June 2017, pp. 105-11, https://izlik.org/JA23AK26MM.
Vancouver
1.Serkan Ertin. An Aristotelian Approach to Miller’s Death of a Salesman. KOSBED [Internet]. 2017 Jun. 1;(33):105-11. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA23AK26MM