Death of a Salesman - Willy & Ben

By Julius Kammel & Ramona Nest

Adaptation:

In this essay, we are re-writing the scene in Act I.6. We are especially focusing on Willy ́s day-dream with his brother Ben.

First of all, we would like to give a short recap of what happened in this scene: As Willy and Charley are playing Cards, Ben appears on the stage in a semi-daydream. Willy alternates between chatting with Charley and his dead Brother. Charley, who cannot see Ben, wonders what’s going on. Finally Charley becomes irritated and leaves. Afterwards, Willy immerses himself into a memory of a visit from his brother. Linda, Biff and Happy are a part of this memory as well.

The play takes place in modern times (2013). Due to that fact, the flashbacks are transferred to the late 1970's / early 1980's. Therefore, the play has to undergo several stylistic changes.

This begins with a new setting of the stage. The kitchen represents the center of the stage (with a kitchen table in the middle; and three chairs around it). Right behind the table, there is a door to the (not seen) living room. A curtain only covers the door. In contrast to Arthur Miller's stage direction, the parent's bedroom is to be found on the left-hand side of the stage. The bedroom is placed on an elevated platform. Five steps are leading down to the kitchen. On the right-hand side of the kitchen, a wooden pull down stairs leads to the upper level, which is the boy's bedroom. There are two separate beds, each with a nightstand are to be found there. The entrance door to the house is right next to the stairs (pulled down, on the right side).

The different setting also influences the furnishing. In the parent's bedroom, one can see very noticeable wallpaper on the left side. This type of decor contains patterns with bright colors and shapes (yellow, red, orange). Its base coat is brown. The patterns give off a retro and groovy vibe. In various quarters the wallpaper seems to be rundown. A queen size bed is seen. The retro wallpaper pattern continues in the kitchen. On the left side from the door to the living room there are kitchen furnishings such as a stove and a sink unit. Here too one has the impression that the room looks a little bit down at heel. However, a very fancy modern fridge strikes one's eyes. The big old looking kitchen table is in the center of the kitchen and thus of the stage. A big orange seventies floor lamp can also be seen in the parent's bedroom. The upper level, representing the boy ́s bedroom, appears to be entirely shabby. Pieces of the wallpaper are torn off and the room looks cold and dark. Above each bed one can see a picture of Biff and Happy with their father. (Biff's bed is on the left side and Happy's bed is on the right). A part of Biff's picture with his dad is faded and torn. In addition there are old football and seductive woman posters hanging on the wall. Some of them are shopworn as well. There is a sign leaning on the back wall which says: “Welcome home daddy". But the handle of the sign is broken off.

One of the most important features in this scene is the lighting. The stage lighting is split up into two parts. The right side of the kitchen is lit in a bluish and unrealistic light. Contrary to that, the left side of it is lit in a brighter and friendlier way. The other rooms are rarely lit. In the parent’s bedroom the big orange lamp marks the only source of light in this room.

Moreover, the costumes of the characters play an essential role for the understanding of this particular scene. As a person fully living in the present, Charley wears stylish jeans and a t- shirt (Football-Ravens Final Shirt). He seems to be in a good shape for his age. In contrast, Willy wears an old suit with a broad tie and a pair of glasses, which he takes off every time he talks to people from the past. His hair is peppered grey. Willy seems to be tired and troubled. In this scene his wife Linda appears as an illusion. She is much younger and her hair is dark and a little longer than in reality. It’s coiffed in a permanent wave with a red hairband on it. Her dress is long with shoulder pads and has red and yellow pattern. Ben, also appearing in the day-dream, wears a jungle-outfit (ranger-style) with a hat and a red neck scarf. He is a handsome good looking man in his mid- thirties. Biff is dressed in a football-outfit, carrying a football under his arm. He is chewing gum and is wearing a baseball-cap. His physical appearance bears resemblance to his uncle. Biff ́s little brother Happy wears light blue bell-bottoms and a big white shirt. His hair is spiked up with gel.

