AMERICAN DRAMA STUDY QUESTIONS

1.       What are the reasons behind Lavinia’s considering that she will be able to start a new, “happy” life if she avenges the death of Ezra Mannon?

2.       What role do the Puritan values have in shaping the tragedy of the Mannon house?

3.       The death of Ezra Mannon seems to be the birth of Orin while the death of Christine seems to be the birth of Lavinia. However, the reader realizes in the third play of the trilogy that no birth is possible in the Mannon family. Discuss the reasons behind this fact.

4.       How does Willy’s quest for fulfilling the American Dream become a journey that leads to his tragedy in Death of a Salesman?

5.       How does Alfieri function in the play A View from the Bridge? What values or laws does he represent? How does his presence alter the play or the audience's perception of the characters?

6.       What can you say about Tennessee Williams's discussion of themes such as loneliness, meaning of life, being a loser, etc. considering the play A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur?

7.       Considering the plays discussed in class, evaluate how Arthur Miller, Eugene O’Neill, and Tennessee Williams achieve writing a tragedy in the modern era.