“Death of a Salesman”

Characters:

Willy Loman

Charley Linda

Loman

Bernard

Biff Loman

Happy Loman

Ben Loman

Narrator: Willy Loman is a salesman living in New York City in the late 1940's. He lives with his
wife, Linda, in the same house for the last twenty-five years.

Willy: It’s all right. I came back.

Linda: Why? What happened?

Willy: No, nothing happened.

Linda: You didn’t smash the car, did you?

Willy: I said nothing happened. Didn’t you hear me?

Linda: Where were you all day? You look terrible.

Willy: I stopped for a cup of coffee. I suddenly couldn’t drive any more. The car kept going off
onto the shoulder, y’know?

Linda: Oh. Maybe it was the steering again. I don’t think Angelo knows the Studebaker.

Willy: No, it’s me, it’s me. Suddenly I realize I’m goin’ sixty miles an hour and I don’t remember
the last five minutes. I’m — I can’t seem to — keep my mind to it Linda (resigned): Well, you’ll
just have to take a rest, Willy, you can’t continue this way. Willy: I just got back from Florida.
Linda: But you didn’t rest your mind. Your mind is overactive, and the mind is what counts, dear.
Willy: I’ll start out in the morning. Maybe I’ll feel better in the morning. (She is taking off his
shoes.) Linda: Take an aspirin. Should I get you an aspirin? It’ll soothe you. Narrator: Biff is two
years older than his brother Happy, well built, but in these days bears a worn air and seems less
self-assured. He has succeeded less, and his dreams are stronger and less acceptable than
Happy’s. Happy is tall, powerfully made. Sexuality is like a visible color on him, or a scent that
many women have discovered. He, like his brother, is lost, but in a different way, for he has
never allowed himself to turn his face toward defeat and is thus more confused and hard-
skinned, although seemingly more content. Happy: He’s going to get his license taken away if
he keeps that up. I’m getting nervous about him, y’know, Biff? BIFF: His eyes are going.
HAPPY: I’ve driven with him. He sees all right. He just doesn’t keep his mind on it. I drove into
the city with him last week. He stops at a green light and then it turns red and he goes. (He
laughs.) BIFF: Maybe he’s color-blind. HAPPY: Pop? Why he’s got the finest eye for color in the
business. You know that. BIFF (sitting down on his bed): I’m going to sleep. HAPPY: You’re not
still sour on Dad, are you, Biff? BIFF: He’s all right, I guess. BIFF: Why does Dad mock me all
the time? HAPPY: He’s not mocking you, he... BIFF: Everything I say there’s a twist of mockery
on his face. I can’t get near him. HAPPY: He just wants you to make good, that’s all. I wanted to
talk to you about Dad for a long time, Biff. Something’s — happening to him. He — talks to
himself. BIFF: Well, I spent six or seven years after high school trying to work myself up. And it’s
a measly manner of existence. HAPPY: Well, you really enjoy it on a farm? Are you content out
there? BIFF (with rising agitation): Hap, I’ve had twenty or thirty differ- ent kinds of jobs since I
left home before the war, and it always turns out the same. Narrator: Willy has been demoted
from a salary employee to a commission employee at his job. This means he makes less money
to support himself and his wife. This combined with the constant driving and lackluster sales,
causes Willy so much stress, that he begins to hallucinate. He thinks he is living in an earlier
time in his life. He speaks to people who aren't there and he disturbs his friend, Charley, who
comes over to play cards with Willy. CHARLEY: Everything all right? HAPPY: Yeah, Charley,
everything’s... WILLY: What’s the matter? CHARLEY: I heard some noise. I thought something
happened. HAPPY: Let’s go to bed, Dad. Come on. (Charley signals to Happy to go.) WILLY:
What’re you doin’ up? CHARLEY (sitting down at the kitchen table opposite Willy): Couldn’t
sleep good. I had a heartburn. CHARLEY: Come on, let’s shoot. Tire you out a little. WILLY
(hesitantly): All right. You got cards? CHARLEY (taking a deck from his pocket): Yeah, I got
them. (They start playing.) WILLY: I’m getting awfully tired, Ben. CHARLEY: Good, keep
playing; you’ll sleep better. Did you call me Ben? WILLY: That’s funny. For a second there you
reminded me of my brother Ben. BEN: I only have a few minutes. (He strolls, inspecting the
place. Willy and Charley continue playing.) CHARLEY: You never heard from him again, heh?
Since that time? WILLY: Didn’t Linda tell you? Couple of weeks ago we got a letter from his wife
in Africa. He died. CHARLEY: That so. BEN (chuckling): So this is Brooklyn, eh? CHARLEY:
Maybe you’re in for some of his money. WILLY: Naa, he had seven sons. There’s just one
opportunity I had with that man... BEN: Is Mother living with you? WILLY: No, she died a long
time ago. CHARLEY: Who? BEN: That’s too bad. Fine specimen of a lady, Mother. WILLY (to
Charley): Heh? BEN: I’d hoped to see the old girl. CHARLEY: Who died?

