ACT 1- First Impressions

Act 1

My first impressions:

One of the things that I noticed first about this play is that the visualization is a bit more difficult. This is mainly due to the breaking of the fourth wall, as there are moments of the past within the present scenes. Additionally, at times, characters like Ben, seem to only appear as a fragment of memory, in which his interaction and presence is not completely integrated with the other characters.

I think the element that I find most striking in the first act is the notion of plans and dreams; the hope for a better future coupled with a feeling of distress in the present. Even the stage notes at the beginning highlight this theme of dreams (plans, not sleep-experiences) as there is “an air of dream clings to the place, a dream rising out of reality,” Characters talk about doing this or that which will surely make their lives better. For example, the exchange between Happy and Biff to start the Loman Brothers sporting goods (46) is a romantic and “Million dollar” (47) idea. However, we see that there seems to be more talk than action occurring to realize anything.