Discuss the ways in which Alferi's opening speech prepares the audience for what is to come in the play A View from The Bridge
English Coursework
A view From the Bridge-Arthur Miller
-Discuss the ways in which Alferi's opening speech prepares the audience for what is to come in the play A View from The Bridge.
Arthur Miller was born on October 17th,1915 in new York city with both of his parents being immigrants into the united States. His father's success with his clothing manufacturing business made the family live well untill the American economy collasped and Arthur Miller had to be employed as a warehouseman in order to pay his school feel at Michigan university in 1934 where he studied Economics and history. In university playwriting became his primary ambition which led him to earn his living from journalism and writing radio scripts in 1938 after graduating. During World War Two he also worked as a shipfitter for two years in the Brooklyn Navy Shipyard, where a near majority of workers were Italian and where Miller made connections with their family centered concerns.
His first proffessionally produced stage play, The ManWho Had All The Luck failed on Broadway in 1944. In 1947 his play All My Sons became successful and won the Pultizer prize in 1949 for Death of a Salesman. He also wrote plays on social events happening in USA such as The Crucible which he wrote about the reaction to witch-hunt of left sympathizers. He first produced a one-act play in verse of A View from the Bridge in 1955, followed by a two-act play in 1956which was produced in the Comedy Theatre in London. His marriage to Marilyn Monroe, the star, ended in 1961 after about five years of marriage. But Arthur Miller continued to write plays and became one of America's most accomplished playwrights with most relating to social issues or events, politics etc.
A View from the Bridge was an idea that generated out of Arthur Miller's interest in the work and lives of the communities of dockworkers and longshoremen of New York's Brooklyn harbour where he used to work. He encounted many immigrant workers and heard stories of how relatives with immigrants lived. He was once told a story similar to what he writes in this play which could have helped to fuel the play into what it is today. Arthur Miller visited Italy and witnessed first hand at how men gathered around their localities in hope of getting jobs. He combined these images and stories with a modern version of a Greek tragedy thus a central charcter led by fate towards an unavoidable destiny.
In most Greek tragedies we note the central character is a king or public figure being led towards fate and fights to get at what his heart desires to the extent of killing people who comes in his way. Miller adapts this tragedy but uses an ordinary man Eddie Cabone instead of a person with high public standing. Alfieri who acts as the narator and a lawyer in the play. We usuallly encounter him when there's tension or Eddie (the main character) is slowly uncovering his unfortunate fate.For example Alfieri comes into the scene in Act 1 Pg ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
In most Greek tragedies we note the central character is a king or public figure being led towards fate and fights to get at what his heart desires to the extent of killing people who comes in his way. Miller adapts this tragedy but uses an ordinary man Eddie Cabone instead of a person with high public standing. Alfieri who acts as the narator and a lawyer in the play. We usuallly encounter him when there's tension or Eddie (the main character) is slowly uncovering his unfortunate fate.For example Alfieri comes into the scene in Act 1 Pg 15 after Eddie, Catherine and Beatrice have discussed the coming of the cousins (Rodolfo and Marco) and comments ' "It was at this time that he first came to me...His eyes were like tunnels..."' (Act 1,Alfieri speaking). Eddie goes to see Alfieri after he was having problems dealing with his feelings towards Catherine. This is when the chorus/lawyer comes into the picture usually when there is tension or a disaster is likely to strike.' "he was a good man as he had to be in life that was hard and even...And towrads ten o'clock of that night, after they had eaten, the cousins came home'"(Act 1 Alfieri speaking).
This we'lls see is the beginning of the Cabones fated destiny which is announced by Alfieri.
The play starts off with a description of the street and Eddie's apartment. His living room adjoined with the dining room is similar to a worker's clean, sparse with less property or furnishings but homely. There are two doors leading off to a bedroom and kitchen but we never glimpse it interiors. This also goes to describe the kind of people the Cabone's are, simple just like their home with nothing interesting about them. This is followed by Alfieri's description. He's a lawyer with an Italian background and in his fifties. He's is desbribed as being good-hamoured and thoughtful.
His opening speech draws the audience because he grins and runs a hand through his hair, starting off with a statement that draws the inquisition of the audience, '"You wouldn't have known it, but something amusing has just happened..."'. (Act 1,Pg 1, Alfieri speaking).This gains their attention making them look forward to what he has to say because he starts off with bemusement. However they soon find out the story is deeper and more tragic than he started off and ends with Alfieri the chorus in a mourning state,'"And so I mourn him-I admit-with a certain...alarm"'(Act 1,Alfieri speaking). This change also explains the changes that occur in the play as the audience will note, which eventually led the chorus' mood to change in the end just as the Cabone's life was fated.
