‘…in Sicily, from where their fathers came, the law has not been a friendly idea since the Greeks were beaten…’
Towards the end of the soliloquy, Alfieri uses juxtaposition. By talking about Eddie and fate at the same time, he is joining to ideas, and making one single idea in subtext. He is suggesting that Eddie will face fate later in the play,
‘…and watched it run its blood course…’
This is letting the audience know that someone in the play will die, and by using juxtaposition, Alfieri is hinting that the person who will die, will be Eddie. By doing this, Alfieri gives evidence that he does give the audience clues about what will happen later in the play.
When Eddie first goes to see Alfieri to ask him for advice, this is the first time the audience actually sees Alfieri as a lawyer. However, Alfieri says,
‘…and I was acquainted with the family in a casual way…I represented his father in an accident case some years before…’
With Alfieri saying this, it shows that he has a history with Eddie, letting the audience know that when Eddie asks him for advice, Alfieri will answer as a friend, not just as a lawyer.
As soon as Alferi sees Eddie properly, he says,
‘…His eyes were like tunnels; my first thought was that he committed a crime…’
The simile that starts this speech is telling the audience that Eddie cannot see anything else apart from getting Catherine to stop seeing Rodolfo. Eddie is determined and possessed; nothing will change his state of mind.
Eddie starts to tell Alfieri about his situation, and how he feels injustice has been done. In the subtext of his speech, it shows that he just cannot cope with Catherine and Rodolfo being together. Through all of this, Alfieri can see that Eddie has changed, Alfieri is being perceptive. Through the whole meeting, Eddie is looking for Alfieri to agree with him, and trying to ‘get him on his side’. However, Alfieri just tries to persuade Eddie, and just tells him he understands. He does not say that Catherine is wrong; neither does he say that Eddie is right. By doing this, he manages to not anger Eddie, and manages to let the audience know that he is still a neutral person in the play. Alfieri is forced to tell Eddie the specifics of the law, and try to persuade him in this way. It is clear to see that Alfieri changes character from being a friend giving advice, to a lawyer stating the law. However, he still empathises with Eddie, which Eddies sees as Alfieri talking his side.
The second meeting between Eddie and Alfieri starts with a short soliloquy. In this soliloquy, Alfieri brings up the point that it is inevitable that Eddie will report Rodolfo and Marco to immigration. This again brings up the idea that Eddie’s role, is similar to one in a Greek tragedy, he is unfortunate, and nothing can stop him from what he is going to do.
The next thing that Alfieri brings up, is that he repeats the simile,
‘…his eyes were like tunnels…’ Alfieri said this simile in his first soliloquy. It shows that Eddie has not changed, and he is still determined, and that Alfieri cannot say anything to Eddie that will change him from reporting the immigrants. It also gives the impression to the audience that the meeting between the two are completely pointless, because Eddie isn’t taking any advice been given to him.
The actual meeting begins by Alfieri responding to Eddie’s questions, with questions. By using this method to respond to Eddie, Alfieri is making Eddie think and see for himself.
Alfieri soon sees that this is not working. He now changes his ‘tactics’ and speaks in a very abrupt and blunt, tough voice. It is clear to tell that he is less sensitive in this meeting, and is much more of a lawyer, and not a parent figure anymore towards Eddie.
The overview of the meeting is that Eddie has no rights legally or socially.
‘…The law is only a word for what has a right to happen. When the law is wrong, it’s because it’s unnatural and a river will drown you if you buck now…’
Alfieri tells Eddie that he has no rights, and that if he does go ahead and report Rodolfo and Marco, then he will lose everything. He tells Eddie that it is completely unnatural to do this, and if he does, then the whole community will lose their respect for him. Alfieri gives Eddie a pathetic, which is dramatic irony. Miller uses stage-craft at the end of the meeting. The light slowly dims on Alfieri, and rises to shine on the telephone box in the corner. This shows that Alfieri has no relevance to Eddie anymore, and that it shows what Eddie is going to do in the end, and it shows his feelings. The whole meeting is much shorter then the last meeting, because Eddie already knows what he is going to do, and Alfieri is just there for nothing. His advice is useless to Eddie, because Eddie is possessed, and wont take any advice that wont help Catherine and Rodolfo to be split up.
Alfieri’s next major role is in the jail cell with Marco. Alfieri is Marco’s lawyer now, trying to release Marco on bail.
Contradictory to the previous times we have met Alfieri as a character, and not as a narrator, he ahs been a friendly person. In this scene, he is just a lawyer to Marco, being much more serious and professional.
Firstly, Alfieri has to tell Marco that he is defiantly going to be deported back to Italy, but Rodolfo can stay because he is going to be married to an American citizen. It is clear to the audience that this unsettles Marco and aggravates him.
Alfieri now has to try to convince Marco not to ‘carry out justice’ by killing Eddie. He knows this will be hard because he knows that where Marco comes from, justice is not always the law.
‘…in my country, he would be dead now…’
‘…to promise not to kill is dishonourable…’
Marco makes it clear to Alfieri that killing Eddie is a major possibility. Throughout the whole scene, Alfieri is telling Marco that he must promise not to kill Eddie. However, Marco tells Alfieri that it is dishonourable to promise to not to kill, which shows that Marco is following his own moral rights, and not the law.
Marco says to Alfieri,
‘…all the law is not in a book…’
This again shows that he is trying to convince Alfieri that moral justice should be done.
Alfieri then responds,
‘…yes, in a book. There is no other law…’
Alfieri is again speaking as a lawyer giving advice, not as a friend giving advice. He is clearly stating that there is no argument. Later in the meeting, Alfieri says,
‘…this is not God, Marco, you hear? Only God makes justice…’
He is telling Marco that he has not got any power and he can’t do anything about this. Although Marco is told this, he can’t accept this, because he, like Eddie, is determined to make justice and kill Eddie.
The play finishes with a short soliloquy by Alfieri at the very end. Alfieri uses this soliloquy to tie up all the events in the play, and then he gives his opinion on those events.
In the first line of his soliloquy, Alfieri repeats the line from earlier on in the play, in his first soliloquy
‘…most of the time now, we settle for half and I like it better…’
The audience are made to think that the whole play actually centres around this quote. With the audience realising this, they now realise that Alfieri has brought everything back to the present. Alfieri reflects on the audience’s thoughts.
Without Alfieri’s soliloquy at the end, the audience would be left hating Eddie. Miller uses Alfieri’s connection with the audience to make the audience feel sympathy for Eddie.
In the soliloquy, Alfieri ties up all the lose ends and clears up any questions the audience might have about the play. The audience are brought back to the present, which in turn reminds them of Alfieri’s memory.