Analysis:

Arthur Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman” covers many themes which are still relevant today. Since the performance is held for a contemporary audience, we decided to transfer the whole play to this day and age. As a result, everyone in the audience has the chance to identify the issues shown in this play. As a consequence, the flashbacks take place in late 1970s/early 1980s. This change also has an effect on the character’s costumes and the setting of this stage. We have decided to split the stage into two parts: the left part of the stage represents the reality, whereas the right side underlines Willy ́s flashbacks.

Because there are no flashbacks in the parent ́s bedroom, we decided to put this room on the left side of the stage. The conversation between Willy, his brother and the rest of the family is set in a flashback which is set right- hand side of the stage. This separation of reality and illusion becomes even more obvious in the use of lighting. The left side of the kitchen is illuminated in a bright and friendly way. In contrast the right side is kept bluish- grey, which creates a dubious and unrealistic atmosphere. The kitchen table in the center of the whole stage marks the virtual interface of these two unequal lighting concepts.

In our chosen scene, the kitchen table plays an important role. For example, every time Charley and Willy play cards, Ben appears on stage. As a person fully living in the present, Charley stays on the brighter lit left side, whereas Ben, as an illusion, ought to be only on the right side. Willy is the one who is torn between both worlds. That ́s why he sits in the middle of the table at the point of intersection – between real and unreal. Overall the audience gets the impression that the Loman ́s house does not really fit into the modern times. This is distinctly marked by the furniture of the late 70s, such as the retro wallpaper and the floor lamp in the parent ́s bedroom. The walls seem battered and rather derelict. Nevertheless, the extremely new and fancy refrigerator catches the audience ́s eye. This is a striking example for Willy ́s materialistic values. Even though the family cannot really effort such an expensive item, they bought it anyway. The family’s to create the picture of a happy family. This idea is framed in Biff’s and Happy’s room. The picture on the wall of Willy and his two sons underline this attempt. But at the same time the difference between the two boys becomes clear. Happy ́s picture is still intact, while Biff ́s is torn off half way through. The inner conflict with his dad, who betrayed his wife Linda, destroyed his picture of the perfect father. The broken sign also mirrors the disillusion. The football posters, which represent Biff’s glory days in high school and the woman posters, which refer to Happy’s qualities as a womanizer, illustrate that the family still thinks of the good old days and is not willing to accept that time has moved on.

The issue of the past is represented in the character ́s costumes. Ben represents the absolute illusion. He is never leaving the right side of the play, which is another reason why the entrance door has to be situated in this section. His jungle-outfit underlines the unrealistic mood he is spreading. To make this even more obvious, we decided to make Ben much younger. He is a strong and handsome man in his mid-thirties who expresses a certain arrogance and ignorance. He achieved all of Willy’s values in a very young age and therefore behaves as superior.

Willy marks the person who is caught in the middle. He is neither a character of the past, nor is he fully living in the present. That’s the reason why is wearing a timeless suit. The only object that changes him from reality to illusion is his pair of glasses. Every time Willy is having an imaginary conversation with a character, his glasses are off. In the scene with Charley and Ben, Willy is sitting in the middle of the table, representing the two sides of the stage. When Charley leaves, the whole scene continues on the right side of the stage.

Since the flashbacks take place in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Linda wears a 70s dress. Her hair is supposed to be dark and a little longer than in the present, to refer to the conversation she had with Biff. Her son mentioned that he does not like the fact, that his mother’s hair is grey in the present.

Biff wears a football outfit, which again refers to his glory days as the captain of the high school football team. His constant chewing of gum gives a hint on his slight arrogance. In his way of acting one can refer to Ben’s self-confidence.

His little brother Happy wears fashionable clothing so he can feel well liked and accepted. This is very important to him. Nevertheless, Happy is wearing a shirt, which is far too big. This should underline the change he undergoes to become physically attractive (“I’m losing weight, you noticed, pop?”) Next to his brother, he still appeals unnoticed. This should point out a certain resemblance to the way his father Willy behaves when his brother Ben is present.

In contrast to all the characters described above, Charley is – besides Willy – the only “real” person in this scene. Since he is fully living in the present, he is simply wearing jeans. His shirt is a Ravens final shirt, since they won the Super-Bowl this year. His appearance shows how superior he is to Willy. He had the right dreams and is part of the winning team.