The character of Alfieri is the audience’s connection to the characters. He adds tension by hinting what will happen later on in the play. It is like one of the audience who has been through something, telling us the story. Alfieri knows the conclusion and can give hints to the audience without giving too much away. “I was powerless to stop it… ‘Pray for him…” This line is from a speech by Alfieri, he is showing how he felt about Eddie and his input to what happened. A focus in this line is the “very wise old woman” this shows the closeness of the community and the respect for the elderly. The wise also gives us a sense she could see into the future and is a clairvoyant. This is sinister due to the strong Catholic community. This also leads back to the opening speech “justly shot by unjust men” this create the picture of other spirits and a mixed up and disordered community. It also shows there is threatening people and things going on.
‘Justly shot by unjust men’ gives us the sense of Justice versus Law. This idea is that these people being shot were being shot for a good reason, although the people shooting them were no better, they were unlawful. What the characters see as Justice is against the law or is no covered by the law. ‘Morally and legally you have no rights’ here Alfieri is telling Eddie there is nothing he can do to stop Rodolpho getting married and even though he thinks it is his right, Alfieri sees that it is just his jealousy acting.
The narrator enables means there is no need for setting the scene by the characters and leaves the audience in suspense to what has happened. The audience is left to speculate about what has happened previously. As we see when Alfieri turns from a narrator to playing a part in the play. When Eddie enters onstage him and Alfieri seem to start in the middle of a conversation, this means the audience is left guessing to what has happened previously and the moods of both characters. “That’s what I want to ask you” this is the first line when Eddie enters, it makes the audience confused and they have to think for them to work out what they are feeling. There is also the climax of the play when Eddie phones immigration. The phone box on the side of the stage lighting up shows this. We have our attention drawn to it. The audience knows what has happened, due to the hints of Alfieri and their general knowledge of how Eddies mind works. “Bless her” The struggle between Eddie and Rodolpho means he thinks the bast way to get Catherine back is to get rid of Rodolpho.
The power struggles of the play focus around Eddie. His confrontation between Eddie and Rodolpho, over Catherine means Eddie does not think of how others are feeling or the consequences of his actions. Eddie’s protective nature is shown by his reference to Catherine’s mother. He uses her as an excuse to why he must stop Catherine going out when Eddie doesn’t want her to. Eddie disapproved of the skirt Catherine was wearing because of his love for her and the jealousy he suffered from other man looking at her. “You ain’t ‘all the girls” this shows he doesn’t want her to be seen as something that men should fancy, he told Catherine “I promised your mother on her deathbed”. Miller explores the loss of Eddie’s power, especially as he loses Catherine. The song ‘Paper Doll’ symbolises Eddie’s need to control Catherine and it is supposed to show how Eddie is feeling; that Catherine is being used and taken advantage of by Rodolpho. He also uses this when Rodolpho keeps Catherine out late. This is a way of him having power over Rodolpho, although this is shown in the early part of the play, when Rodolpho has less confidence. When Eddie phones immigration we see how he does not listen to what other people are saying. “You wont have a friend in the world” even when Alfieri puts what is going to happen very clearly and blatantly to Eddie he does not listen. He prefers his own world, which he is not conscious of. As time goes on we can see the assertiveness of Rodolpho growing, “Rodolpho nods to him testingly” this is a sign that Rodolpho know not to be afraid of Eddie and his ways.
As an audience we can see the strong feelings Eddie has for Catherine, but to Eddie it is something that when is mentioned sparks anger. When Beatrice mentions that Eddie needs to let her go “you’re just jealous” he does not get the hint from Beatrice here. Although later when he is talking to Alfieri “he brings up a child, sometimes it’s a niece, sometimes even a daughter, and he never realises it” he is saying Eddie loves Catherine but Eddie is in denial. “I shouldn’t look out for her” this line means he can avoid the subject and means Alfieri would need to say it out right to get the message across. The conflict between Eddie and Beatrice did heightened when she knows he has phoned immigration “My God, what did you do?” she knows him so well she has predicted he had phoned immigration. This means Eddie has been out smarted and is a blow for Eddie’s pride. This is bought up again when she tries to persuade him to come to the wedding “ I want my respect…my wife” Eddie has views of how a wife should behave. This then leads onto when Eddie is killed and even though Beatrice was angry with Eddie, their love had survived many struggles. She tries to stop a conflict between Eddie and Marco “ Eddie! Eddie, don’t! Eddie! Although this power struggle is strong and Eddie lunges for Marco.
This physical conflict between Marco and Eddie started when Marco beat Eddie with lifting the chair. This powerful image of Marco holding a chair over Marco’s head also gives the audience an insight into a confrontation later in the play. The confrontation is after Eddie has hit Rodolpho while pretend boxing. We see that Eddie used the excuse, of helping Rodolpho defend himself to fight with Rodolpho. Although Eddie attempts to shatter Rodolpho and Catherine do not work as they go and dance.
Physical confrontation also appears other times in the play, but sometimes by using violence. The fight between Marco when Eddie is killed proves the ironic image. As Eddie is killed with his own knife, this shows the whole time that he has actually been killing himself. The symbol of his own knife shows his own actions have meant he has been killed. Eddie himself has no recollection of himself, he does not know himself, whereas the audience do. We know he wants Catherine and he tries to break their relationship and Rodolpho shows this. Eddie does this by trying to show that Rodolpho is gay, “ and suddenly kisses him”. Hoping that this will be a deterrent and Catherine will disregard him. Instead of doing this he confirms to Catherine that Rodolpho is strong and does love her. We also see Eddie’s feelings for Catherine when He kisses her. This is passionate, which Catherine sees as an impulse not something to show his love. This is also confirmed with another of Miller’s alternative endings where Eddie begs Catherine to choose him. Although this ending shows the love from Eddie, it is totally out of character. Eddie does not have a grip on his feelings and is too stubborn to beg. His stubbornness is shown when he thinks oranges are painted “ I know that lemons are green for Christ’s sake”. A key tension is also the denial of his love, which eventually kills him. We can see all the key tension from the stage directions.
Miller’s precise direction of how the play should be staged, mean it is always done the way he wants. The anxiety created from the squeaking rocker that Eddie uses, is a noise that echoes through a theatre and gives everyone the sense of madness. It is centre stage so shows Eddie’s dominant character. The spotlight also creates the sense of darkness all around which is zooming in on him to engulf him. Other lighting effects include “Alfieri walks into darkness” this is a sign of his going into mystery or a figure of the audiences’ imagination. A high-tension moment that seems like Eddie is going to crack with rage is “[Eddie] has bent the paper and it tears in two” a sign of him releasing aggression, which he has stored up from watching Catherine and Rodolpho dance. There also several references to him “crack [ing] his knuckles” “his fists clenched” certain stage directions, which show the audience that Eddie, is getting ready to fight. All these aggressive motions show Eddie’s underlying jealousy. A theme which is continuous throughout the play.
Many themes are dominant in the play many of which focus around Eddie. Eddie is shown mainly centre stage with a spotlight focus. Eddie is also in conflict with all other main characters. He is seen as heroic at the end “perversely pure”. He is a bad character that the audiences have to think about to understand. This continuation of thought even after the play as finished mean it has a disturbing force over them. Eddie had no control over himself and was “wholly known”. This play gives us an insight into the life and imminent death of Eddie, without giving much specific history of Eddie. We are left to guess about his past but can see his future.
Nichola Vowles 11G