Fred Ribkoff Believes That ‘Tragedy Dramatizes Identity Crises and at the Root of Such Crises Lie Feelings of Shame and Guilt’. Focusing on the Character of the Character of Willy or Biff, Explore How Far You Agree That

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Fred Ribkoff believes that ‘tragedy dramatizes identity crises and at the root of such crises lie feelings of shame and guilt’. Focusing on the character of the character of Willy or Biff, explore how far you agree that the dramatization of shame, guilt and a crisis of identity is a crucial aspect of Death of a Salesman as a tragedy. The term identity crisis refers to a period of uncertainty and confusion in which a person’s sense of identity becomes insecure, typically due to a change in their expected aims or role in society. This definition fits particularly well towards Biff, who could be portrayed as the main ‘tragic hero’ in Miller’s Death of a Salesman, as the change in their expected aims or role in society may be linked to the protagonist’s downfall from ‘high status’. Through the first few references to Biff Loman, we are aware there is a crisis of identity. At thirty-four, Biff has still yet to ‘find himself’ and even his own parents think he is ‘lost’. We are told through Willy and Linda throughout the first few scenes that Biff has been discovering himself on a farm. It is not until the last monologue from Biff himself that we find out the truth about his thieving problem. Identity crisis originates from the psychological term created by theorist Erik Erikson, believing it was one of the most important conflicts one faces in development. According to Erikson, the height of an identity crisis occurs during the teenage years where people struggle between feelings of identity versus role confusion. It is evident Willy played a huge part in shaping Biff’s identity crisis and is mainly to blame for him becoming the person he is. During Biff’s teenage years, Willy had constantly boosted Biff’s self-esteem, setting unrealistic goals and deluding both himself and his son. When Willy should’ve listened to Bernard and encouraged Biff to study, he fooled himself

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