Synopsis
As a flute melody is heard, Willy Loman, an
unsuccessful salesman of sixty years old returns to his Brooklyn home after a
failed sales trip to Florida. Willy is exhausted and confused as to why he
couldn’t drive straight on his trip. Worried, his loving wife, Linda, manages
to persuade Willy to ask his boss to permit him to work in New York so that he
won’t always have to travel. Willy grumbles about how tired he is and about his
two sons –Biff and Happy. He especially puts more emphasis on his older son, Biff,
as he feels that Biff has yet to reach his potential of becoming a successful
salesman.
In their bedroom, Happy and Biff reminisce
about their adolescent days and discuss their father’s embarrassing habit of
talking to himself. This eventually leads on to them fantasising about their
prosperous future of purchasing a ranch together out West that they believe is still
to come.
Whilst this is occurring, Willy starts to plunge
himself back into the past where he is telling his sons upon just arriving back
home after a sales trip that if they wish to be successful salesmen, they must
be popular and well-loved. He claims that this is the most important quality in
a respectable salesman. Then, Linda comes in with a load of washed clothes and
Happy and Biff leave to hang them up.
Linda enters and talks to Willy about his
business trip. Willy boasts and brags about how wonderful it was but eventually
stops lying to Linda and reveals the truth. In actual fact, the trip was hardly
a success. This makes Willy complain about how no one likes him and how if his
career continues along this track, he won’t be able to pay
off the family’s bill anymore.
As Willy tells Linda this, he starts
hearing the voice of his mistress. Gradually, Willy is submerged into the world
of his past again and he finds him with the woman he had an affair with in the
past. The woman and he are flirting and she thanks him for giving him
stockings.
Slowly, Willy comes back to reality with
reassurances from Linda that they are going to be economically fine. The guilt
of his indiscretion instinctively triggers a reaction of anger and he rages at
Linda. Willy orders her to throw the stockings out immediately. Afterwards, Bernard comes and asks where Biff is and Charley comes over to play cards. While Willy is playing cards with Charley, Ben, Willy's brother comes and he starts a conversation with Willy. Therefore as Willy continues to become agitated with the failure of his life compared to Ben in his mind, he responds to Ben in the present therefore making Charley very confused.
After, Linda informs Willy that Biff and Happy are going to meet him for dinner and then Willy goes to Howard, to ask if he can work in New York but Howard consistently ignores and talks over him, showing that he thinks that Willy is insignificant. As Willy attempts to speak, he is interrupted by Howard who makes him listen to the voices of his wife and children on a wire recorder, reciting the American states. However, when Willy does get a word in, Howard rejects his plea and asks him to take some time off. This angers Willy as he tries to change Howard's decision by stating the reason as to why he wanted to become a salesman and how he is a long time employee and the promises made by Howard's father to Willy.
Willy then relapses into another flashback, in which he remembers the missed chance of going with Ben to Alaska but the fact that he didn't go because of his job and children. Willy then enters the scene again with Bernard, a friend of Biff who was a nerd during high school. He asks Bernard, now a top-notch lawyer, the reason behind his success. Willy despairs as to why Biff has not shared the same fate and why Biff has become such a failure. Bernard replies that Biff refused to go to summer school and changed his goals in life after visiting Willy in Boston. Bernard then asks Willy why Biff gave up on his dream which Willy defensively replies that it was not his fault.
The scene then changes to Happy and Biff, who are at the restaurant. Biff recounts the day's events, stating that he has had a realisation. That he went to see Bill Oliver, waited for hours before he was allowed to see him and then stole a pen from his office. He states that this is just a repeat of his life, from when he was in high school and stole a ball from the gym, an act that was supported by Willy at the time. However, he realises that he only ever wanted a piece of being a salesman because of Willy and that it was not what he was fated to be. However, when Willy arrives to the scene, Biff attempts to tell him of his realisation but then Willy rebuffs his attempts, stating that he just wants to hear the good news. As Biff continually tries to explain the events that occurred and his own viewpoint on the incident, Willy continues to try evoke the good news that he wants to hear from Biff, even though it may not be the truth. In the end, Biff becomes fustrated and tells Willy pointblank why he doesn't to be a salesman and that its not what he wants. The memories of young Biff and Bernard return to Willy's mind, ahouting that Biff failed Math. However, Willy interprets this as Biff just wanting to spite him and they have a physical altercation. During this whole argument, Happy is trying to appease the situation by supplying Willy with lies that will make him calm down but infuriate Biff. Biff in the end succumbs and tells Willy what he wants to hear, that Bill Oliver accepted his proposal and that they are coming up with a plan.
Willy then goes to the bathroom where he is then surrounded by memories of his affair with the Other Woman, the time where Biff went to visit Willy. Willy and the Other Woman laugh but there is a person at the door persistently knocking. As Willy goes to get the door, he tells the Woman to stay hidden. Biff bursts him and tells Willy urgently that he needs to go back and tell his teacher to not fail him. However, as Biff turns to leave, the Other Woman comes back into the room and Willy tries to cover up his indiscretion. However, Biff has already registered the situation and runs furiously out of the room. The scene then returns back to Willy at the restaurant, alone as Biff and Happy have both left with women after the incident. Willy then decides to go buy seeds and begins to plant them. At the same time, Happy and Biff arrive home and are heavily berated by Linda for leaving Willy at the restaurant. Biff then goes outside and convinces Willy to come back in. Willy starts to get angry at Biff's failure and they begin a shouting match inside the house. In the end, Biff begins to sob and this touches Willy. As everyone readies to go to bed, Willy wonders about how Biff will be a success with the $20,000 of insurance money he will get if Willy dies. He talks to Ben in his imagination, who supports his decision. Willy get his hat and drives away in the wake of Linda and Biff's screams for him.
The scene ends with Willy's funeral. Linda wonders as to why his funeral was so poorly attended when he always seemed so popular. The solemn Linda asks to be alone and the others leave and leave Linda by herself at Willy's grave. She asks for forgiveness from Willy for the inability to cry and asks why he killed himself. She states that the last payment on the mortgage was paid and that they were free and begins to sob. She repeats 'We're free' as the curtain falls at the last note of the flute.
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