BEN: Heard anything from Father, have you? WILLY (unnerved): What do you mean, who died?
CHARLEY (taking a pot): What’re you talkin’ about? BEN (looking at his watch): William, it’s half
past eight! WILLY (as though to dispel his confusion he angrily stops Charley’s hand). That’s my
build! CHARLEY: I put the ace... WILLY: If you don’t know how to play the game I’m not gonna
throw my money away on you! CHARLEY (rising): It was my ace, for God’s sake! WILLY: I don’t
play that kind of game! BEN (as Willy comes toward him through the wall-line of the kitchen): So
you’re William. WILLY (shaking Ben’s hand): Ben! I’ve been waiting for you so long! What’s the
answer? How did you do it? BEN: Oh, there’s a story in that. BEN (giving great weight to each
word, and with a certain vicious audacity): William, when I walked into the jungle, I was
seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God, I was rich! (He goes off into
darkness around the right corner of the house.) WILLY: ...was rich! That’s just the spirit I want to
imbue them with! To walk into a jungle! I was right! I was right! I was right! BEN: Yeah? (To Biff.)
Hit that, boy — hard as you can. (He pounds his stomach.) BIFF: Oh, no, sir! BEN (taking
boxing stance): Come on, get to me! (He laughs) WILLY: Go to it, Biff! Go ahead, show him!
BIFF: Okay! (He cocks his fists and starts in.) HAPPY (as he and Biff run off): I lost weight, Pop,
you notice?

