A Greek Tragedy is a play where the central character is led by fate towards a destiny that can’t be escaped. In the full length version of the play Miller retained much of the content of the verse but transformed it into prose.
Alfieri is not only a character in this play; he is also a narrator and the Greek Chorus. Alfieri acts as a ‘bridge’ in a number of aspects. He bridges the gaps between the audience and the characters, and he also bridges the gap between the Italians and the Americans. He is constantly giving clues to what’s about to happen. The title ‘A View from the Bridge’ refers to Alfieri’s character since he is the bridge and we see the events as he does.
The play opens as Alfieri doing the prologue. He states:
“You wouldn’t have known it, but something amazing has just happened.”
This shows to the audience that Alfieri knows what has happened/is going to happen in the play. As he sets the audience up for the coming events it is clear that everything has already happened and the scenes of the play are simply flashbacks.
The stage is set with a minimalistic setting. There is a bare flat in which, as the audience will find out, Eddie, Beatrice and Catherine live. There is a lot of space to move in the flat and there are no distractions on stage. This is so the audience can concentrate solely on the main characters and story line.
Alfieri is immediately set apart from Eddie, Beatrice and Catherine since he is not family.
The play has only a few characters in it to try and keep the storyline as simple as possible. If too many characters were in it, it would be very difficult keep up with what’s going on. The links with the Italians families are strong because they’re related. Most of the character ties are strong because they’re an Italian-American family. Alfieri wouldn’t have anything to with Eddie calling the Immigration Bureau because he is also an Italian.
“You won’t have a friend in the world Eddie! Even those who understand will turn against you, … Put it out of your mind Eddie!”
Alfieri has strong relationships with the audience because he, as well as being the narrator, talks directly to them.
“Who can ever know what will be discovered? . . . Now, as the weeks passed, there was a future, there was a trouble that would not go away.”
When he’s in role, the other characters have respect for Alfieri because he is a lawyer. When Alfieri appears as the narrator and the spotlight goes on him there is a touch of excitement.
The reason Alfieri wouldn’t have anything to do with Eddie calling the Immigration Bureau is that he knows there will be an Italian justice which usually includes the Mafia. He also wouldn’t have anything to do with it because he is an Italian himself. He repeatedly says that justice is important to Italians.
“Oh, there where many here who were shot justly by unjust men. Justice is very important here.”
When people saw the lawyers or priests in the old times they connected them with disaster.
“I am a lawyer. In this neighbourhood to meet a lawyer or a priest is unlucky. We’re only thought of in connection with disasters, and they’d rather not get too close.”
Alfieri’s main job is to set the scene and create an atmosphere. Alfieri is used to fill in time gaps and tell us what has happened so far incase the audience haven’t understood or missed something. ***
Alfieri is not biased and will not take the side of any character. All he did was warn them of the consequences of certain actions. Alfieri listened to all sides of the story and when he says things people trust him.
“It was at this time that he first came to me. I had represented his father in a case some years before, and I was acquainted with the family”
“Listen . . . will you listen to me a minute? My father always said you was a smart man. I want you to listen to me.”
Alfieri gives sensible advice and he doesn’t think Rodolfo’s homosexual like Eddie does. Alfieri warns Eddie not to do anything stupid but Eddie doesn’t listen.
“When the law is wrong it’s because it’s unnatural, but in this case it is natural and a river will drown you if you try to bucket it now. Let her go. And bless her.”
Alfieri has the most important role as narrator and only appears at important times after something has just happened.
“There are times when you want to spread an alarm, but nothing has happened. I knew, I knew then and there – I could have finished the whole story that afternoon.”
Alfieri acts as an epilogue and a prologue, which means he starts the play and he ends it with a speech. The play is made up of many flashbacks, which Alfieri prepares the audience for with his small narrating speeches.
“This one’s name was Eddie Carbone, a longshoreman working the docks from Brooklyn Bridge to the breakwater where the open sea begins.”
When he speaks to the audience he is giving them his “view from the bridge”, since all he can do is watch what is happening and what is going to happen but he can’t do anything about it.
“Another lawyer, quite differently dressed, heard the same complaint and say there as powerless as I, and watched it run it’s bloody course.”
He gives advice to Marco and Eddie and then he prepares the audience for what’s going to happen next. Alfieri helps to build up the tension for the next event, and then once the event is over he steps in again and defuses the tension.
“Now, as the weeks passed, there was a future, there was a trouble that would not go away.”
He refers to the Italian justice as gangsters, for example, Al Capone. He turns a blind eye to the Italian immigrants because he is an Italian-American lawyer. Alfieri guides the audiences’ views.
Alfieri is not only a person with two roles; he is a physical embodiment of the plays title.
Miller has written this play in a different manner to most. Alfieri’s role as a narrator is the present tense, whereas the main storyline is in the past as it has already happened. Alfieri tells us what has/is going to happen to Eddie in the very beginning when he clearly, yet discretely says:
“He was a good man”.
