“A View from the Bridge”, written in 1955 and set in 1950’s Brooklyn, tells the story of Eddie Carbone, who agrees to shelter his wife’s cousins, Rodolpho and Marco, who are illegal immigrants. Trouble begins when Eddie’s younger niece Catherine falls for Rodolpho. I am also going to compare “A Talk in the Park” with “Eastenders” which presents real life situations, including those which are touched upon in “A Talk in the Park”.
“A Talk in the Park” was set in the present day. This is because that the writer believed that the themes were relevant to any era. He was commenting on people, and the characteristics of the people he writes about don’t change over time. For example, there were victims of domestic abuse in the 1970’s (when the play was written) and there are still victims of domestic abuse in the 2000’s. “A View from the Bridge” however was written while McCarthyism was raging and is believed to reflect this in the play. In the play, Eddie giving Rodolpho and Marco to the immigration authorities was the equivalent of naming communists. It was written to reflect society at the time of writing. In “Eastenders” the themes tend to reflect every day life, and the things that occur during the life of normal people, mostly bringing attention to the depressing issues of society. It comments on the themes that occur at the time the episode is being written, and is set in the present day.
All three of the texts contain elements of tragedy. Eastenders is more of a naturalistic drama and is more dramatic than “A Talk in the Park”. It often uses flashforwards and flashbacks to remind the audience of events which have happened in the past episodes. It uses naturalism to draw people along the storylines and to keep the ratings high. It makes the audience feel empathy for the characters.
“A Talk in the Park” is mainly a comedy, though it shows an underlying tragic tone of loneliness and isolation. It is also naturalistic. “A View from the Bridge” shows tragedy in that the protagonist is the victim of destiny beyond his control. It is also, unlike the other texts, a modern version of a Greek tragedy, in that Alfieri is the omniscient chorus, making comments about fate and acts as narrator in the play.
Our play’s themes included lack of communication, loneliness and the breakdown of relationships. All of the characters were feeling lonely, and give vent to the person closest to them but it is ironic in the fact that they won’t listen to the person who does the same to them: vent. “Eastenders” also deals with these themes but in a more dramatic (and often depressing) way. It also brings attention to domestic violence. This also appears in our play in the form of Beryl, who has been beaten by her boyfriend.. The theme of loneliness and isolation in “A Talk in the Park” also appears in “A View from the Bridge”. Eddie, after informing the immigration office about Marco and Rodolpho, becomes ostracised from the society in which he lives, having broken the Sicilian Omerta.
