Finally, Marco is a lot more mature than Rodolfo is; this is another quality that a man needs. Marco thinks about his actions and what it will do, but the problem is that Marco also shows his feelings in what he does not what he says, so this causes conflict between Marco and Eddie because they find it hard to communicate with each over. This lack of verbal expression causes problems between the two men because they do not understand each over, when you don't talk to someone or tell them your feelings than its hard to know what they are expressing or feeling. For example when Marco lifts the chair at the end of act one, Eddie felt that Marco was threatening him but Marco intention was only to warn and remind Eddie that Rodolfo has a brother.
Not all characters feel the same way about Marco as Eddie does though. The best example is Beatrice; Beatrice is probably the most sensible character of all. She does not see Marco as a threat or anything like that because she knows that he is just like Eddie.
A quotation to show this is ‘‘the guy ain’t right, Mr. Alfieri. This quotation shows the drama which happens between Alfieri and Eddie quite a bit during the play but they talk about their personal issues. As Eddie and Alfieri talk about life suddenly topics about Rodolfo come up and they start chatting away about the way Rodolfo acts and what he does all day. Suddenly Eddie tells Alfieri what Rodolfo does and believes that Rodolfo’s gay.
He thinks this because Eddie has seen him singing and cooking like a woman and doesn’t like Catherine wearing short dresses. This shows the drama between Eddie & Rodolfo and how bad Eddie wants to tell people about
Rodolfo. This shows Eddie’s anger and only lets his anger out on Alfieri than Rodolfo.
Secondly another quotation to show the Dramatic irony which Miller uses this in this play is ‘‘when I think of the guy layin his hands on her I could- I mean it’s eatin ‘‘me out’’. This quotation shows Eddie’s real feelings towards Catherine and how much he loves her. This also shows that he doesn’t like Catherine getting touched by other men and wants Catherine to get rid of Rodolfo. Then Eddie states this, ‘‘because I struggled for that girl’’. This shows how hard Eddie has tried to protect her from men.
Another good quotation to show Dramatic irony is ‘‘I can’t believe what you tell me I mean there must be some kind of law’’. This quotation shows the anger building up inside Eddie and by his words you know he’s angry. As Alfieri and Eddie Speak Eddie gets very dramatic and shocked that nothing can happen unless Eddie tells the immigration office. But Eddie refused and started shouting at Alfieri and complaining about the law and starts to question him why there isn’t an easier or painful way to remove Rodolfo & Marco.
Another quotation to show Dramatic irony is when in one scene Catherine invites Rodolfo to dance with her in their living room. Eddie is extremely angered at Rodolfo and begins to mock him: “It’s wonderful. He sings, he cooks, he could make dresses…’’ He can’t find a reason to hate the boy so he claims him a homosexual. When there is no response from the polite brothers, Eddie goes further and challenges Marco to a fight. This shows how much drama Eddie can cause and how Eddie can drag people into believing him. Eddie’s very emotional which he keeps bottled.
Lastly a quotation to show Dramatic irony is ‘‘Most of the time we settle for half and I like it better. Even as I know how wrong he was, and his death useless, I tremble, for I confess that something perversely pure calls to me from his memory—not purely good, but himself purely and yet, it is better to settle for half, it must be! And so I mourn him—I admit it—with a certain alarm’’. This quote deals with the central conflict of A View from the Bridge: the self will verses the will of the . The whole man that describes in is the self-interested man. Eddie's actions within the play are completely motivated by his own desires at the expense of others. Thus, humans must act halfway to preserve the rules of the community and lives of others. The idea that Alfieri suggests, that Eddie acted as a whole person,
Unrestrained and uninhibited is true. However, Eddie's wholeness was at the expense of his own family and eventually himself. He only escaped restraint because he escaped consideration of other people or the community at large. Eddie's wholeness is a whole interest in his own life. His tragic flaw is this self-interest—a flaw that seems both admirable and alarming to Alfieri.
