Eddie can also be described as selfish as he is aware of the horrific things that could happen if he betrayed the immigrants to the authorities however, when his relationship with Catherine is affected he is prepared to betray Beatrice’s cousins. Later, when Marco accuses him of betrayal he refuses to accept the truth and instead tries to plead for support against Marco’s ‘lies’. In the end, Eddie realizes he has lost his honorable ‘name’ and he has lost the respect of all those who know him and therefore, he is left with no option but to face Marco in mortal combat. In the end the audience may think he has been wronged by Catherine and therefore, by Rodolfo, Marco and even Beatrice and finally, to end he shows self- delusion. Perhaps, he gains some dignity.
The wife of Eddie, Beatrice is a loving and caring character. She is often a mediator when Eddie’s aggressiveness causes intimidating situations also, when she feels the occasion demands she can be quite assertive. Quietly, she takes control and is the one who warns Eddie that his relationship with Catherine is not acceptable and she also warns Catherine that she is contributing to Eddie’s infatuation. By asking questions and making statements that force Catherine to confront some uncomfortable truths about her relationship with Eddie. Beatrice does not want to hurt Catherine but she is insistent. She asks Eddie ‘when am I going to be a wife again?’ and indicates he’s not behaving like a proper husband. She knows her rights as a wife and is not going to let Eddie ignore them. She wants to recreate sanity in their household and she wants to pull Eddie back from danger by rising above any situation created by Eddie also, she is the one going to be there to comfort him.
Catherine is lively and open young woman and she is eager to experience the world and she has had no real experience until Rodolfo enters into her life. She is used to being secured by Beatrice and Eddie. She knows Eddie as a ‘fatherly-figure’ and is horrified when Beatrice suggests there might be more to the bond between her and Eddie than she realizes. She takes sides against Eddie and she is appalled by Eddie’s actions when he betrays Marco and Rodolfo. This point in the play is when she shows strength of character however, that strength evaporates at the end when she murmurs ‘Eddie, I never meant to do nothing bad to you’ and making herself to blame for Eddie’s tragic end.
Miller doesn’t tell the audience much about Marco but being a focused and responsible character Marco is seen to be the stronger one of the two brothers, ‘Marco goes around like a man; no body kids Marco.’ Everyone realizes that Marco is the strongest and not to mess around with him. A strong sense of responsibility to his wife and kids makes his reason for coming to America obvious; however, he has a strong sense of right and wrong and an even stronger sense of justice. When Eddie hits Rodolfo he is quick to make it clear to Eddie that he is stronger than him and that he will defend Rodolfo if necessary. Not being selfish, he feels that it is his duty to punish Eddie and if the law is not helping him then he will take the law into his own hands.
The lively sense of humor and the good looks of Rodolfo make an immediate impact on Catherine when he enters the play. ‘This will be the first house I have walked into in America’ states he is delighted to be in America. He can cook, sing and make clothes basically, he is a man of many talents and many of which were sneered at by Eddie. Rodolfo gets upset with Eddie’s hostility and cannot understand why Eddie dislikes him. Catherine falls in love with Rodolfo very quickly and his love for her is generally genuine and powerful. As the play progresses there is a noticeable change in roles between Marco and Rodolfo. Marco is seen to be the stronger, more responsible one, ‘the leader’ however, at the end we see the thoughtful, sensitive Rodolfo who can see what terrible consequences will result from the conflict between Marco and Eddie. He attempts to persuade Marco not to harm Eddie and he apologizes to Eddie for his behaviour proving that he is an intelligent and sensitive character who feels a sense of responsibility for those close to him.
Arthur Miller uses a variety of language from in a view from the bridge. Alfieri’s educated language is meditative and helps the audience to think about the issues Miller feels are important and his relaxed style draws the audience into the story and helps them remain focused throughout. Alfieri opens the play and speaks in conversational style where he introduces the situation in Red Hook also, he tells the story in a series of flashbacks and he controls the thread. ‘I knew where he was heading for, I knew where he was going to end’ explains Alfieri knows exactly what is going to happen right from the start however, he is powerless and could do nothing to prevent it. ‘You’ the pronoun is used to indicate he is talking directly to the audience, also to show he is in the middle of the audience and the characters. He uses humour at the beginning when he mentions the case of Scotch Whiskey slipping ‘from a net whilst being unloaded’ to endear the audience to him. As he is also a character he speaks differently when communicating with other characters. He speaks as a lawyer but also speaks as a friend giving good advice.
