In act three, the ending comes.
Chris has been out all night and no-one knows where he is.
Jim tells Kate he'll come home because he's a good son.
It's all a bit depressing, really.
Joe dies. Yeah... It was suicide. I think really that takes all hope of him ever being a tragic hero away. TRAGIC HEROES DO NOT KILL THEMSELVES. Hmph.
That is basically the general opinion that I have, and I'm struggling to get past it to make a comment of any value.
The ENTIRE ACT completely DESTROYS the feeling of TRAGEDY and DESPAIR.
Yes, he kills himself.
HOWEVER, that's not tragic, because he wasn't a very nice man.
All we get at the end of this is a feeling that maybe Chris and Ann can be happy now because he's dead and so they won't have to have the burden of him being a shit between them for the rest of their lives.
Kate doesn't exactly act all depressy either, like normal people would if their husband died. So what the hell, really?
Why can't a tragic hero take his own life? Isn't Kate being brave to allow the family to re-build? Hasn't the issue of deceit now been resolved? Do you think Miller has achieved his aim of writing a tragedy for ordinary people?
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