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 istead of a person with high public standing. Alferi 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 Alferi 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,Alferi speaking). Eddie goes to see Alferi after he was having problems dealing with his feelings towards Catherine. This is when the chorus/lawyer comes into the pictuer usally when there's 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'clockof that night, after they had eaten, the cousins came home'"(Act 1 Alferi speaking). This we'lls see is the beginning of the Cabones fated destiny which is announced by Alferi.
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 istead of a person with high public standing. Alferi 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 Alferi 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,Alferi speaking). Eddie goes to see Alferi after he was having problems dealing with his feelings towards Catherine. This is when the chorus/lawyer comes into the pictuer usally when there's 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'clockof that night, after they had eaten, the cousins came home'"(Act 1 Alferi speaking). This we'lls see is the beginning of the Cabones fated destiny which is announced by Alferi.
