Posted By Heather Harvey '11
Scene seven of act two is the final conflict of the play, and it is the moment when Biff finally has the ability to share the truth. He makes an attempt to do so beforehand, but this is the moment in which he tells Willy that he needs to separate himself from his dreams for his children and for his own health. It is also the scene in which Willy realizes that his son does not hate him and he chooses to make the choice to give his family the last of what he can muster. It is for his final decision that the debate continues as to whether or not Willy is a tragic hero.
They finished blocking the Requiem, finishing rough blocking the entire play in preparation for the run through to occur after break. The issue with the Requiem, however, is that it is the final moment of the play and it establishes what the audience thinks of the family, Charley, and Bernard in the future. Depending on each character's actions and how much of his or her motivation is communicated, his or her image can greatly change. There was discussion as to what Happy and Biff will do, which really boiled down to how much of Willy Loman's legacy either son would continue.