Death of a Salesman Act 2 and Requiem

Act 2

Section 1

1.    Willy goes to see Howard concerning a none travelling job.

2.    Happy music opens the act- Loman optimism- Willy looks relaxed, slept in and wants to buy some seeds for the yard today.Linda has to dress him in his jacket.

3.    Daydreams about a house in the country- relate this to Biff’s dream( which Willy condemns)

4.    Willy is sure things will go his way very positive psyching himself up to meet Howard. Linda adds he needs an advance to clear some outstanding bills- final payment for the mortgage- Linda mending stockings-

5.    Linda tells Willy he is to meet the boys for dinner this evening after the meeting

6.    ‘A little boat looking for a harbour’- very aware of her husband’s failings and weaknesses

Section 2- Willy fails to persuade Howard and loses his job

1.    Howard’s office in New York with the new tape recorder. Greeting??? Totally ignored!

2.    Willy –(people delighted to see him???)

3.    Willy and Howard discuss the chances of another position for Willy and clearly this is not going to happen. (Miller wants Howard has to appear unsympathetic here)

4.    Willy talks of his career- Dave Singleman selling in his 80’s- liked and admired- this is what Willy seeks above all else. What evidence is there that Willy is well liked? Delusional?

5.    Begs for a job and cuts his salary- shouts at Howard- who leaves the office and Willy addresses his father Frank (Howard’s)

6.    Howard was aware of a previous ‘breakdown’ by Willy and tells him he must no-longer work for the company- rely on his son’s to help him now.

7.    Is Howard the only one who will speak the truth to Willy? Echoes of the Depression when jobs just couldn’t be made if the need wasn’t there.

Section 3-Willy dreams of the old days when Biff was a sporting success and Ben appears

1.    Ben comes on to the stage and discusses an opportunity in Alaska but Linda comes in and says Willy has already got a good job with prospects. Linda believes Willy’s boasting. Time is very confused now as it must be the past. Ben accuses him of building nothing substantial but Willy refers to the building on his house (not his career) Play on the word building here

2.    American Dream- pioneers settle down and build their own home- Dave Singleman story again. Ben leaves and Biff and Happy appear

3.    Flashback within the daydream---‘A man can end up with diamonds here on the basis of being well liked’ p.68 Willy say footballers earn more than Ben will in Alaska. Biff is well liked he will do well in business

4.    Charley teases Willy about Ebbet’s Field and the game.

Section 4- Bernard has become a successful lawyer- visiting his father

1.    Charley’s office and Willy comes to borrow money

2.    Bernard’s- successful, married and athletic (tennis racket)

3.    Bernard talks about the maths exam and Biff’s failure to get in the summer school and retake the exam

4.    Bernard describes Biff’s return from visiting his father in Boston and their fight. Willy doesn’t get it and this leads the audience to see how deluded he has become. Willy is unable to face the truth about Boston.

5.    Willy starts to boast an lie about Biff as he realises how successful Bernard is.

6.    Charley gives Willy the money he wants but doesn’t understand why Willy won’t just accept a job from him- says he is worth more dead than alive. Charley says no one is worth anything dead. Actually says Charley is his only friend.

Section 5- Biff tries to talk to Willy in the restaurant but Willy won’t accept the truth and tells his sons that he has been fired.

1.    Restaurant scene in which Happy chats up a pretty girl with terrible chat up lines. She also appears totally insincere- magazine cover- champagne salesman!

2.    Sexual remarks about her appearance

3.    Biff- famous football star from New York Giants- make believe but Biff won’t continue with the lies- who is Happy like?

