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When we talk about American English dramas as I have been talking about the American dramatist, we surely can not forget to mention one of the famous dramatists Arthur Miller. He was born on October 17, 1915 in New York. He is mainly known for combining social awareness with a searching concern for the characters’ inner lives. He has written so many plays but his most notable works are Death of a Salesman and All My Sons. He was highly influenced by the great depression of America and we see a glimpse of this period in his many works. he won the Pulitzer Prize for his drama. his plays were also adapted for the screen and revised several times on Broadway. If his plays and writing style with which he brings a new perspective into his plays intrigue you then you can visit sites like Shopify and order the text of your favorite play from there.
1) Death of a Salesman – This play was written in 1948 and produced in 1949 and Miller won the Pulitzer for this masterpiece. This is his most popular play of only two acts and a Requiem. He has criticized the concept of the American dream in this play. Willy Loman who is the central character of this drama who is a traveling salesman realizes after years that in pursuit of material wealth, he has failed as a husband and as a father. He has two sons Happy and Biff are not successful and failures in his opinion. Willy visualizes an idealized past when he used to be a hero to his sons. In the end, he loses all his hopes and quarrels with his son resulting in his committing suicide
2) All My Sons- This play was written after the world war 2 in 1947. This play can be considered as the critique of the world war and its aftermath consequences. This play also deals with the guilt and greed of the manufacturing class representative Joe Keller who has two sons Larry (who died in war) and Chris (who works with his father). Kate, the wife of Joe still believes that Larry is still alive. Joe compromises with the war materials and makes defective parts of a plane in order to make more money which causes the death of his own son and his companions during war. some events take place in the play which increase the guilt in Joe’s heart and he goes upstairs and kills himself with a gunshot.
3) The Crucible- This is a four-act play that was performed and published in 1953. This play examines contemporary events in American politics when the fear of conformity was brought about by Joseph McCarthy. This play is a fictionalized account of the Salem witch trials of 1962 when 19 innocent men and women were killed under the charges of following communism. The names of these people were placed on a blacklist which prevented them from any sort of work. This play depicts a father who is a town minister and he has two daughters Betty and Abigail who were accused of witchcraft. A series of events occurs and they are sentenced to be hanged but Abigail flees from the place and this play ends on a very bizarre note that you will get to know.
4) After the Fall- This play is a two-act play that was published and produced in 1964. The protagonist of this play is Quentin, a lawyer of around 50 years. This play gives a series of encounters over 25 25-year span between Quentin and his associates. Louise his first wife accuses him of failing to acknowledge her as an equal. His second wife Maggie commits suicide after becoming mentally unstable. The play ends with his third marriage to Holga. There is a lot of ethical ambiguity and personal integrity that unties the dramatic structure of this play.
These were the four plays by him which are worth watching or reading however, there are some other works as well that might interest you.