What seems especially ironic in Death of a Salesman is that Willy Loman is a failure but he keeps advising his sons about how to be a success. He was advising them how to be a success when they were kids in school, and he is still advising them how to be a success when they are in their thirties. In the meantime, Willy has becoming less and less successful because he is getting old and worn out. Willy doesn't know how to succeed. In his imagination he keeps asking his brother Ben the secret of success, which shows that Willy doesn't know the secret, if there really is a secret. Willy cannot tell his sons how to succeed and he cannot serve as a role model of success because he is far from being a success himself and doesn't even know how he could have succeeded. It is also ironic that Ben can't tell help him with advice. Ben keeps saying that he walked into the jungle and when he came out, by God, he was rich.
There is also irony in how the Lomans regard Bernard as a young man. He is mocked for trying to get Biff to study so he will graduate-
WILLY: Don't be a pest, Bernard! [To his boys] What an anaemic!
Willy goes on to qualify his criticism of Bernard by explaining that his lack of personal charisma will hold him back -
WILLY:...Bernard can get the best marks in school, y'understand, but when he gets out in to the real world, y'understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him...Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead.
In Act 2 we see the grown up and successful Bernard visiting his father before he returns to his work. It is Charley's turn to boast, and yet he does so gently-
CHARLEY [An arm on Bernard's shoulder] : How do you like this kid? Gonna argue a case in front of the Supreme Court.
We see the irony in Willy's inability to read or direct the future of his own sons, nor to predict the potential of his nephew.
One of the ironies in the play involves the notion of the "American Dream." Willie longs to live this dream; however, Willie is living an illusion. The skills he learned in the 1920's as an up-and-coming salesman are now obsolete. Now, the job market requires "specialized skills and knowledge, and because of this, Willie is doomed to failure" (Enotes). The irony is that Willie keeps believing that he, in fact, CAN achieve this "American Dream," but the reader knows differently. He cannot ever be the man he longs to be; therefore, he is a complete and utter failure. Another instance of irony is in Biff and Happy, Willie's sons. They both, in their early years, appeared to be able to one day achieve success. Biff was a star athlete...
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and Happy was more grounded than his father was about his career choices, etc. However, Biff never takes advantage of his opportunities and has the same grandiose visions of success without anything to "back" them up; he also doesn't possess the skills to have a rewarding job or career. Happy, on the other hand, seemed to be more grounded than his father and Biff; he seemed to possess more reason and logic when it came to his career and life; however, by the end of the play, he has also fallen victim to the grandiose visions of the "American Dream" and vows to become what his father dreamed of. There are more ironies, as well, that others may point out.
In Death of a Salesman, an example of situational irony is that Willy portrays himself as being at the top of his game in sales after 36 years of experience, having a multitude of connections, and an overwhelming respect from his colleagues. The truth is that Willy is a dinosaur. The next generation has taken over his company and the new boss sees little value in Willie's work, done with an old-fashioned work ethic and Willy's expectation of a small-company family unit. In fact, when Willy goes to ask if he can work out of the showroom, he is let go. At Willie's funeral, all of the mourners the family expected to come never materialize because things were not as Willy had hoped they were or would be on the job.
An example of dramatic irony is found with Biff. Biff is Willy's older son, the one Willy believes will make something special of his life, even though he never graduated high school, and therefore, lost his scholarship to college. Willy continues to insist that Biff will come around, even after the audience witnesses Biff's realization of the years he has wasted, and the worthless figure he has become in terms of finding his way in the world. Even as he tries to tell Willy, Willy won't accept this. Until the very end, Willy holds out hope for Biff, but the audience knows that these dreams for Biff's amazing climb to success will never take place.
What are some examples of foreshadowing in Death of a Salesman?
To add to the examples presented in the first answer, I would point to the title itself - Death of a Salesman. We find out that Willy's sales idol Dave Singleman embodies the concept of the almost regal death of a salesman with admiring mourners from all over the world. However, the audience soon understands that the title does not only foreshadow Willy's death, but a death that in no way resembles Willy's fantasy.
The second is the small rubber tube that has "a little nipple on the gas pipe." This indicates to Biff as it does to Linda that Willy is not only considering suicide, but taking steps to act on it as well. Again, this seems to be Willy's recourse when his reality and his fantasy do not match up.
A third example of foreshadowing would be the constant reappearances of Ben, a representation of a more hopeful time for Willy. He constantly asks "Why didn't I go with Ben to Alaska?" He feels more and more like a failure which leads him into less and less contact with reality.
What are some examples of foreshadowing in Death of a Salesman?
Three examples of forehadowing in Death of a Salesman will suffice: The first emerges before the beginning of the play, where Willy Loman's car accident presages his suicide at the end of Act II. In the second, Willy's angry fixation with Linda's nylon stockings repair foreshadows the revelation of his affair with The Woman, a secretary to the buyers, to whom he bought access by the gift of "mama's stockings". Finally, in the third, an aural one, the flute theme which we hear at the outset of the play betokens the revelation of his father's occupation as a flutemaker and his abandonment of the child Willy.