7推销员之死英文名作赏析

INTRODUCTION OF THE AUTHOR

Arthur Miller (17 Oct 1915 – 2005) was one of the leading

American playwrights of the twentieth century. He was born

in New York on October 17, 1915, the son of Polish-Jewish

immigrants. His father manufactured women’s coats, but lost

everything in the economic collapse of the 1930s. After

graduating from high school, Miller worked in a warehouse

so that he could earn enough money to attend the University

of Michigan. During his college years, he began writing his

first drama.

Miller's first play to make it to Broadway, The Man Who Had All the Luck (1944), was a dismal failure, closing after only four performances. This early setback almost discouraged Miller from writing completely, but, fortunately, he gave himself one more try. Three years later, All My Sons won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award as the best play of 1947, launching Miller into theatrical stardom. His most impressive play is Death of a Salesman (1949, Pulitzer Prize), fusing realism and symbolism in reviewing the tragic life of a salesman victimized by his own false values and those of modern America.

Miller was a prominent figure in American theatre and cinema for almost 100 years, writing a wide variety of dramas, including celebrated plays such as The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, All My Sons, and Death of a Salesman, which are studied and performed worldwide. Miller is considered by audiences and scholars as one of America's greatest playwrights and his plays are lauded throughout the world.

Notice the sub-title of the play: Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem . 两幕私下的谈话及一首安魂曲 Many things in this play happen in Loman ’s head.

[2] Main characters 剧中人物:

Willy Loman 威利·洛曼

Linda Loman 琳达·洛曼—威利·洛曼的妻子

[3] The action takes place in WILLY LOMAN’s house and yard and in various places he visits in the New York and Boston of today.

本剧发生于威利·洛曼家中的室内和庭院中，以及他去纽约和波士顿的几个地方。时间是今天。

[4] A melody is heard, played upon a flute. It is small and fine, telling of grass and trees and the horizon. The curtain rises.

可以听见用长笛演奏的一支旋律。乐声低微而优美，使人想到草原，树木和一望无际的天边。幕启。

[5] Even as he crosses the stage to the doorway of the house, his exhaustion

is

apparent [5].

仅仅从他横穿舞台走到房子大门的几步路也看得出来他累极了。

[6] …served her only as sharp reminders of the turbulent longings within him, longings which she shares but lacks the temperament to utter and follow to their end. …似乎对她只是一个提醒，使她更痛心地感到威利心里那些折磨他的渴望，而这些渴望在她心中也同样存在，只不过她说不出来，也缺少把这些渴望追求到底的气质。

[7] The car kept going off on to the shoulder, y’know?

车总是往公路边上甩，你明白吗？

[8] I’m the New England man. I’m vital in New England.

我熟悉的是新英格兰，新英格兰这边离不开我。

[9] life is a casting off. It’s always that way.

过了时的东西就扔掉了，生活就是这么回事。

[10] There’s such an undercurrent in him.

他身上憋着股子情绪。

Literature Appreciation

《推销员之死》写于1949年，是阿瑟·米勒第一部获得普利策奖的成功作品，也是使他享有国际声誉的代表作。此剧第一次上演就获得了巨大成功，此后一直在美国剧坛处于中心地位。处于20世纪现代主义思潮转变中的剧作家阿瑟·米勒，不可避免的受其美学风格影响，使其作品《推销员之死》这一美国悲剧不同于传统现实主义戏剧，使观众不仅可以从人物间错综复杂的矛盾冲突和故事情节的跌宕起伏中感受“震惊”，还可以在舞台所营造的为展现人物心理幻境回忆的布景与音乐中激发情感冲击。

此剧以二战后美国社会为背景，对主人公威利自杀前的苦闷，挣扎，绝望的内心历程做了展现，写照，并在故事进行中对其心理情感变化促使其死亡，也做出了一种剖露的社会批评。塑造了威利这个在其人生道路上的双重失败者——失败的推销员和一个失败的父亲。剧本揭示出美国的社会生活法则是“失败者没有活下去的权利”，威利没有取得成功，因此只能走向毁灭。威利一向认为他应当有所成就，但他对社会和自身都不了解，他渴望得到已被文明社会剥夺了的人生欢乐，因此只能眼看着希望破灭。他还将自己未能实现的梦转交给下一代，却徒然给他们增加精神负担。他的大儿子被父亲激励起的梦想破灭，最终一事无成。小儿子和威利一样喜欢空想。威利不仅不能给儿子们指出成功的途径，而且给他们一系列误导和坏影响，结果儿子们成了无用的花花公子。威利最后仍然执迷不悟，仍然沉迷于自己的信念，他想通过自杀为儿子们换来二十万美元的保险费，希望他们能干出一番事业。作品通过这两代人的失败，否定了人人都能成功的“美国神话”，在结构安排、时空处理、人物形象刻画和内心复杂情感的描写上都取

得了很高的成就。

本选段是全剧的开始，威利疲惫地回家，这时全剧已经奠定了失意、幻灭的气氛。时有时无的音乐起到了烘托这种气氛的作用。此剧是展现小人物的悲剧。传统意义的悲剧主角应该是有尊严有地位的人，而阿瑟·米勒认为，当小人物为争取个人的尊严而不惜牺牲生命时，悲剧感就产生了。此剧应用了音乐、灯光、舞台布景等手段展现烘托人物的内心世界，同时对要表现的人物的心情等起到一定的象征意义。这些表现手法在最初上演时引起了很大的反响，阿瑟·米勒与导演共同设计的舞台成为了美国式戏剧的样板。