Although Willy Loman does not fit the classic definition of a tragic hero of Greek or Shakespearean times, he does constitute as a tragic hero according to Arthur Miller. He exhibits the tragedy of the "common man" in today's modern American society where nobility does not prevail in the least. Despite possessing "high-bred character," Willy Loman can be considered a tragic hero like Macbeth or Oedipus because he expierienced a tragic fall as well. The point of the tragic hero being so noble and of high rank is so that the audience can feel great sympathy for the hero because they fell from such a high place in life, exaggerating their failure. Willy Loman proves to also to create sympathy within the audience much like the classic heroes, perhaps more, because modern audiences can empathize with Willy Loman, because he was the "common man," a man trying to achieve a simple dream through hard work and dedication. Willy, "the average man", was just a mere victim of societal ideals and expectations much like Hamlet was. In Hamlet's case he was pulled in different directions, he had to decide whether to fulfill societal expectations and avenge his father's death or to follow his theological teachings and choose not to murder, whereas Willy was pulled to a false dream created by society that granted great success and material gain from those who were successful. While Hamlet's indecisiveness was the "tragic flaw" that led to his downfall, Willy's ignorance about what the American dream was and how to go about achieving it was his flaw. According to Miller "tragedy.is the consequence of a man's total compulsion to evaluate himself justly." Willy, like this man, evaluated himself and his position in society, but he was not satisfied with the man he found. So Willy much like Macbeth tried to increase their positions in their society and move on to their "rightful" positions in life. Macbeth attempted to usurp the throne, whereas Willy Loman tried to rise above being merely mediocre.