Eddie’s speech could not be in greater contrast to Alfieri’s. Eddie’s uneducated American working class voice sounds most realistic of all the characters. He has very limited language skills and he speaks in short, uncomplicated sentences which do not allow him to develop his thoughts also, his language can be quite unpleasant. Arriving back at his house Eddie finds out what is going on between Rodolfo and Catherine and Eddie shows his brutal nature when he kisses Catherine and when Rodolfo protests and he kisses him as well. Eddie remarks ‘Don’t make me do nuttin’, Catherine. Watch your step. By rights they oughta throw you back into the water but I got pity for you’ this is too powerful to be ignored. However, Miller makes it clear that Eddie is not a character who is capable of opening out as he keeps on repeating ‘Eddie Carbone…’ when he wants his name back.
Eddie speaks to Rodolfo ‘he can sing, he can dance, he can cook, he can make dresses..’ as if he’s complimenting him by comparing Rodolfo’s talent with his own lack of skill and he repeats them to show how much he admires Rodolfo’s talents but in reality he wants Rodolfo to be seen as effeminate and not masculine enough to be a man.
Rodolfo’s dialogue betrays an open, romantic and honest person and his language is soft and comforting all the way through. ‘Catherine. If I take in my hands a little bird… I don’t say you must hate him; but anyway you must go, mustn’t you? Catherine?’ The use of Catherine is significant as the first mention of her name draws her in and shows a sign of intimacy whereas, in the question her name is mentioned asking for her agreement and therefore for her acceptance of their relationship. Eddie’s words are reality and the audience realizes that he speaks the truth; as he sees it. His dialogue is never far from confrontation and builds up to the tragedy at the end of the play and the dialogue carries with it tragedy that may shock, but does not surprise the audience.
Miller’s play explores Eddie’s weaknesses whilst showing his thoughts, feelings and emotions that bring up the main themes. Law and justice are the most important themes that come up during the play and Alfieri touches on them in his opening speech. Law is looked on with doubt however, justice is very important and as Alfieri explains, justice was mainly dispensed by breaking the law. He goes on to say seeking total justice is impossible to have and that he is happy ‘to settle for half’. Alfieri tends to think that the justice in Eddie’s situation was observed by a lawyer two thousand years ago and he senses there is a timeless quality in this story. Alfieri is involved in the play as a mediator and the audience realizes that when he tries to persuade Marco not to take revenge against Eddie. Alfieri points out that only God can deliver total justice.
Arthur Miller use of stage directions creates tension and gets the audience ‘on the edge of their seats’ when Marco challenges Eddie to a chair lifting competition. Eddie fails to lift the chair and Marco lifts the chair above his head and the audience can see the rising tension between them as Marco warns Eddie. Marco doesn’t need to say anything but the Miller makes it clear that Marco is stronger one and if Eddie shows any further aggression to either of the brothers Marco is prepared to seek revenge.
In Alfieri’s opening monologue, he distributes information to the audience and explains that conflicts in the play occur throughout Italian and Sicilian history. The audience realizes that Alfieri can sense dramatic things are going to happen however, he is powerless and can do nothing. He also mentions Caesar to emphasize that the case he is about to handle is not very different to many of the ‘bloody courses’ that run throughout the history of Italy. He tells the story in a series of flashbacks provides a running commentary like the ancient chorus did, but as this is his tale of what has already happened, he cannot change the future. When he states ‘I watched it run its bloody course’ makes it clear to the audience that the play is going to end in a tragedy. Also, the audience is aware, from Alfieri’s speech, that the main character is led by fate towards an ending that cannot be escaped by anyone.
Miller used the basic themes to build his play up on such as, justice, love, jealousy, law and social class. He used them to put the play together and help the audience understand the thoughts, feelings and emotions of the characters. He used dramatic devices and certain language, from Alfieri’s educated speech to Eddie’s inexpert however, realistic American language, to do so. Miller used these techniques in a clever way so he was able to express his ideas fully. One way was through Alfieri, he was used as a character and a narrator to emphasize the themes to the audience. Alfieri leaves the audience thinking about these techniques and themes that Miller used that caused Eddie to get the tragic ending that he did.