Another technique Miller uses to create tension is Stage direction. In this play the stage directions are of the greatest importance, even in little details such as Eddie's seeing "pattern and cloth" on a table or Catherine's adjusting her dress "under his gaze". Even as Eddie laughs at Rodolfo, the young man stands "with tears rolling down his face". In this brief episode, Alfieri counsels Eddie to no avail. Alfieri does not repeat his earlier comment on the only law which can help Eddie, but sees that desperation will lead him to betray Marco and Rodolfo, and repeatedly warns him against it. The "darkness" into which he follows Eddie may symbolize Eddie's being in the dark morally and psychologically. The glowing of the Phone booth clearly indicates in visual theatrical terms how the idea first occurs to Eddie, then becomes irresistible. We do not know if Louis and Mike notice where Eddie has been. They might wonder what reason he has to use the phone.
Firstly when Alfieri and Eddie are talking Alfieri gives Eddie advise about how to remove Rodolfo from the country, Eddie decides to leave but seems very sad. As Eddie leaves, a quotation to show his sadness and burst of feelings is ‘‘He feels the threat of sobs, and with a helpless wave’’. This suggests the sadness built up inside of Eddie. As he leaves you can immediately tell by the mood of the line that Eddie’s very helpless and this has shown the audience the feelings of the new Eddie Carbone.
Secondly another quotation to show stage direction which would show the characters emotion is ‘‘Resenting his instruction’’. This shows us that Eddie doesn’t like Rodolfo and will never be his friend. It also shows us that Eddie has an attitude and doesn’t like anyone who corrects him or tells him the real facts. If someone does tell him that then I think he gets very insulted and in Eddie’s mind he knows he right all the time, particularly when it’s Rodolfo. All through the play this has continuously happened when Rodolfo starts talking then Eddie gets involved and stops him from talking telling him either it’s wrong or something bizarre.
Additionally, another stage direction to show the characters emotions: ‘‘holding back a voice of anger’’. This suggests that Eddie trying his best not to shout. The audience would think that he sometimes finds it difficult to express himself. This also shows us that Eddie wants to let it out on Rodolfo and no one else because ever since Rodolfo has arrived Eddie is now attached to him and loves to take all his anger out of him but if anyone is around Rodolfo then Eddie keeps it to himself.
Lastly, another example of stage directions is ‘‘He has been unconsciously twisting the newspaper into a tight roll’’. Eddie becomes very agitated whilst watching Rodolfo and Catherine dance, as shown in the following stage directions. This shows us that when Eddie mentions Rodolfo's many talents, hinting he thinks he is gay-'But if I could cook, if I could sing, if I could make dresses, I wouldn't be on the waterfront. (He has been unconsciously been twisting the newspaper into a tight roll. They are all regarding him now; he senses he is exposing an issue and is driven on.) I would be someplace else. I would be like in a dress store. (He has bent the piece of paper and it suddenly tears in two).' This long piece of text has significant stage directions. They show how Eddie's anger doesn't shine through verbally, but physically. He is sometimes unable to express his feelings. He suddenly gets up and pulls his pants over his belly and goes to MARCO)". The following events suggest that Eddie is beginning to try and show that he is the boss in the house, and that he is in charge. Eddie suggests that himself, Marco and Rodolfo go to watch the boxing, and then starts a fight with Rodolfo, saying he will "teach" him how to fight, while secretly he may just want to inflict pain on Rodolfo to show he has power over him.
The stage directions on page 41 are very important, however what is said is also very significant. All the way through page 41, Eddie is taunting Rodolfo, constantly saying how he can't hurt him, suggesting he thinks Rodolfo is weak. The stage directions tell us that the fight starts off being gentle, as if Eddie really I only teaching Rodolfo, but as they fight for longer we see that both characters become more violent and the blows they exchange are more than just friendly. Rodolfo then intimidates Eddie, and we know this because of how Rodolfo acts towards him. Eddie then offers to teach Rodolfo boxing, possibly putting on a brave act for Catherine, trying to bond with Rodolfo. His real motive is clear to us, the audience…he wants to take out his anger, and he wants to hit Rodolfo. He also wants to show he is much stronger than Rodolfo; he wants to prove something to himself and to almost scare Rodolfo. Rodolfo
Shows how he does have respect for Eddie-'I don't want to hit you Eddie.' Eddies ends up hitting Rodolfo-what he wanted. The ‘tight’ and ‘twisting’ suggests powerful anger and Eddie is ready to explode. When the ‘‘bent rolled paper suddenly tears in two suggests that Eddie can’t take any more pressure and his released his anger. The audience now knows that Eddie’s up to and who he is targeting.
