When commenting on Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, critics often refer to the protagonist Willy Loman as a tragic hero when in fact he is not. He has both characteristics of a tragic hero and those who are not. According to the Greek Philosopher Aristotle in the `Poetics', the hero must be moved from prosperity to misfortune in order to be considered a tragic hero. This definition does not describe Willy Loman, since he began in misfortune. Conversely, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles is considered as one of the greatest tragedies ever written, because it involves a man named Oedipus leaving great prosperity to becoming a hermit. Aristotle's main requirements of the tragic hero are goodness, superiority, and flaw. Willy Loman meets only some of these characteristics, whereas Oedipus meets them all. In goodness, superiority, and flaw, Willy Loman falls short, but Oedipus has all these and...