seventy dollars a week in the year of 1928! And your father came to me—or rather, I was in the office here—it was right over this desk—and he put his hand on my shoulder—
HOWARD [ getting up ]: You’ll have to excuse me, Willy, I gotta see some people. Pull yourself together. [ Going out ] I’ll be back in a little while.
[ On HOWARD’S exit, the light on his chair grows very bright and strange. ]
WILLY: Pull myself together! What the hell did I say to him? My God, I was yelling at him! How could I! [WILLY breaks off, staring at the light, which occupies the chair, animating it. He approaches this chair, standing across the desk from it. ] Frank, Frank, don’t you remember what you told me that time? How you put your hand on my shoulder, and Frank . . . [ He leans on the desk and as he speaks the dead man’s name he accidentally switches on the recorder, and instantly— ]
HOWARD’S SON: “. . . of New York is Albany. The capital of Ohio is Cincinnati, the capital of Rhode Island is . . .” [ The recitation continues. ]
WILLY [ leaping away with fright, shouting ]: Ha! Howard! Howard! Howard!
HOWARD [ rushing in ]: What happened?
WILLY [ pointing at the machine, which continues nasally, childishly, with the capital cities ]: Shut it off! Shut it off!
HOWARD [ pulling the plug out ]: Look, Willy . . .
WILLY [ pressing his hands to his eyes ]: I gotta get myself some coffee. I’ll get some coffee . . .
[WILLY starts to walk out. HOWARD stops him. ]
HOWARD [ rolling up the cord ]: Willy, look . . .
WILLY: I’ll go to Boston.
HOWARD: Willy, you can’t go to Boston for us.
WILLY: Why can’t I go?
HOWARD: I don’t want you to represent us. I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time now.
WILLY: Howard, are you firing me?
HOWARD: I think you need a good long rest, Willy.
WILLY: Howard—
HOWARD: And when you feel better, come back, and we’ll see if we can work something out.
WILLY: But I gotta earn money, Howard. I’m in no position to—
HOWARD: Where are your sons? Why don’t your sons give you a hand?
WILLY: They’re working on a very big deal.
HOWARD: This is no time for false pride, Willy. You go to your sons and you tell them that you’re tired. You’ve got two great boys, haven’t you?
WILLY: Oh, no question, no question, but in the meantime . . .
HOWARD: Then that’s that, heh?
WILLY: All right, I’ll go to Boston tomorrow.
HOWARD: No, no.
WILLY: I can’t throw myself on my sons. I’m not a cripple!
HOWARD: Look, kid, I’m busy this morning.
WILLY [ grasping HOWARD’S arm ]: Howard, you’ve got to let me go to Boston!
HOWARD [ hard, keeping himself under control ]: I’ve got a line of people to see this morning. Sit down, take five minutes, and pull yourself together, and then go home, will ya? I need the office, Willy. [ He starts to go, turns, remembering the recorder, starts to push off the table holding the recorder. ] Oh, yeah. Whenever you can this week, stop by and drop off the samples. You’ll feel better, Willy, and then come back and we’ll talk. Pull yourself together, kid, there’s people outside.
[HOWARD exits, pushing the table off left. WILLY stares into space, exhausted. Now the music is heard— BEN’S music—first distantly, then closer, closer. As WILLY speaks, BEN enters from the right. He carries valise and umbrella. ]
WILLY: Oh, Ben, how did you do it? What is the answer? Did you wind up the Alaska deal already?
BEN: Doesn’t take much time if you know what you’re doing. Just a short business trip. Boarding ship in an hour. Wanted to say good-bye.
WILLY: Ben, I’ve got to talk to you.
BEN [ glancing at his watch ]: Haven’t the time, William.
WILLY [ crossing the apron to BEN]: Ben, nothing’s working out. I don’t know what to do.
BEN: Now, look here, William. I’ve bought timberland in Alaska and I need a man to look after things for me.
