Hamlet Vs. Willy Loman

Hamlet vs. Willy

Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, is a book about a salesman named Willy Loman who lives in the past and holds on to ideals and dreams that simply don't exist anymore, constantly worrying about his material items and the "condition" of his family, Willy becomes distraught leading to his early death. Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is about a prince named Hamlet, similar to Willy, Hamlet is also constantly worrying about life and the state of his family. In literature there's a common idea of the "tragic hero." Arthur Miller, author of Death of a Salesman, has a new updated version of what a tragic hero is; a character who is ready to lay down his life if need be to secure his sense of personal dignity, a character of nobility, has a tragic flaw. With this definition of a tragic hero in mind, both Hamlet and Willy Loman are tragic heroes.

In both
Hamlet is a noble character, even though he reacts slowly he eventually does what is needed, "The serpent that did sting thy father's life / Now wears his crown... If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not / Let not the royal bed of Denmark be / A couch for luxury and damned incest." This is Hamlet speaking and he's saying that he disapproves with what has been going on in the "royal family," he's mad that there's incest, betrayal, and murder therefore he says "Let not the royal bed of Denmark be / A couch for luxury and damned incest," meaning he won't just stand by in disgust but instead he will act upon it and be noble. Willy, too, is noble, he doesn't take any guff or disrespect from others, Willy tells Linda that when he overhears some co-workers speaking about Willy in a demeaning way he knocks them out, he also won't "associate" with those who he thinks are less then him, Biff says "Shake hands, Dad." Willy replies, "Not my hand." Willy thinks his son is a failure and won't even shake his hand because of what he