Death of a Salesman (1949), by Arthur Miller is the story of Willy Loman, a travelling salesman (commesso viaggiatore) in his mid- sixties (sui 65 anni). He no longer (non più) receives orders and does not get a salary (salario), so he is borrowing (prende a prestito) money to give his wife Linda. His mind is rapidly declining (la sua mente sta degenerando rapidamente): Willy mixes (mescola) present and past events in his mind. He also imagines to talk to his dead brother Ben, who made a fortune (ha fatto fortuna) in Alaska where Willy refused to accompany him (si era rifiutato di accompagnarlo). His two sons have problems and have not fulfilled his ambitions (non hanno soddisfatto le sue ambizioni). Biff is 34 and still (ancora) without a job; Happy has got a job, his own flat (appartamento) and a lot of women, but he feels lonely (da solo). Willy takes a decision: he is worth (vale di più) more dead than alive (più morto che vivo), and so prepares his suicide. At his death, the insurance money will support his devoted and compassionate wife Linda, and will give Biff a new start in life (una nuova vita). Arthur Miller wrote the script (sceneggiatura) for a TV film in 1985 – director Volker Schlöndorff, actors Dustin Hoffman, and John Malkovich.