Another technique Miller uses to create tension is Symbolic Physical action. Symbolism is most often found in the action, and has been discussed above (the dancing, the chair-as-weapon, Eddie's dying by his own hand). The set as well as accommodating the action is symbolic of Eddie's world and values: the apartment (home, where the family is) and the street (the wider community, where he meets friends).
The story of Vinny Bolzano is a parable about the need for solidarity and loyalty in the community (this ranks even above family ties, it seems), but also is prophetically symbolic of Eddie's own act of treachery.
Finally, there is symbolism in the play's title. After we see have seen the play, we wonder why the play is so named. We are made to think of the more panoramic view, which sees things, from afar, in relation to each other. It is not the view from ground level or the "water front", but a detached and objective view. This is the view we should have of Eddie, the view of Alfieri, the view that is "civilized" and will "settle for half".
Firstly when Catherine & Rodolfo dance everybody watches them but soon Eddie turns away and is disgusted by what he’s seeing. The dancing demonstrates Catherine’s rebellion for the audience to see. Catherine asks Rodolfo to dance and he reluctantly joins her. While dancing, Catherine asks how the men eat on the boats and Rodolfo's cooking skills are revealed. Eddie, amazed by this new information, tells Beatrice that the waterfront is no place for Rodolfo. Rodolfo turns off the stereo and listens to Eddie, who has risen from his seat. Eddie cheerfully asks Rodolfo if he would like to learn how to do some boxing. Rodolfo reluctantly agrees and the men begin to lightly box. Eddie encourages Rodolfo, and he tells Rodolfo he is doing well. After encouragement from Catherine and Beatrice, Eddie and Rodolfo stop boxing.
Secondly another Symbolic Physical action is when the boxing lesson happens between Rodolfo and Eddie. It all starts when Rodolfo & Catherine stop
Dancing and Eddie then asks Rodolfo whether he’s done boxing. When Rodolfo arrives, Eddie is soon to give him boxing lessons. This might be to impress Catherine, to take his anger out on Rodolfo, to make Rodolfo look weak or even prove how Rodolfo is homosexual. Eddie "mildly staggers Rodolfo". This maddens Marco, who "rises" on occasion. When Rodolfo realized Eddie's intentions, he danced with Catherine to possibly anger Eddie. Eddie is also a very proud man and thought he was the strongest. He pushed Rodolfo around, for example, using the boxing lesson to punch him. There is a lot of tension here, as we know Eddie did it on purpose and the audience await everyone's reaction. When Rodolfo falls to the floor it stagers him then to Marco's surprise and perhaps anger is shown by 'Marco rises'. The stage direction is short showing the tension. Eddie realizes that everyone is shocked so he asks Rodolfo 'Did I hurt you, kid?' to which Rodolfo of course answers 'he didn't hurt me. I was only surprised'. Eddie asks this question because he was pretending it to be an accident and he knew Rodolfo would not say Eddie hurt him, as it would indeed show that he is scared of Eddie (which Eddie is trying to prove here and to say to him 'stay away from Catherine or you will mess with me').
