Eddie has doubts about Rodolpho’s masculinity. In America in the 1950’s, homosexuals were treated in a very different way to how they are treated now. Eddie may also be prejudiced towards Rodolpho as he is an illegal immigrant. In addition to this, an illegal immigrant who marries a citizen is provided with a passport (i.e. he becomes a citizen). Doubt may be apparent on Eddie’s behalf as to Rodolpho’s true motives for marrying Catherine. I also believe that Eddie is aware of the fact that if Catherine and Rodolpho were to marry, Catherine’s social status would decrease due to the fact that Rodolpho is an illegal immigrant. All of these reasons lead to the increasing tension between Eddie and Rodolpho.
Rodolpho’s brother Marco is very protective towards Rodolpho. Marco’s emotions are highly strung. This is due to the fact that Marco is the sole provider for his Italian family who are needy and suffer from tuberculosis.
During this scene at the end of act one, Eddie entices Rodolpho into a boxing match to assert himself. Marco proceeds to reveal his incredible prowess and physical strength in order to put down Eddie.
This plot in itself reveals significant tension between the characters. The boxing match between Eddie and Rodolpho is very sudden. Eddie decides, abruptly, that he needs to let his emotions be shown. He says ‘I’ll teach you’ to Rodolpho. This is not his real motive at all. Eddie senses Rodolpho as an enemy, someone who is stealing his little girl, Catherine, from him. By physically hurting Rodolpho, Eddie can relieve himself of his pent up anger and frustration towards him. As the scene continues Eddie becomes more and more worked up, until, as it says in the stage directions, B has to ‘pull him down into the rocker’. Despite this, Eddie is very emotionally and mentally charged. He is described as ‘rubbing his fists together’. Realising this threat, Marco decides to take action against Eddie’s rather uncharacteristic violence by threatening him with superior physical strength
Tension causes the characters’ innermost emotions to be revealed. It is because of tension that we learn of Eddie’s desire and lust for Catherine. If Catherine and Rodolpho were more discreet and did not flaunt their feelings, Eddie’s jealousy would not have to explode out of him in punches. Catherine’s character becomes more mysterious during this scene. As a result of her previous behaviour in this play, I believe an audience would perceive her as naïve and innocent. Contrary to our assumptions, throughout this scene Catherine does not seem to have paid any heed to B’s warning ‘You can’t act the way you act’. Dramatic tension provides us with this insight into Catherine’s more rebellious streak against her aunt. Marco’s true feelings are only brought to light during this tense scene as can be scene with this stage direction ‘Marco nods at him dubiously’. The audience has not previously had any hints about Marco’s protectiveness towards Rodolpho although Rodolpho and Marco have seemed very close.
The main issue that this scene presents visually is the jealousy and hatred of Eddie towards Rodolpho. To present this conflict on stage, I would position Eddie upstage on a raked stage. This portrays the authority Eddie presumes he has over Rodolpho, and means that he can physically look down upon Rodolpho. Eddie would move down stage to Rodolpho when he starts to pick the fight. This would imply that Eddie is deigning to travel down to Rodolpho’s social level. This action would cause tension as Eddie is constantly reminding Rodolpho of his low status in their community and I believe that Rodolpho would resent this in front of his fiancée. Staging this scene on a raked stage would be an advantage when Marco raises the chair to prove his physical and mental strength. Marco should be upstage of Eddie at this point, so he can actually lift the chair above Eddie’s head while he is kneeling. The height signifies superiority.
To reflect, this scene provides enjoyable and sustainable dramatic tension for the audience due to a number of reasons, mainly the conflict between Eddie and Rodolpho. It offers a very tense and threatening end to the first act.
The second scene, on which I am concentrating my study of this play, falls at the end of the second act. This concluding scene would be full of dramatic tension in any play as it the culmination of the plot. The play ends with Marco, acting in self-defence, killing Eddie with the blade that was intended for him. This is one step further than at the end of act one.
In this scene, Eddie tries to makes Marco apologise publicly to him. When Marco refuses to, Eddie ‘lunges for Marco’, intending to kill him. However, Marco ‘grabs his arm, turning the blade inward and pressing it home’.
The tension in this scene is caused by previous events. As Eddie describes, Marco ‘wiped the neighbourhood with his name like a dirty rag’. Marco publicly accused Eddie, saying ‘He killed my Children! That one stole the food from my children’. Being a respected Longshoreman, Eddie resented being downgraded in front of his neighbourhood. He lost friends and support because Marco, in Eddie’s eyes, falsely accused him or unforgivable things. In the 1950’s status was vital in the community, and Eddie feels the need to be revenged against Marco. Eddie also feels that in order to regain his status, a public apology is in order.
We learn more about the motivations of Eddie and Marco in this scene compared to any other. Eddie only realises how deep his feelings are for Catherine in this concluding scene. The stage directions describe how ‘his fists clench his head as though it will burst’. This direction implies that the truth is tormenting for Eddie, he cannot deny the accusation from ‘B’, ‘you want somethin’ else, Eddie’. The compassionate love from Marco towards his family is also learnt of in this scene. We only gain knowledge of this emotion during this highly tense scene.
The tensions being explored in this scene are those of anger, confusion and distrust. Eddie is angry at Marco for having publicly humiliated him. Catherine is confused at her new awareness of Eddie’s feelings towards her. The distrust arises when Eddie springs a knife at someone who he given a roof and food to; Marco.
These different tensions can be realised by us, an audience, by the speech of the characters and the stage directions that the characters follow. Beatrice is describes as ‘barring the stairs’ to Eddie. This would cause tension as Eddie would resent someone undermining him, especially someone who he loves. The irony of Marco’s ‘Eddie Carbone’ would cause tension as, previously, Eddie had been ranting about how he wants his name back from Marco. The stage direction throughout Eddie’s soliloquy show how the emotional tension builds up through the speech. ‘He is incensing himself’, ‘his eyes are murderous’. Both of these stage directions give us, an audience, a sense of increasing anger, and subsequently dramatic tension.
The next main aspect of dramatic tension in this scene falls when Marco, I presume, yells to Eddie ‘Animal’. This simple word causes tension in many ways. It would cause tension between Eddie and Marco as the word lacks dignity. In addition to this, Marco is immediately lowering Eddie’s social status in front of the whole neighbourhood. It would cause tension between ‘B’ and Marco as there is no sense of loyalty to the family who have provided him with so much.
The tension that this line produces is obvious as a fight ensues after it. This would cause tension as Eddie and Marco are both being uncharacteristically violent. It upsets and scares Catherine and ‘B’. The scene progresses into an even more tense state when Eddie ‘springs a knife into his hand’. This action would imply that he is intent on killing Marco. All this tension culminates in Marco repeating the insulting word ‘Anima-a-a-l’. A previously stated his word would singularly produce tension, but due to the fact that it is repeated, the tension is heightened further. The tension produced forces Eddie to take action; he ‘lunges with the knife’. However, Eddie is not the only character to be influenced by the increasing tension. The stage directions carry on describing how Marco twists Eddie’s arm, turning the blade on him. All of these stage directions provide a very tense concluding scene for an audience.
In conclusion, Miller uses dramatic tension to an advantage in ‘A View From The Bridge’.
