4.2.3

The Requiem

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The Requiem: A Fitting Ending?

Since the first production in 1949, critics and commentators have argued over whether the final scene is a fitting ending to the play.

The final scene

The final scene

  • The final scene of the play sees Willy’s family and old neighbours, Charley and Bernard, around Willy’s graveside.
  • Since the first production in 1949, critics and commentators have argued on whether this scene is a fitting ending to the play.
Pathos

Pathos

  • In some senses, the requiem can be seen as providing a tragic resolution.
  • There is an almost unbearable sense of pathos (pity and sadness) created in the scene, particularly through Linda’s lines.
  • Linda still cannot understand Willy’s suicide or why so few mourners attended the funeral, still believing in Willy’s boasts of “all the people he knew”.
Charley's insights

Charley's insights

  • Charley is able to offer some comfort to Linda (“It was a very nice funeral”) and later, some understanding and justification of Willy’s life as a salesman (“A salesman is got to dream, boy”).

The Requiem: Language

Miller delivers a spectrum of language in this final scene, from Charley's biblical outburst to Biff's statement of forceful finality.

Charley's language

Charley's language

  • Charley’s language becomes almost Biblical as he tries to do justice to his neighbour and protect Willy’s reputation in death (“Nobody dast blame this man”).
__“Dast”__

“Dast”

  • The archaic term “dast” may have been intended to provide Willy’s life and death with a sense of grandeur and dignity.
  • However some commentators have complained that it strikes a false note when compared with the realistic dialogue spoken throughout the rest of the play.
Biff

Biff

  • Biff strikes a very different note, bluntly declaring that, “He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong.”
  • Here, the use of monosyllables and repetition lend Biff’s judgement an air of forcefulness and finality which help to give this final scene its power.

The Requiem: Tragedy

While some critics feel the play ends before everything has been resolved, others argue that the final scene adds another element of tragedy.

Further tragedy

Further tragedy

  • Many critics see Biff’s journey to self-knowledge (“I know who I am, kid”, spoken to his brother, almost his final words of the play) and his insight into his father’s failed life as other key elements of tragedy in the play.
  • Other critics complain of a lack of resolution at the end of the play.
Further conflict

Further conflict

  • Biff and Happy are in conflict, with Happy “almost ready to fight” his brother in order to somehow justify his, and his father’s, dreams of success.
  • Here, there is no resolution: Willy’s tragedy seems doomed to be repeated.
The final irony

The final irony

  • Linda’s final speech, delivered to Willy, can be seen as demonstrating a similar lack of insight or understanding.
  • There is a bitter irony in the final spoken lines of the play (“We’re free… We’re free…”).
  • This “freedom” is hollow: the mortgage may have finally been paid on the house, but it has only been bought through a tragically high price – Willy’s life.
Biff's future

Biff's future

  • Biff’s future is also uncertain.
  • He has gained some insight into his father, and himself, but there is no guarantee that he has escaped the cycle of fulfilment followed by dissatisfaction and a sense of failure will not once again overwhelm him when he returns to ranch-work.
Ending tensions

Ending tensions

  • Finally, the play ends with the sound of the flute heard for the last time while “the hard towers” of the surrounding apartment blocks emerge into focus.
  • The tension between the pastoral sound of the flute and the harsh cityscape ensures the play ends on a note of conflict between competing visions of America – the mythic frontier land of the past romanticised by Willy and the ruthless urban jungle of modern capitalist America.
Jump to other topics
1

Introduction

1.1

Introductions

1.1.1Author1.1.2Historical Context1.1.3Setting1.1.4Social Issues
2

Act One

2.1

Key Events

2.1.1Staging2.1.2Key Events 1&22.1.3Key Events 3&42.1.4Key Events 5&62.1.5Key Events 7&82.1.6Key Events 9&102.1.7Key Events 11&12
2.2

Key Themes & Literary Techniques

2.2.1Foreshadowing, Flashbacks, Settings2.2.2Family, Reality, Fantasy
3

Act Two

3.1

Key Events

3.1.1Key Events 1&23.1.2Key Events 3&43.1.3Key Events 5&63.1.4Key Events 7&83.1.5Key Events 9&10
3.2

Key Themes & Links

3.2.1Pride3.2.2Metaphor3.2.3Self-Realisation
4

Extended Passage Analysis

4.1

Act One

4.1.1Staging4.1.2The Woman
4.2

Act Two

4.2.1In Howard’s Office4.2.2The Final Confrontation4.2.3The Requiem
5

Character Profiles

5.1

Willy & Linda Loman

5.1.1Willy Loman5.1.2Linda Loman
5.2

Biff & Happy Loman

5.2.1Biff Loman5.2.2Biff's Relationship with Willy5.2.3Happy Loman
5.3

Other Characters

5.3.1Uncle Ben5.3.2Charley5.3.3Bernard
6

Key Themes

6.1

Concepts

6.1.1The American Dream6.1.2Fathers & Sons6.1.3Nature & the City6.1.4Success6.1.5Men & Women
7

Writing Techniques

7.1

Structure

7.1.1Act One7.1.2Act Two
7.2

Realism

7.2.1Introduction7.2.2Staging7.2.3Language
7.3

Expressionism

7.3.1Introduction7.3.2Staging7.3.3Music
7.4

Symbolism

7.4.1The Garden / Seeds7.4.2Diamonds7.4.3Alaska & Africa
7.5

Motifs

7.5.1Introduction7.5.2Cars7.5.3Silk Stockings7.5.4Money7.5.5Mythological Figures
8

Historical Context

8.1

Historical Context

8.1.1Miller’s Family & The Great Depression8.1.2America’s Recovery
9

Literary Context

9.1

Tragedy

9.1.1Introduction
9.2

Applying Tragic Concepts

9.2.1The Tragic Hero9.2.2The Tragic Flaw9.2.3Recognition9.2.4Emotional Release9.2.5Chaos & Disorder9.2.6Revenge9.2.7Inevitability
10

Critical Debates

10.1

Introduction

10.1.1Introduction
10.2

The Marxist Reading

10.2.1Marxist Analysis10.2.2The Marxist Reading
10.3

The Feminist Reading

10.3.1Feminist Analysis10.3.2The Feminist Reading
10.4

The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.1Eco-Critical Analysis10.4.2The Eco-Critical Reading10.4.3Post-pastoral
10.5

Other Debates

10.5.1The Play as Tragedy10.5.2The Critics
11

Recap: Main Quotes

11.1

Characters Quotes

11.1.1Willy Loman11.1.2Linda Loman11.1.3Biff Loman11.1.4Happy Loman11.1.5Uncle Ben11.1.6Charley11.1.7Bernard
11.2

Quotes by Act

11.2.1Act One: Key Events 1-3 Quotes11.2.2Act One: Key Events 4-6 Quotes11.2.3Act One: Key Events 7-9 Quotes11.2.4Act One: Key Events 10-12 Quotes11.2.5Act One: Stage Direction Quotes11.2.6Act One: The Woman Quotes11.2.7Act Two: Key Events 1-2 Quotes11.2.8Act Two: Key Events 3-4 Quotes11.2.9Act Two: Key Events 5-6 Quotes11.2.10Act Two: Key Events 7-8 Quotes11.2.11Act Two: Key Events 9-10 Quotes11.2.12Act Two: Howard's Office Quotes11.2.13Act Two: The Requiem Quotes

Practice questions on The Requiem

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Which character states __“He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong”__ in the requiem?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    What implies that Willy’s tragedy seems doomed to be repeated?Multiple choice
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The Final Confrontation

Willy Loman