Up until this point in the play, Marco has stood still while Eddie pushes Rodolfo around, but now he thinks that Eddie has gone too far so Marco reveals to Marco that he is stronger than him by lifting a chair with just one hand with ease whereas Eddie could not lift it, 'Marco- he kneels, grasps… with strain slowly raises the chair higher…what might look like a glare of warning into a smile of triumph…Eddie's grin vanishes as he absorbs his look'. Marco is obviously saying to Eddie 'Back off, I am stronger than you and don't mess with me'. Here, Arthur Miller uses facial expressions and body language to create dramatic tension without any speech. This causes tension because now that Eddie and Marco are becoming rivals, the audience can sense that one of them will either die or get beaten up. There is an atmosphere full of tension. Eddie will seek to discredit any rival. In Rodolfo's case, he quickly finds a "reason" for this. Rodolfo is slightly-built, blond, a good singer and dancer, and he can cook and make dresses. Moreover, Mike and Louis seem to share this view: "He comes around, everybody's laughin' ," says Mike. The stage directions indicate seven times that Mike and Louis laugh; finally, they "explode in laughter". After this, Eddie abuses his trust as a wise father-figure to persuade Catherine that Rodolfo is a "hit-and-run guy" and "only bowin' to his passport". She protests disbelief but is clearly shaken until Beatrice reassures her.
Another example of a symbolic physical action is when Marco raises the chair over Eddie’s head. Rodolfo and Catherine have stopped dancing as Marco raises the chair over his head...)". This is probably the most stained part of the book, and it makes the audience think that something bad is about to happen. Miller is a very good user of stage directions, which really help the audience and the reader as well to feel the significance of the events. For example, phrases and words such as "uneasily", "embarrassed", "rubbing his fist", "with beginning alarm" help the readers enter into the spirit of the characters and the story. We can notice when reading the play, that many of the stage directions are adjectives describing actions, events, and behavior of the characters. Marco just lifts a chair and issues a challenge, but on another level Marco is challenging Eddie's masculinity, and also revealing his deeper frustrations with Eddie. On yet another level, the chair could be considered symbolic of the deadly weapon used to kill Eddie and the tragedy to come.
The facial expressions of characters are equally important, especially at the end of act one, as non-verbal communication becomes very important. The 'glare of warning' that transforms into a 'smile of triumph' unsettles the audience and shifts Marco into a whole new position in both the eyes of the audience, and Eddie. The tension is high and the audience is left poised, and waiting for the next act. The element of impending tragedy has not gone unnoticed by the audience who are left in suspense. So the rivalry between Marco, Rodolfo and Eddie is when Marco lifts a chair that Eddie fails to; Marco then lifts the chair easily, this proves that he is stronger and introduces the idea of violence. Marco greets this with a "Triumphant smile". Rodolfo dances with Catherine after the sparring match with Eddie to show Eddie that he loves her and is not just after American Citizenship. This is a message to Eddie that he isn't scared of him and will carry on his relationship with Catherine.
Rodolfo suggests that he was only "Surprised" when punched by Eddie, not physically hurt. This is an obvious cover up of his feelings; he is only being polite to Eddie because he is staying in his house. He might also not want to cause friction between Eddie and Beatrice. This simple action obviously had a motive behind it: to warn Eddie to lay off his brother but Eddie consciously knows that he won't give up that easily. Marco has shown that Eddie may think he's more of a man than Rodolfo but Marco is more of a man than Eddie; this event has generally shamed Eddie in his home, which is something this
Character feels very strongly about as the head of the household. The scene needs a sense of opposition and competition. In order to emphasize what is to be a true test of strength, the onlookers (Rodolfo, Catherine and Beatrice) need to have complete awareness and support of Marco's triumph.
Lastly, the final symbolic physical action is ‘‘Just remember, kid, you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away’’. speaks this quote in Act I, while eating dinner with and . This quote reveals the irony and madness of Eddie's character. In the beginning of the play, Eddie tells the story of a young boy who called immigration on his relatives. Eddie lectures Catherine about how they must tell no one about and Rodolfo, the illegal immigrant cousins the family will be hiding. However, in the end of the play, Eddie obviously calls Immigration on these cousins, just like the boy. Miller sets up Eddie so vehemently against Betrayal that his transition to the betrayer seems illogical. The set-up requires Eddie to undergo a drastic change, if not complete breakdown, within the play to make such a transition. The force of this transition reveals no only his self-destructive madness, but the deepness of his unspoken love for his niece. This quote also reveals that Eddie knows his own fate—he knows what will happen to him, but cannot escape his fate. Much like , Eddie watches himself make decisions he knows will not only ruin his reputation in the , but also possibly kill him. Eddie may know the consequence of what he does, but remains powerless or too mad to stop it.