“Death of a Salesman” Characters: Willy Loman - Charley Linda Loman - Bernard Biff Loman
Happy Loman Ben Loman Narrator: Willy Loman is a salesman living in New York City in the
late 1940's. He lives with his wife, Linda, in the same house for the last twenty-five years. Willy:
It’s all right. I came back. Linda: Why? What happened? Willy: No, nothing happened. Linda:
You didn’t smash the car, did you? Willy: I said nothing happened. Didn’t you hear me? Linda:
Where were you all day? You look terrible. Willy: I stopped for a cup of coffee. I suddenly
couldn’t drive any more. The car kept going off onto the shoulder, y’know? Linda: Oh. Maybe it
was the steering again. I don’t think Angelo knows the Studebaker. Willy: No, it’s me, it’s me.
Suddenly I realize I’m goin’ sixty miles an hour and I don’t remember the last five minutes. I’m
— I can’t seem to — keep my mind to it Linda (resigned): Well, you’ll just have to take a rest,
Willy, you can’t continue this way. Willy: I just got back from Florida. Linda: But you didn’t rest
your mind. Your mind is overactive, and the mind is what counts, dear. Willy: I’ll start out in the
morning. Maybe I’ll feel better in the morning. (She is taking off his shoes.) Linda: Take an
aspirin. Should I get you an aspirin? It’ll soothe you. Narrator: Biff is two years older than his
brother Happy, well built, but in these days bears a worn air and seems less self-assured. He
has succeeded less, and his dreams are stronger and less acceptable than Happy’s. Happy is
tall, powerfully made. Sexuality is like a visible color on him, or a scent that many women have
discovered. He, like his brother, is lost, but in a different way, for he has never allowed himself
to turn his face toward defeat and is thus more confused and hard-skinned, although seemingly
more content. Happy: He’s going to get his license taken away if he keeps that up. I’m getting
nervous about him, y’know, Biff? BIFF: His eyes are going. HAPPY: I’ve driven with him. He
sees all right. He just doesn’t keep his mind on it. I drove into the city with him last week. He
stops at a green light and then it turns red and he goes. (He laughs.) BIFF: Maybe he’s color-
blind. HAPPY: Pop? Why he’s got the finest eye for color in the business. You know that. BIFF
(sitting down on his bed): I’m going to sleep. HAPPY: You’re not still sour on Dad, are you, Biff?
BIFF: He’s all right, I guess. BIFF: Why does Dad mock me all the time? HAPPY: He’s not
mocking you, he... BIFF: Everything I say there’s a twist of mockery on his face. I can’t get near
him. HAPPY: He just wants you to make good, that’s all. I wanted to talk to you about Dad for a
long time, Biff. Something’s — happening to him. He — talks to himself. BIFF: Well, I spent six
or seven years after high school trying to work myself up. And it’s a measly manner of
existence. HAPPY: Well, you really enjoy it on a farm? Are you content out there? BIFF (with
rising agitation): Hap, I’ve had twenty or thirty differ- ent kinds of jobs since I left home before
the war, and it always turns out the same. Narrator: Willy has been demoted from a salary
employee to a commission employee at his job. This means he makes less money to support
himself and his wife. This combined with the constant driving and lackluster sales, causes Willy
so much stress, that he begins to hallucinate. He thinks he is living in an earlier time in his life.
He speaks to people who aren't there and he disturbs his friend, Charley, who comes over to
play cards with Willy. CHARLEY: Everything all right? HAPPY: Yeah, Charley, everything’s...
WILLY: What’s the matter? CHARLEY: I heard some noise. I thought something happened.
HAPPY: Let’s go to bed, Dad. Come on. (Charley signals to Happy to go.) WILLY: What’re you
doin’ up? CHARLEY (sitting down at the kitchen table opposite Willy): Couldn’t sleep good. I
had a heartburn. CHARLEY: Come on, let’s shoot. Tire you out a little. WILLY (hesitantly): All
right. You got cards? CHARLEY (taking a deck from his pocket): Yeah, I got them. (They start
playing.) WILLY: I’m getting awfully tired, Ben. CHARLEY: Good, keep playing; you’ll sleep
better. Did you call me Ben? WILLY: That’s funny. For a second there you reminded me of my
brother Ben. BEN: I only have a few minutes. (He strolls, inspecting the place. Willy and Charley
continue playing.) CHARLEY: You never heard from him again, heh? Since that time? WILLY:
Didn’t Linda tell you? Couple of weeks ago we got a letter from his wife in Africa. He died.
CHARLEY: That so. BEN (chuckling): So this is Brooklyn, eh? CHARLEY: Maybe you’re in for
some of his money. WILLY: Naa, he had seven sons. There’s just one opportunity I had with
that man... BEN: Is Mother living with you? WILLY: No, she died a long time ago. CHARLEY:
Who? BEN: That’s too bad. Fine specimen of a lady, Mother. WILLY (to Charley): Heh? BEN:
I’d hoped to see the old girl. CHARLEY: Who died?

BEN: Heard anything from Father, have you? WILLY (unnerved): What do you mean, who died?
CHARLEY (taking a pot): What’re you talkin’ about? BEN (looking at his watch): William, it’s half
past eight! WILLY (as though to dispel his confusion he angrily stops Charley’s hand). That’s my
build! CHARLEY: I put the ace... WILLY: If you don’t know how to play the game I’m not gonna
throw my money away on you! CHARLEY (rising): It was my ace, for God’s sake! WILLY: I don’t
play that kind of game! BEN (as Willy comes toward him through the wall-line of the kitchen): So
you’re William. WILLY (shaking Ben’s hand): Ben! I’ve been waiting for you so long! What’s the
answer? How did you do it? BEN: Oh, there’s a story in that. BEN (giving great weight to each
word, and with a certain vicious audacity): William, when I walked into the jungle, I was
seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God, I was rich! (He goes off into
darkness around the right corner of the house.) WILLY: ...was rich! That’s just the spirit I want to
imbue them with! To walk into a jungle! I was right! I was right! I was right! BEN: Yeah? (To Biff.)
Hit that, boy — hard as you can. (He pounds his stomach.) BIFF: Oh, no, sir! BEN (taking
boxing stance): Come on, get to me! (He laughs) WILLY: Go to it, Biff! Go ahead, show him!
BIFF: Okay! (He cocks his fists and starts in.) HAPPY (as he and Biff run off): I lost weight, Pop,
you notice?

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