Term Paper on "Compare and Contrast Willie and Oedipus as Tragic Heroes as Defined by Aristotle"

Term Paper 4 pages (1487 words) Sources: 5 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Willie Lowman and Oedipus as Tragic Heroes

Centuries ago, Aristotle provided the world with his definition of the tragic hero. The hero had to be a person of high esteem in society. He also had to have complete confidence in himself and his own abilities and strengths. This confidence is often the very thing that causes the tragic downfall, providing the important ironic element in the play. What specifically leads to the downfall of the tragic hero is not an inherent flaw, but rather a series of mistakes. These mistakes are then highlighted as an example and a lesson for the audience. The fact that the tragic hero begins the play as a person of high esteem and success, makes the downfall all the more tragic. The tragic hero and the tragedy also emerged from the particular society that created it, with the hero being representative of the values of the time. Many of these elements can be seen in both Oedipus from Oedipus the King and in Willy Lowman from Death of a Salesman. Indeed, critics have referred to the latter as the "American Tragedy."

When regarded on the surface, Oedipus appears to fit Aristotle's definition almost to the letter, and also much more closely that Willie Lowman. At the beginning of the play, Oedipus' role begins with his status as king. He is greatly revered and loved by the people of Thebes. He has proved himself very capable of handling difficult administrative and crisis situations in his jurisdiction. The play therefore begins with Oedipus at the height of his career and his success.

This sharply contrasts with Willy Lowman's status at the beginning of Arthur Miller's play. He is a failing, aging salesman. His company has withdrawn his salary, forcing Willy to work only on commission. Having apparently lost his touch as salesman, Willy is unable to make enough for the support of his family. Throughout the play, Willy is shown to delude himself by clinging to what he sees as a glorious past in sales. He believes himself great, and also believes that his sons should be great. When they prove to be the opposite of his expectations, he is unable to understand it or to do anything about it. Because Willy is unable to face the reality about himself and his family, he is also unable to do anything about it. In this regard, Willy does not fit Aristotle's definition of the tragic hero.

On the other hand, one might argue that, although not great in the eyes of society, Willy once was great in the eyes of his family and also of his coworkers. He was the epitome of American Dream and success. While Oedipus therefore represents the pinnacle of greatness in the society for which the play was written, Willy can be seen as representative of his society as well. While he does not begin the play as a success, one could view his distant past as the height from which he fell by making a number of mistakes, like Oedipus. Willy's main mistake is deluding himself.

Oedipus' main mistake is the opposite: he relentlessly and stubbornly searches for the truth, despite warnings from all authoritative voices to turn away and look no further. The truth is however of utmost importance to the king, and he refuses to let any warning or fear divert him from his path towards the truth, even if it is an unpleasant one. Oedipus therefore acts in contrast to Willy, who does not understand why his delusions are turning out to be false. Throughout the play he makes no attempt to understand the truth of his situation. Oedipus does not rest until he finds the entire truth, which also leads to the fulfillment of the prophesy he had desperately tried to escape.

A similar point in both heroes is the fact that neither makes mistakes deliberately. Both try their utmost in their chosen roles: Willy as family and business man, and Oedipus as the king. Both are successful for a time, but fail because of their mistakes. Oedipus unknowingly makes the mistake of murdering his father and marrying his mother. Willy's mistakes are more subtle. He falls from fatherly greatness by trying to force his sons into careers that they do not enjoy and is surprised when they fail at it. He falls from greatness as husband when he has an affair, however brief. These actions cause a rift in his attempt… READ MORE

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