The Death of a Salesman School Review
This screenplay was written to depict scene that shows two people arguing over the movie, Death of a Salesman.
The two people, Rickey Bobby and Netty Jane are trying to decide whether or not Death of a Salesman is in fact a modern day Greek Tragedy. The outcome is not very solid because nothing in life is ever solid it seems. Everything that seems so close to coming true either slips away or is reached quickly only to found out to be not what it was assumed to be. The writer of the screenplay wanted to base it upon the standings of a ‘teeter-toter’; the two spokes people go back and forth arguing over Death of a Salesman and in the end it is left open because there is so much opportunity in the smallest gaps. She leaves it open for the viewers to decide what the answer is. INT.
BRIGHTLY LIT ROOM – NIGHT An audience sits in front of the brightly lit room(used to stage the show). RICKEY BOBBY, show host gets up to get a rise out of the audience. Audience gets super loud. NETTY JANE enters room from side door. NETTY gracefully sits in the bean bag by BOB’s desk and swivel chair.
Audience settles and BOB sits down. (All About Tonight by Blake Shelton is playing while all this is going on.) BOB Well that sure was fun. Almost blew away with the racket you guys created. Netty, I can call you Netty right? (A small clip of Crazy Town by Jason Aldean plays for a few seconds.
) NETTY Oh yes Bob… but like I have a choice right? You kinda do you’re own thing anyways. BOB (laughs) Netty you sure are quick with your words. What did you think of the audience tonight? Great right? They were that loud just for you. NETTY Well Bob, I wouldn’t say they were that happy to see me but you on the other hand, they would be ecstatic to see you… I mean who wouldn’t? After all wouldn’t it tickle any ones nose to be up here getting harassed by you? BOB gets up from swivel chair. Walks to front of his desk and sits on it.
BOB looks as if he’s going to scold NETTY like she is a naughty student. BOB Oh yes… I would love to be up here getting harassed by myself but that’s just not possible. Well we better get on with tonight if we want to come to our conclusion. So Netty, do you believe that Death of a Salesman resembles a traditional Greek tragedy? NETTY shifts in her seat. Flips her hair over her right shoulder and smiles sweetly but also kind of demandingly. NETTY I believe that it could be a Greek tragedy but the lay out of the movie does not support this.
Everything else may match up but the layout does not and so it wouldn’t fit into a traditional Greek tragedy category. BOB Hmmm…. Well I see your point, although even if it doesn’t have the layout quite right it still has everything else. A damned man that cannot seem to find himself and goes crazy with his want of wealth and popularity, a tragedy through and through with a man that lives in the past during the present. NETTY Well it does have a bunch of the characteristics but not all.
Therefore since it doesn’t have all of the described characteristics it can not and will not be exactly like a traditional Greek tragedy. So my answer is no. Death of a Salesman is not a Greek tragedy. (Where the Boat Leaves From by Zac Brown Band plays briefly.) BOB Well I guess your answer is set in stone then.
You’re so stubborn in your ways that you don’t see the reason to take all of the described characteristics and go with the vast majority of the Greek tragedy characteristics that do describe the movie as so. NETTY sticks her tongue out playfully and makes a face at BOB. BOB shakes his head. BOB gets up and walks behind his desk. He pushes his swivel chair in front of his desk and sits by NETTY.
BOB spins in his chair while NETTY comes up with her conclusion. NETTY Well even though you have a lot of good points of how Death of a Salesman is like a Greek tragedy I’m still not buying it. So my conclusion is that we both have our own opinions that we are going to stick with and we should just agree to disagree. The lights dim. NETTY and BOB stand and shake hands. NETTY leaves and BOB follows.
The curtain closes and the show is over. (Miranda Lamberts song Some Where Trouble Doesn’t Go plays as back ground music)
