End of Act I discussion and writing assignment due today!!!!

"Tragedy and the Common Man" Questions (link)

1. What is the main point of this essay? 

2. According to Arthur Miller, what one quality causes every tragic hero to “fall”?

3. Based on Miller’s point about that quality, why does the common man fit so perfectly into the role of a tragic hero?

4. What is one thing that separates the traditional tragic hero from a common everyman tragic hero? And is that one thing important, in his view?

5. What does Miller say about tragedies being viewed as being “pessimistic”? What reasoning does he give when he argues that tragedies are actually optimistic?

6. Using the points Miller has made in the essay, discuss how Willy Loman can be considered a tragic hero OR the play a tragedy (up until this point--end of Act I the beginning of Act II).