Analyse the dramatic importance of the end of Act One of

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CHRTISTOPHER ZAHOUANI-ENGLISH-10s-VIEW FROM A BRIDGE

Analyse the dramatic importance of the end of Act One of  “A view from a bridge” (from page 50 (…lights rise in the apartment) to the end of Act one).

Arthur Miller has decided to make the end of act one is particularly important because it mirrors what will happen at the end of the play.

“A view from a bridge” by Arthur Miller is set in Brooklyn, amongst an immigrant community who are poor and struggling, most working as “longshoremen” when the work is available. Eddie is of Italian ancestry, his father emigrated from Italy to America, and therefore he has been brought up with the strong, passionate Italian or Sicilian codes of honour and loyalty. Eddie shows he believes you should never betray your word of honour, at the begging of the play when he says, “You can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word you gave away”. Although Eddie is not Catherine’s father, he is a very strong figure to her and the man of the house. As we go further into the play we find out that Eddie is driven into betraying his beliefs and moral codes by his obsessive and possessive love for Catherine is a personal tragedy.

The scene is set in the living room of Eddies and Beatrice’s apartment. We are told in the stage directions that Eddie, Beatrice, Catherine, Roldolpho and Marco have all just finished eating dinner. This setting is important because it shows that Beatrice and Catherine are trying to develop a stereotypical atmosphere of a family between Eddie and Roldolpho. For example, “They went to Africa once. On a fishing boat. [EDDIE glances at her] It’s true Eddie”. (pg.50) The quote also shows that Eddies reactions to what ever anybody says are very discreet as the real point he wants to contribute is too deadly.

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The audience in this scene find out that Marco has received a letter through a stage direction, “[Marco finishes reading the letter]”. (pg.51)

Marco feels relieved after reading the letter as his wife probably told him about buying the vital medicine. In the play, we are told that Marco’s plan is to make enough money to survive and be able to send some of that money to his wife and his three kids back in Italy, who are starving. Marco physically resembles the Sicilian stereotype, with dark skin and dark hair. He is also very strong and could easily ...

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