Death of A Salesman Characters
WL
Willy Loman
Protagonist
Ambitious
Delusional
Hardworking
Proud
Willy Loman is a sixty-three-year-old traveling salesman who has worked for the Wagner Company for thirty-six years. He now earns only small commissions that cannot support his family. He is a firm believer in the American Dream, convinced that charm and likability lead to success, yet he fails repeatedly. He is the central tragic hero of the play.
LL
Linda Loman
Supporting
Caring
Loyal
Patient
Kind
Linda is Willy's devoted and loving wife who consistently supports her husband through his struggles. She is kind, patient, and faithful, always working to maintain harmony in the household. She worries deeply about Willy's mental and physical health and is considered the emotional heart of the family.
BL
Biff Loman
Supporting
Honest
Disillusioned
Restless
Once promising
Biff is Willy's thirty-four-year-old elder son who was once a celebrated high school football star. He failed mathematics, left school, and has since drifted without a steady job. He values honesty and a simple life, but lost faith in his father after discovering Willy's extramarital affair, which he believes destroyed his own dreams and ambitions.
HL
Happy Loman
Supporting
Superficial
Dishonest
Pleasure-seeking
Lonely
Happy is Willy's thirty-two-year-old younger son who outwardly appears successful, with a car, job, and apartment. Despite these possessions, he feels profoundly lonely and empty inside. He lies to impress others, chases women, and pursues money and pleasure without deeper purpose or fulfillment.
C
Charley
Supporting
Kind
Generous
Successful
Loyal
Charley is Willy's next-door neighbor and a self-made successful businessman who owns his own company. He regularly lends Willy money to help him get by and even offers him a job, which Willy's pride prevents him from accepting. He is portrayed as a genuinely kind and loyal friend throughout the play.
B
Bernard
Supporting
Hardworking
Studious
Humble
Successful
Bernard is Charley's son and Biff's former classmate who studied diligently and grew up to become a successful and respected lawyer. His achievements stand in sharp contrast to Biff's failures and serve as a demonstration that genuine hard work leads to real success.
B
Ben
Symbolic
Adventurous
Risk-taking
Mysterious
Successful
Ben is Willy's deceased older brother who appears only in Willy's daydreams and hallucinations. He amassed a great fortune through ventures in Africa and Alaska. He functions as a symbolic figure representing the idealized self-made success and the allure of risk that Willy obsessively admires.
DS
Dave Singleman
Symbolic
Legendary
Admired
Idealized
Peaceful
Dave Singleman was a renowned elderly salesman whom Willy never actually met in life. He reportedly died peacefully in a hotel room and was mourned by hundreds at his funeral. He serves as Willy's ultimate ideal of what a salesman's life and death should look like, inspiring Willy's own aspirations.
HW
Howard Wagner
Antagonist
Materialistic
Cold
Ruthless
Indifferent
Howard Wagner is Willy's young boss and the current owner of the Wagner Company, having inherited it from his father Frank. He fires Willy without compassion or gratitude for his decades of service. He cares only about profit and is indifferent to Willy's personal circumstances or loyalty.
FW
Frank Wagner
Minor
Respectful
Materialistic
Foundational
Frank Wagner was the founder of the Wagner Company and Howard's father. He is referenced as having shown Willy more respect and appreciation than his son Howard ever did. He does not appear directly in the play but is mentioned in contrast to Howard's cold treatment of Willy.
BO
Bill Oliver
Minor
Cold
Indifferent
Cruel
Dismissive
Bill Oliver is Biff's former employer whom Biff approaches hoping to secure a business loan. Oliver does not even remember who Biff is and refuses to help him. His dismissal of Biff represents the harsh indifference of the business world to those without status or influence.
J
Jenny
Minor
Polite
Hardworking
Professional
Jenny is the secretary working in Charley's office. She is described as polite and hardworking. She plays a minor functional role in the scenes set at Charley's workplace.
MF
Miss Forsythe
Minor
Flirtatious
Carefree
Sociable
Miss Forsythe is a young woman and prostitute whom Happy and Biff encounter at Frank's Chop House. She flirts with both brothers during their evening out. She plays a minor role that highlights Happy's superficial pursuit of women and pleasure.
L
Letta
Minor
Sociable
Carefree
Letta is another young woman and prostitute who accompanies Miss Forsythe at Frank's Chop House. She joins the group during the restaurant scene and plays a very minor supporting role alongside Miss Forsythe.
S
Stanley
Minor
Empathetic
Attentive
Polite
Compassionate
Stanley is a waiter at Frank's Chop House who serves Willy and his sons during their dinner. He is notable for feeling genuine sympathy toward Willy, showing a human warmth that contrasts with the indifference Willy faces from more powerful figures in his life.
TW
The Woman
Minor
Secretive
Flirtatious
Consequential
The Woman is Willy's mistress from Boston with whom he had an extramarital affair. She appears in Willy's memories rather than in the present timeline of the play. Her discovery by Biff during a visit to Boston was a pivotal and devastating moment that permanently damaged the father-son relationship.