Ordinary People's Tragedy: Comparative Study of Plays of Arthur Miller and Beomsuk Cha

The main concern of the study is the playwrights' perspectives toward the relationship between society and individuals rather than specific cultural or social circumstances. This study is justified in that the similarities of both playwrights not only provide an opportunity to bridge two different cultures, but they also help readers understand another culture and deepen the understanding of their own culture in the map of international literature. In their plays, both Miller and Cha express an individual's or a family's frustration, conflict, pleasure, and hope as reflected in the social circumstances. The characters take ideas and values from their social world and thrive or fail. Specifically, I have focused on three elements--obsession, generational value systems, and alienation. With three common features, I examine how closely Miller and Cha deal with ordinary people's tragedies.