4.    Biff talks about his failure with Bill Oliver and that he stole a pen off his desk- thief

5.    Happy tells him not to tell Willy- pretend a lunch date tomorrow-

6.    Willy arrives and tells them he has been sacked and wants good news

7.    Biff tries to tell Willy the truth- trumpet blares to emphasise the differences between the characters

Section 6- Willy daydreams of the time Biff failed his math exam

1.    Lighting changes back in time- (leaves) young Bernard on stage- one long list of disasters for the family- played behind the restaurant scene Bernard talks to linda front stage Willy and Biff having a conversation about Bill Oliver

2.    So why this daydream? Is Willy feeling guilty?

Section 7-Willy thinks Biff failed to cut the deal to spite him-violent argument-memory of Boston comes into his mind

1.    Willy notices the pen and blames Biff’s failure on failing his maths exam.

2.    Tannoy heard- Standish Arms Hotel- and Willy starts shouting that he is not in his room-

3.    Willy thinks Biff is worthless but then Biff tries to change his story- Willy is very upset

4.    Willy and Biff continue to discuss Bill Oliver but a woman is herd laughing- ambiguity of this

5.    Willy seems to think that Biff is deliberately spiting him. Guilt for discovered adultery?

6.    Biff tells the girls that Willy ‘is a fine troubled prince’ whilst Happy says- he isn’t his father’

7.    Peter denying Christ biblical allusion- trial of faith and Happy fails. Could Willy be seen as a Christ like figure? Gives his life for others?

8.    Willy refuses to listen to Biff and typical male turns to violence

9.    Sexual desire makes all the men feel guilty too.

Section 8-The full recollection of the scene in Boston

1.    The woman accuses Willy of ‘ruining’ her(Happy Act 1)

2.    Knocking at the door- bathroom- and Biff enters to explain the maths situation

3.    Making fun of the teacher- the woman begins to laugh too

4.    She comes out- stockings- Biff begins to cry as realisation hits him about Willy

5.    Woman’s laugh is very ambiguous throughout the play- laughing at Willy-appreciative laugh of lover- impending doom

Section 9-Willy left alone at the restaurant and becomes increasingly disturbed

1.    Stanley the waiter comes to collect Willy from the bathroom- the boys have gone and he is a pathetic old man here

2.    He asks Stanley where he can buy seeds-symbolic- the future

Section 10-Boys return home- furious Linda

1.    Linda greets the boys and makes to throw them out of the house.

2.    Tells Happy to pick up the flowers she had thrown on the floor

3.    Happy doesn’t understand Linda however Biff acknowledges his faults.

4.    Willy is banging around in the yard

Section 11- Willy in a very disturbed mind discusses the pros and cons of suicide

1.    Willy uses a torch in the dimmed yard area to read the seed packets- he is not making any sense

2.    His life insurance policy of 20,000 dollars would help Linda and he discusses this with Ben.

3.    Ben- dead brother debates the pros and cons. It may not be honoured (if it is proven that it was suicide)

4.    Who is right? Ben says its tangible and Willy says its better than ‘ringing up a zero’

5.    Willy sees his funeral on a par with David Singleman’s and that his family would finally understand that he was well liked!

Section 12- Biff tries to talk to Willy who is consumed with anger over Biff’s ‘spite’ of Willy. Biff tells him to stop trying to build dreams that Biff can’t make come true. Biff tells Willy that he loves him. Willy kills himself to leave the money to Biff.

1.    Biff tries to make his peace with Willy and get him to accept that Biff is a bum.

2.    Biff appreciates how ordinary he is as is Willy- never destined for great things

3.    Willy denies this- he sees all the opportunities for Biff

4.    Biff crying asks Willy to ‘discard his phony dream’- Willy is beyond understanding saying that Biff ‘is going to be magnificent’p.106

5.    Ben reappears and talks to Willy and they continue to discuss the money and the death- he wants to achieve the American Dream by giving Biff money to live the dream

6.    Happy talks about his future

7.    Willy talks to Ben then is back to a coaching scene - Willy goes out and drives the car away….

Requiem-Family and friends at the funeral

1.    Celebration to honour the dead=requiem

2.    Only family and Charley and Bernard there- delusional idea of being well liked

3.    Happy wants to stay in his job to beat the system for his father

4.    Biff despairs of Happy’s views and of his father’s dreams

5.    Charley’s line- definition of ‘a salesman is got to dream- it is the nature of the job’

6.    Linda’s ambiguous phrase: ’we’re free’