As a prominent figure in American theatre, Arthur Miller wrote a lot of famous masterpieces including All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible and A View from the Bridge, among which Death of a Salesman was Miller’s most widely admired work. It brought Arthur Miller a worldwide fame. Miller received the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. The play was performed on Broadway for 742 times and turned into a film. In 1983, this play was first performed on the stage of Beijing People Art Theater, causing a sensation in China. 

Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, is set in 1949, New York, after the Great Depression. It tells a story of Willy Loman who is a typical traveling salesman. Willy travels all over New England to sell his products. He once had a good operation performance in his work and a welcoming popularity in New England. Besides, he had a happy family life: a gentle wife Linda, two handsome boys Happy and Biff, a house and a working car. However in his sixties, Willy is in bad health and encounters great plights in his business and his family life. He is plunged into life crisis by his waning career, his conflicting relationship with Biff and his inability to give his wife a wonderful life. Illusions keep appearing in his life. After being fired in despair and finding no way to succeed, Willy commits suicide.