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Shame, Guilt, Empathy, and the Search for Identity in Arthur Miller's Death of A Salesman

2000; University of Toronto Press; Volume: 43; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3138/md.43.1.48

1712-5286

Fred Ribkoff,

Critical Theory and Philosophy

Among other things, tragedy dramatizes identity crises. At the root of such crises lie feelings of shame. You might ask: what about guilt? There is no question that guilt plays a major role in tragedy, but tragedy also dramatizes the way in which feelings of shame shape an individual's sense of identity, and thus propel him or her into wrongdoing and guilt. In fact, Bernard Williams examines the relation and distinction between shame and guilt in his study of ancient Greek tragedy and ethics, Shame and Necessity. He "c1aim[s] that if we can come to understand the ethical concepts of the Greeks, we shall recognise them in ourselves." In the process of establishing a kinship between the Greeks and ourselves, Williams provides an excellent foundation upon which to build an argument on the dynamics of shame, guilt, empathy, and the search for identity in Arthur Miller's modem tragedy Death of A Salesman.