Another technique Miller uses to create tension is the change in Marco character. The role of Marco should be played with anger and strength, but at the same time conservative and quite. The stride would be long, his build large and his posture would be one of a proud man. His facial expressions change from calm to frustration.
Marco's voice does not change greatly in the play. Apart from the final scene, where voice is becomes more outspoken and aggravated; his voice stays in a state of calm. Marco seems to position himself in a broad and powerful manner. He seems to be trying to make people more aware and afraid of his presence. Also the words that describe Marco most are focused, strong, responsible and hardworking; the good thing about Marco is he has a strong sense of Justice and he cares very much about his family. When Marco enters he is seen as the stronger of the two brothers, he is aware of his obligations to the Carbones and therefore he asks his brother to behave in a manner that will
Not upset Eddie. Marco has a strong sense of responsibility and that is exactly why he is in America so he will be able to carry on supporting his family. He gives the impression that he thinks before he acts however, he has a strong sense of right and wrong and an even stronger sense of justice. When Marco sees Eddie inflicting pain upon his younger brother Marco is quick to show
That he is there to protect his brother, when his mind is made up he is totally focused, he employs tunnel vision. Marco's intension to punish Eddie was not a selfish one; he feels that it is his duty to do so. If the law will not help him then he will take the law into his own hands. Marco is the character who Arthur Miller tells us least about, Marco is the antagonist in the play and the Sicilian avenging angel that Alfieri hints at in his comment to the audience.
Firstly when Marco tells Rodolfo ‘‘you come home early now Rodolfo’’. This suggests that Marco is in control of Rodolfo and respects Eddie wishes. This Also shows that even though Marco is the older brother he asks Rodolfo to come home and this shows now Marco is looking after and protecting his older brother. Marco asks Rodolfo to come home early because he is an illegal immigrant and if the police of the immigration office found out then they would obviously take Rodolfo. Rodolfo expresses his respect for Eddie, who in turn explains sternly that he too is strict. Marco asks Rodolfo to be home early in the future, but Beatrice is aware of Eddie's intention and she supports Rodolfo. This shows the care and now that Marco has had enough of seeing his younger brother being pushed around by Eddie it is his duty to protect his brother.
Another example of Marco’s character begins to change when Rodolfo and Eddie have a boxing match then ‘‘Marco nods at him dubiously’’. This suggests that when Marco get’s up from the chair after looking at him dubiously, although Eddie stopped after just one punch Marco may have interfered and stopped the fight. Arthur Miller includes Marco's standing up, at this point in the play to tell the audience that Marco may be the quiet character but he is just as significant in the play as the other characters. After Eddie's punching Rodolfo and Marco's near interference this gives audience clues although Marco is not over-prophylactic towards his younger brother Rodolfo, like Eddie is towards Catherine, but he should leave his Brother alone and he will
Interfere if Eddie crosses that line. This gives audience clues of the coming dissension between Eddie and Marco.
However, tensions rise again in Carbone household, but this time it is not procreated by Eddie and the subject is not Rodolfo, but this time it is constituted by Marco. Marco who has been becoming progressively more solicitous about Rodolfo's treatment, at the hands of Eddie o tries to show him that, he is not the absolute master of the family circle.
Lastly, Marco raises the chair over Eddie’s head and ‘‘Marco is face to face with Eddie, a strained tension gripping his eyes and jaw’’. This shows us that Marco has become aware of what is happening between Rodolfo and Eddie now and is not too pleased. He steps in to show Eddie who is really the strongest. Marco challenges Eddie to a chair-lifting contest. Marco wins and conflict between Marco and Eddie has now begun. Stage directions tell us, 'Marco is face to face with Eddie, a strained tension gripping his eyes and jaw, his neck stiff, the chair raised like a weapon above Eddies head-and he
Transforms what might appear like a flare of warning into a smile of triumph, and Eddies grin vanishes and he absorbs his look.' To the audience Marco's look is warning Eddie Marco is wary of Eddie now and will protect Rodolfo as best he can. This last scene has added to the expectations of this audience because Eddie has had conflict with every main character, tragedy is even more inevitable.