Alfieri being the story's narator starts off by giving a little bit of information on his background, we gather he's a lawyer and has an Italian background having migrated from Italy to America at age 25. In his opening speech we know how people living in New York along Alfieri's street see him, he tells us how they fear lawyers and priests and it is considered unlucky when one comes into contact with one,'"In this neighberhood to meet a lawyer or priest on the street is unlucky"'. (Act 1, Alfieri's opening speech). This sentence goes to describe on the whole how the immigrant workers live by fear each day in the hope of not coming across a lawyer. In other words lawyers represent the law and as the law hasn't looked favourably on them back in their counrty,'"the law has not been a friendly idea..."'(Act 1, Alfieri's opening speech) e.g. the Italian government turns a blind eye as their people hunger and fight for jobs which makes them migrate to seek greener pastures.Lawyers in America would have reported to Immigration which they would likely prevent from occuring. They consider it grave misfortune if this happens to befall on them. He also goes on to mention names of people who have lived possibly worst off than what was to happen in Eddie's life. Frankie Yale was cut in half by a machine gun on Union Street, others were shot too, though if they were italians but Alferi means to say Red Hook has come a long way from civilization and is getting is getting better,'"Now we quite civilised ...we settle for half, and I like it better"'. (Act 1, Alferi's opening speech).
Eddie and Marco represents how Italy and America both have different views of the law. Eddie believes reporting to immigration about illegal immigrants in a sense is doing the right thing and Marco replies by saying betrayal should be against the law as Eddie would have been killed back in his country. Eddie reporting to immigration about Marco and Rodolfo is because he is jealous of the relationship developing between Catherine and Rodolfo. He feels he's lost his respect as man of the house whose advice is not heeded,'"the guy ain't right Beatrice..."',then goes on to add when not believed by his wife, '"I want my respect, Beatrice'".(Act 2,Eddie speaking). We see Eddie losing his respect and dignity amongst his family and friends. These two men have different views on what the law should be about. Eddie believes there should be a law which prevents Catherine and Rodolfo marrying,'"...There's nothing illegal about a girl falling in love with a immigrant"'. (Act 1,Alfieri speaking). He answers to Eddie's question when he inquired if there was anything to stop the young couple getting engaged. The justice these two men believe is what they think is right or should be done but not what is written in law books.
In Alfieri's opening speech he introduces the play by talking about disasters. He talks about how his profession makes people think how down they are on their luck when they meet him especially immigrants. He speaks of the history of the neighborhood mentioning the deaths of people being cut up or shot, '"Oh, there were many here who were justly shot by unjust men..."'(Act 1,Alfieri's opening speech). They knew no civilizations and were quite ready to defend themselves against their opponents. Alfieri also mentions a lawyer of the past who could also have witnessed the same scenario he had and was also powerless to stop it. This goes to explain how one cannot stop fate from taking place. If it was meant to be then no one can stop it.'"I was so powerless to stop it...I went to a certain old woman...,and I told her...she only nodded and said,'Pray for him..."'(Act 1,Alfieri speaking). We can also say Alferi tried helping Eddie but he could do nothing other than give him advice.
Eddie being described first and foremost by Alfieri as being an ordinary family man expected to have no destiny is the one that falls for his niece also his surrogate daughter. He sees her blosoming into a very attractive young woman and cannot help developing feelings for him. He always spoke fondly to her and gave her pet names,'"With your hair that way you look like a madonna you know that? Your're the madonna type"'. (Act 1, Eddie speaking). He has also been advised by Beatrice who eventually realised about Eddie's secret infatuations for his niece, '" What you gonna stand over her till she's forty?Eddie I want you to cut it out, you hear me? I don't like it!...You can never have her!' Beatrice finally tells Eddie to let go of his wrong feelings and accept that he cannot have Catherine.
Alfieri who is also the narator and lawyer is also the manEddie confides in. He does not come outright to speak of his feelings towards his niece but gets really furious when Alferi makes an assumption.'"She can't marry you, can she?"'(Act 1, Alferi speaking). In which Eddie retaliates furiously and is in a state of denial. He acts typically to that of a man who's hidden secret has been let out. Eddie is also jealous of Rodolfo. Rodolfo has many attractive qualities that draws Catherine to him. He is young and handsome with platinum blond hair which delights Catherine the first time they met. He is also a good singer, very talented and has a good sense of humour. These qualities go to fuel the jealousy Eddie feels towards him and pushes him towards reporting Rodolfo to immigration.
Finally in my opinion I think Eddie was finally pushed to the brink because he felt helpless and thought it was the only solution to stop Catherine from moving out with Rodolfo. He cant help but try to prevent it. Also we know how Alfieri speaks in his opening speech that Eddie's life was doomed for tragedy, Eddie's name is mentioned right after Alfieri speaks of a bloody course. The tenses he use are past and informs us that the events he's talking about is past or has already taken place.
'"This one's name was Eddie Carbone..."' In my opinion I think the chorus starting the play using past tense also means there's nothing any of us can do to prevent destiny from taking place.
