In all of twentieth-century American drama, it is Arthur Miller's 1949 masterpiece Death of a Salesman that has been lauded as the greatest American play. The play deals with both the filial and social realms of American life, exploring and exploding the concept of the American dream. From its debut in New York in 1949 to its many international stagings since, Death of a Salesman has spoken to the concerns of middle-class workers worldwide and their struggle for existence in capitalist society. The play and its initial production set the tone for American drama for the rest of the century through its sociopolitical themes, its poetic realism, and its focus on the common man. Brenda Murphy observes, "Since its premier, there has never been a time when Death of a Salesman was not being performed somewhere in the world."

The play revolves around the...