Death of the Salesman and Glengarry Glen Ross - Essay Example

This research will begin with the statement that Death of the Salesman by Arthur Miller and Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet, which premiered in Chicago in 1984 are complementary. Glengarry Glen Ross is viewed as the continuation of social criticism upheld in the Death of the Salesman. In fact, the two plays are complementarily making it easier to understand the views of the two authors by analyzing the social ills and views deemed incorrect. Death of the Salesman is classified as a modern play based on the plot and the development of the play.

It includes the setting and the ability to link two different decades in the play. Glengarry Glen Ross is a post-modern play because it uses the tragedy given by Miller as the starting point for social criticism. Therefore, Death of the Salesman is a modern play while Glengarry Glen Ross is a post-modern play. The classification of a play as modern or postmodern is based on their characteristics. Modern and postmodernism are concepts that cannot be defined properly without tracing back the historical events that led to the development of the terms.

Postmodernism cannot be understood clearly without the definition of modernism. Modernism is derived from the aesthetic movement which contains the western ideas about art and can be traced back to the nineteenth century. It is a movement that rejected the traditional Victorian standards, which specified how art should be made, its meaning, and consumption. Therefore, Death of Salesman can be classified as a modern play because of the nature and the coverage of the play. It shifts from the notions offered by the earlier authors such as Shakespeare and other forms of literature.

Most of the Victorian literature was classical tragedies that are different from the approach employed by Miller. The tragedy produced by Miller uses unconventional rules which are modern with respect to style and subject matter. The play links accurately to the essay which makes understanding of the notion of tragedy easy. In the play, Miller illustrates how the common man can be a protagonist of a tragedy and the impact of the tragedy can be felt by the audience. The highlighting of the life of a salesman and the tragedy therein makes the play different from all the other classical plays and Shakespearean plays.

Consequently, the tragedy in the past literature has been associated with kings and leaders, but it is negated by the tragedy presented in the Death of the Salesman. The tragedy is not only the aspect of the classical or Shakespearean world but can belong to any age. The play by Miller catches the demand for the new age. The demand for the age is captured effectively in the play by Miller and includes the presentation of a serious action that is complete and can evoke pity and terror in the audience.

The play does not violate the properties and the use of grammar in a tragedy setting. In addition, Miller employs the use of other properties such as plot; character, thought, diction, song, and spectacle develop a fascinating play. Likewise, Glengarry Glen Ross employs similar tactics but classified as postmodern play because of the complementary nature of the play. It is a continuation of Death of the Salesman by Miller. Glengarry Glen Ross is classified as a postmodern play based on the plot and the characters.

In lieu of Miller's play, it does illustrate continuity from the modernism and the development of the new literature. Modernity in literature refers to order, rationality and rationalization. It is the creation of order thus, postmodern literature is marked several changes including the use of technology, order and the limitation of chaos that may affect societal reasoning. The development of the social controls is integral to value creation. The creation of ethical values shapes the society positively and encourages orderliness.

In fact, from postmodern plays, it is possible to point out the restructuring of the society.