SYNOPSIS:
Death of a Salesman centers on Willy Loman, a 63-year-old traveling salesman. The play encompasses an evening and the following day, but the action is interrupted by and mixed with flashbacks and memories of a period approximately 17 years earlier. Despite his hard work and grueling schedule, the Lomans have always lived on the edge of poverty and Willy has always been an underling in his company. Yet Willy routinely tells himself and his family that the "big break" he deserves is just around the corner. He raised his two sons, Biff and Happy, to also believe that somehow life has cheated them and insists that one day they will get their due. Linda, Willy's dutiful and compassionate wife, lives under the thin veneer of denial that her husband has so long tried to keep from collapsing.
Willy finds that because of changing economic conditions, the company has no further need for his services. He is devastated and unable to understand how his employer could cast him aside after years of faithful service. Willy is terminated and discovers that he is unable to find any other similar employment.
Despite his protests otherwise, Willy knows he is a failure. His desperate desire to be "well liked" is shaped by his belief that success is defined by making money. Yet without the means to make more money, Willy’s concept of the American Dream is impossible. His tragic death by his own choice is his final, failed attempt at what Willy believes will save his family and his reputation. The “Requiem” at the end of the play reveals the flaws in Willy’s post-mortem hopes.