Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Death of a Salesman: Protagonist & Antagonist

"BIFF: There will be no pity for you, you hear it? No pity!
WILLY: You hear the spite!" Act 2, Page 1624

       As a reader, I found myself struggling to identify who the protagonist and antagonist were. They seemed to switch throughout the play. Technically, Willy is the protagonist. He is the  main character around whom the story and its events revolve. This would make Biff the antagonist, since it is the two men's unceasing conflict that causes Willy's hallucinations and episodes. More than that, it is his mere presence that sets Willy off onto his self-destructive path. Yet Biff could also be the protagonist. He is a wanderer, who upon his return home finds no support or comfort from his family. His father is insensitive and rude to him, putting stresses and pressures upon him to become something he has no desire to be. This would make Willy the antagonist. It is up in the air. Either way it works. Although I still hate Willy.

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