This is a tale structured typically to Greek tragedy; Arthur Miller has introduced what is known as a chorus at the start of this tale. A chorus is would normally be a group who would inform the audience about the happenings in the play just like a narrator would. A chorus could also be a character within the drama but this character can’t alter the story in any way. Arthur miller has taken this concept and altered it into having just one chorus. Alfieri has taken this role of the chorus. This is a play that is intended to have an impact on the audience and to have a blatant storyline and also for the audience to understand. So that this could be done effectively, Alfieri has been used, this is as he is lawyer someone that is respected in the community and a person who knows the law.
The chorus would normally speak a prologue leading into a play. Alfieri precisely does this and subsequently controls the rest of the play by commenting on stage direction and his inner thoughts on what could happen soon in the play with the use of monologues. Within these monologues that he produces there are many indications that tragedies will occur.” he had committed crime”. This is a play that is controlled by Alfieri as he is telling the tale that he has lived. This character talks to the audience in separate speeches like a “bridge”, connecting audience to all the events. Alfieries speeches come at highly tense scenes, breaking them up to involve the audience; this allows the audience to stay keen and to fully understand that character of Eddie. An example of this would be when Eddie kisses Catherine and then kisses Rodolpho, at this point the audience would be in utter shock at what they have just witnessed the role that Alfieri will know be to talk to the audience using a soliloquy to make the audience more eager to see where Eddie will go after this tense moment. “December twenty seventh I saw him next…..nothing had really happened”.
Arthur Miller has selected a character that is wise so the audience can identify with, a character that the audience can trust so they can actually believe in him. As this is a character that is included in this drama and a lawyer, it is a more efficient method of allowing understanding and believing in this trustworthy character. A lawyer is told in greatest confidents a clients view, and Arthur miller has made Alfieri to tell these thoughts of Eddie as the audience will come to grips with the situation. The role of Alfieri here has been to talk to the audience like a ‘bridge’, about these meeting that he has had Eddie as they have previously seen the dram unfold between these characters, and as these conversation end between these intense characters, Alfieri job would then be to transform into an narrator and open up to the audience about what his thoughts are. An example of this would be when Eddie confronts Alfieri in his office in desperation about the situation about Rodolpho having a relationship with Catherine as he believes that the sole purpose of him doing so is to get his papers to become an American citizen. After hearing Eddie side of the story he would then turns to audience and tells the audience “…I could have finished the whole story that afternoon. It wasn’t as if it was a mystery to unravel. I could see every step coming”. This is another example of Alfieri giving the audience hints about the climax would be catastrophic. As a device he makes the audience eager to know what these next steps would be.
Alfieri opening speech is the most important as it informs the spectators of this drama to key themes and also introduces key characters. As this opening speech beings he directly relates the audience to the drama by telling them” something amusing has happened”, this allows the audience to listen to Alfieri more as they now know that it is his past that he is describing to them. Within this opening moment Alfieri introduces the main ideas of ‘justice and law’, and about the society that these Italian originated characters live in known the “red hook…gullet of New York”. As Alfieri also brings to a close his dramatic tale, he gives his personal account to the audience as he “turned out to the audience” from a crowed. Within this prologue it is Eddie who is portrayed to be the hero as his “memory” may not be good but this is a man that was “purely” himself throughout, as he did what he thought was best. And that is why everyone “will love him”. Although he did commit a wrongful doing his “death was useless”. The themes of justice and law are reintroduced as he makes the audience feel that they have steeled for half of both.
Alfieri is a character that also comments on actions of other characters whether it be Eddie of one the brothers. “He worked on the piers when their was work”, “after they had eaten, the cousins came”. In doing this, Alfieri exercises a key role of the chorus, as he comment on actions and happenings within the play but can not intervene “I could have finished the whole story that evening” He also explains eddies actions to the audience creating sympathy, this occurs after the kiss that he gives to Rodolpho. “Catherine told me later.” He also states why Eddie was drunk during the next scene “A case of scotch whisky slipped from the net whilst being unloaded”. Alfieri explains to the audience why Eddie was drunken creating sympathy; this also calms the audience down.
As a narrator Alfieri opens and closes each and every scene, building tension thought the audience. He comments on the action in previous scene and then gives hints to the action to the next scene. These hints that Alfieri provides would normally be in the form of warning, to the action of a character in the future tense. These warnings mainly come in the form prologues and appear mainly when Alfieri is addressing the audience alone. “I will never forget how dark the room became”. “I kept wanting to call the police but nothing had really happened, nothing at all had really happened”. This reinforces the idea of a chorus character, can comment but can’t intervene on the action.
Another method in which Alfieri raises tension is by breaking up crucial scenes and commenting on what the audience have just witnessed, for example when Eddie kisses Catharine and then kisses Rodolpho the audience is in utter shock at what they have just witnessed. Alfieri as a chorus breaks up many scenes. This makes the audience feel this is a character that has great relevance to this play. “On December twenty- seventh I saw him next…….. I kept wanting to call the police…….nothing at all had really happened.
Within the play there are also are brief moments in which Alfieri and Eddie have a conversation in which Eddie opens up and confides his problems to the family lawyer, Alfieri. The main issue that is raised by Eddie is related to Catherine and her new love Rodolpho. Eddie as a character at this point is fixated on the idea that his niece’s new love Rodolpho is gay. The term that Eddie uses is “he aint right”.
Using these conversations we get gain an insight to the ideas of Eddie.
“He’s eyes were like tunnels”. “I could see every step coming, step after step”. “Pray for him… so I waited here”.
Arthur miller has created a complex character known as Alfieri. This device will allow everyone reading or watching this play get the full impact of the play. Alfieri is a character that explains situations well. Alfieri explains the society known as red hook where the drama has taken place and talks about the lifestyles of some people is like. Alfieri also fictively interacts with the audience as bridge and talks about the drama from a different prospective. He builds a lot of tension by handing out hits and clues related to the climax to the play. He also makes a clear point about the Brooklyn Bridge that the difference between these two societies are separated by this one bridge and this is the view that Alfieri has from the bridge.