Lastly the last technique Miller uses to create tension is the use of Eddie’s language. The device of depicting Italian and Sicilian immigrants enables Miller to make them more or less articulate in English. Only Alfieri is a properly articulate, educated speaker of American English: for this reason he can explain Eddie's actions to us, but not to Eddie, who does not really speak his language. Eddie uses a naturalistic Brooklyn slang ("quicker" for "more quickly", "stole" for "stolen" and so on). His speech is simple, but at the start of the play is more colorful, as he tells Catherine she is "walkin' wavy" and as he calls her "Madonna".
Firstly, Eddie uses Repetitions such as ‘‘I mean’’ which suggests he is inarticulate which tells us that he is unable to express himself well. This shows us the difficulty Eddie’s in and how he can’t cope with Catherine going out
With Rodolfo and this shows how it’s affecting his life. He can’t speak properly and is confused of what he’s trying to say.
Secondly when Eddie is speaking, many dashes indicate confusion and panic. He also interrupts Alfieri: he isn’t listening. This shows as Eddie is talking to Alfieri, Alfieri tells Eddie the truth but Eddie cuts him down and states ‘‘I’m telling you’’. Eddie thinks he knows everything about the law but we know he doesn’t. Eddie also tries to give a big speech and tries to persuade Alfieri to help him even more and to take a risk and forget about the law.
Eddie tells Alfieri his life story about the highs and lows but makes he does this to make Alfieri feel sorry for him. So the audience would feel sympathy for Eddie. Eddie uses emotive language. For example a quotation to show his language is ‘‘and now I got to sit in my own house and look at a son-of-a-bitch punk like that…. He takes and puts his filthy hands on her like a goddam thief… It’s breakin my heart y’know’’. This shows Eddie’s strong uses of language and all his anger locked up inside of him. It also shows him as a very strong person and this is where Eddie’s very strong and the way he can talk to people and persuade them. His anger comes out when he said ‘‘son-of-a-bitch’’
About Rodolfo and from this it shows us that Eddie’s very angry about touching Catherine. I think Eddie gets too emotional and when he does he lets out his anger very secretly and doesn’t tell anyone except Alfieri. In the quotation the audience can tell that Eddie wants to do his own thing and is helpless and can’t do anything. He has a lot of hatred inside of him and from the audience point of view you can tell he feels like he wants to rip Rodolfo’s head of or kill him and keep Catherine to himself and he decides what he wants her to do.
Another example of Eddie’s language is ‘‘Then why—Oh, B.! Beatrice: Yes, yes! Eddie: My B.!’’. This quote, spoken by in the conclusion of Act II to , is the first time that Eddie seems to realize his true feelings for and recognize his own madness. Until this moment, no one has directly spoken about Eddie's feelings for Catherine. Although they are obviously known by Beatrice and , know one has dared to actually tell Eddie what is wrong with him. But even when Eddie realizes his demon, the love for his niece, he is powerless to stop it. Eddie lunges forward and attempts to kill . In this moment of Sicilian revenge, Eddie cannot pull himself back or regain any sense of reason. Perhaps even the recognition of the sexual
Taboo makes Eddie even more determined to seek revenge or at least find some sort of success or honor in his death. Eddie does not even have the power to deny Beatrice's claim, but instead follows through his destructive path. This Moment may bring Eddie out of his madness enough to lie in Beatrice's arms as he bleeds to death. Once he has recognized his sinful love for Catherine, Eddie seems to find himself once again—which may explain why he is able to reconcile his relationship with Beatrice.