WILLY: God, timberland! Me and my boys in those grand outdoors!
BEN:
HOWARD [ getting up ]: You’ll have to excuse me, Willy, I gotta see some people. Pull yourself together. [ Going out ] I’ll be back in a little while.
[ On HOWARD’S exit, the light on his chair grows very bright and strange. ]
WILLY: Pull myself together! What the hell did I say to him? My God, I was yelling at him! How could I! [WILLY breaks off, staring at the light, which occupies the chair, animating it. He approaches this chair, standing across the desk from it. ] Frank, Frank, don’t you remember what you told me that time? How you put your hand on my shoulder, and Frank . . . [ He leans on the desk and as he speaks the dead man’s name he accidentally switches on the recorder, and instantly— ]
HOWARD’S SON: “. . . of New York is Albany. The capital of Ohio is Cincinnati, the capital of Rhode Island is . . .” [ The recitation continues. ]
WILLY [ leaping away with fright, shouting ]: Ha! Howard! Howard! Howard!
HOWARD [ rushing in ]: What happened?
WILLY [ pointing at the machine, which continues nasally, childishly, with the capital cities ]: Shut it off! Shut it off!
HOWARD [ pulling the plug out ]: Look, Willy . . .
WILLY [ pressing his hands to his eyes ]: I gotta get myself some coffee. I’ll get some coffee . . .
[WILLY starts to walk out. HOWARD stops him. ]
HOWARD [ rolling up the cord ]: Willy, look . . .
WILLY: I’ll go to Boston.
HOWARD: Willy, you can’t go to Boston for us.
WILLY: Why can’t I go?
HOWARD: I don’t want you to represent us. I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time now.
WILLY: Howard, are you firing me?
HOWARD: I think you need a good long rest, Willy.
WILLY: Howard—
HOWARD: And when you feel better, come back, and we’ll see if we can work something out.
WILLY: But I gotta earn money, Howard. I’m in no position to—
HOWARD: Where are your sons? Why don’t your sons give you a hand?
WILLY: They’re working on a very big deal.
HOWARD: This is no time for false pride, Willy. You go to your sons and you tell them that you’re tired. You’ve got two great boys, haven’t you?
WILLY: Oh, no question, no question, but in the meantime . . .
HOWARD: Then that’s that, heh?
WILLY: All right, I’ll go to Boston tomorrow.
HOWARD: No, no.
WILLY: I can’t throw myself on my sons. I’m not a cripple!
HOWARD: Look, kid, I’m busy this morning.
WILLY [ grasping HOWARD’S arm ]: Howard, you’ve got to let me go to Boston!
HOWARD [ hard, keeping himself under control ]: I’ve got a line of people to see this morning. Sit down, take five minutes, and pull yourself together, and then go home, will ya? I need the office, Willy. [ He starts to go, turns, remembering the recorder, starts to push off the table holding the recorder. ] Oh, yeah. Whenever you can this week, stop by and drop off the samples. You’ll feel better, Willy, and then come back and we’ll talk. Pull yourself together, kid, there’s people outside.
[HOWARD exits, pushing the table off left. WILLY stares into space, exhausted. Now the music is heard— BEN’S music—first distantly, then closer, closer. As WILLY speaks, BEN enters from the right. He carries valise and umbrella. ]
WILLY: Oh, Ben, how did you do it? What is the answer? Did you wind up the Alaska deal already?
BEN: Doesn’t take much time if you know what you’re doing. Just a short business trip. Boarding ship in an hour. Wanted to say good-bye.
WILLY: Ben, I’ve got to talk to you.
BEN [ glancing at his watch ]: Haven’t the time, William.
WILLY [ crossing the apron to BEN]: Ben, nothing’s working out. I don’t know what to do.
BEN: Now, look here, William. I’ve bought timberland in Alaska and I need a man to look after things for me.
WILLY: God, timberland! Me and my boys in those grand outdoors!
BEN:
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