Willy Loman self-perceived traits successfully as he grew older. Loman's world crumbles around him during the play. According to Associated Press correspondent Cynthia Lowry's review of the drama, "we watched an aging, defeated traveling salesman move inexorably toward self-destruction, clinging desperately to fantasies". The play begins with the 63-year-old Loman dealing with a recent pay cut after 34 years on the job at a time when he is having difficulty meeting his financial responsibilities. In the second act, he deals with being fired. The firing was at the hands of the son of the person who had hired him 36 years prior.
The Death of Ivan the Terrible given to a comic actor. The world-famous Moscow Art Theatre began its second season with a production of the play, which opened on 29 September 1899. It was directed by the seminal theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski, who also played the lead role initially. When Stanislavski fell ill after the first few performances, he was replaced by Vsevolod Meyerhold. The play received its first New York production in 1904, which opened on 1 March at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway in a translation by S. R. DeMeissner. The Death of Ivan the Terrible The Death of Ivan the Terrible ()