Another tension Miller uses is Eddie’s character. A quotation to show this is ‘‘Just remember, kid, you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away’’. speaks this quote in Act I, while eating dinner with and . This quote reveals the irony and madness of Eddie's character. In the beginning of the play, Eddie tells the story of a young boy who called immigration on his relatives. Eddie lectures Catherine about how they must tell no one about and , the illegal immigrant cousins the family will be hiding. However, in the end of the play, Eddie obviously calls Immigration on these cousins, just like the boy. Miller Sets up Eddie so vehemently against betrayal that his transition to the betrayer seems illogical. The set-up requires Eddie to undergo a drastic change, if not complete breakdown, within the play to make such a transition. The force of this transition reveals no only his self-destructive madness, but the deepness of his unspoken love for his niece. This quote also reveals that Eddie knows his own fate—he knows what will happen to him, but cannot escape his fate. Much like , Eddie watches himself make decisions he knows will not only ruin his reputation in the , but also possibly kill him. Eddie may know the consequence of what he does, but remains powerless or too mad to stop it.
Conclusion
After reading Arthur Miller's play "A view from the bridge," I am convinced that the most striking character is Marco. He is an Italian immigrant that moved illegally to the United States with his brother Rodolfo to work as longshoremen, since at the time (the play was written in 1955) his country of origin, Italy, was going through a major economic depression because of the outcome of World War II. 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
He could easily "load the whole ship by himself.”. In this play, the author uses plot, dialog, actions and symbolism to emphasize Marco's honor which, in my opinion, is his prominent characteristic.
Throughout the play, we can clearly see that the plot helps us develop Marco's character in our imagination. For example, he is an illegal alien, and this might give the reader a less honorable view of him, and it might justify Eddie's action.
But the fact that Marco left his family to give them support and to save his oldest son who is "sick in the chest” makes the reader forget about his illegal stay and makes his status rise to the one of a hero.
In this play, Marco's actions lead us to the discovery of a violent side which he uses to defend his honor in a number of occasions. For example, when he challenges Eddie to lift the chair at the end of the first act, we understand that he did it to save his brother's face and his family's honor. In addition, the killing of Eddie by Marco's own hands at the end of the play is the final display of his character. Marco's character is definitely expressed more by his actions than by his words. He is very strong, and he is obviously aware of that, but doesn't like to show it in words, or brag about it. In fact, when Eddie was making fun of his brother Rodolfo, instead of replying to him in words, he chose to use his strength to get his point across by lifting the chair. In addition, Marco doesn't talk about his family much; instead, he works as hard as he can, and that is enough to show everybody how much he cares about them. As a final insult to Eddie, Marco chooses to spit in his face in front of everybody. This is because in the Italian culture, that act is considered as an extreme expression of anger toward a person, and it is rarely left without punishment. In addition, the action of going to the church before facing Eddie shows us that he is very religious and cares about his soul.
Marco is a very honorable man and believes in his tradition, and the author shows us that through a number of symbols. For example, spitting on Eddie's face once he realizes that Eddie turned him and his brother to the police is a symbol of disgust and revolt for Eddie's actions. In addition, at the end of the play, we are told that Marco went to church before going to talk to Eddie. This action tells us that Marco is ready to give up his life and commit a mortal sin to defend his honor, because what Eddie has done, the breaking of the "omerta'", the breaking of trust, is something that in his culture must never be left unpunished.
Throughout the first act of the play, Marco is only referred as a flat character and the only time we are really aware his persona and his strength is at the end of the first act, when he lifts a chair over his head and makes it seem like a challenge to Eddie, as a response for mocking Rodolfo. But only in the second act his character is fully exposed and we see his image transform into a round character. In this play, Marco is portrayed as the victim, since he hasn't done anything to Eddie but he still gets arrested. In addition, although his brother Rodolfo gets away with it by marrying Catherine, he has no other choice but to go back to his hungry wife and sick children in Italy. These thoughts and knowing that Eddie has no regrets for what he has done makes him furious, and at the end of the play he seeks revenge.
I believe this play would not be complete without this character. If Marco would have not existed, it would have left Eddie unpunished and alive, and this would be in conflict with the very conception of drama which drives this works.
