“…..you are an angel! God’ll bless you.” Eddie and Beatrice are working together, but this is the only time they are working together in the play.Then there is a rift over Catherine’s first job. Beatrice explains that she has to work some time.
“….., she’s gotta go to work sometime.” But Eddie disagrees and he says
“Near the navy yard plenty can happen in a block and a half.” This is were the rift between Eddie and Beatrice begins. If I were to direct this scene I would make Eddie and Beatrice touching each other, and Eddie helping Beatrice with the table cloth.
As the play goes on, the rift between Beatrice and Eddie grows especially when Catherine goes out with Rodolfo.
Beatrice: “Ah, go on, you’re just jelous.”
Eddie: “Of him? Boy, you don’t think much of me.” Beatrice defends Catherine and Rodolfo, but Eddie thinks that Rudolfo is lying that he likes Catherine and he just likes her so he can get married and become an American citizen. If I was the director, I would direct this scene showing Beatrice shouting at Eddie and quite puzzled at the end of that scene. I would also make Eddie feel unhappy and flustered. I would have done this just to saprk some action in the play.
Beatrice and Eddie continue to differ over Rudolfo
Eddie: “You mean it’s all right with you. That’s gonna be her husband?”
Beatrice: “Why? He’s a nice fella.” Beatrice also defends Catherine and takes her side. We find out that the sexual relationship between Eddie and Beatrice has stopped.
Beatrice: “What’s the matter, Eddie, you don’t like me, heh?” If I were to direct this scene I would tell Eddie to cact in an embarassed way when Beatrice is asking him a question about their sexual relationship. Make Beatrice act frustated.
Eddie and Beatrice are arguing about Beatrice moaning.
Eddie: “I don’t like the way you talk to me, Beatrice” Upstairs Marco and Rudolfo are arguing over sexual problems while downstairs Beatrice disagrees with Eddie about Catherine.
Eddie: “Beatrice, she’s a baby, how is she gonna know what she likes?” Catherine’s wedding is arranged. Eddie doesn’t want to go to the wedding, but Beatrice does and she leaves Eddie. At the end of the play they find out that Eddie has told about the illegal immigrants the Immigration Bureau. We see that at the end of the play Eddie wants his respect. He gets his knife out and goes to attack Marco, Who grabs Eddie’s arm and turns the blade into Eddie. If I was to direct this play I would make Beatrice place her body over Eddie when he is about to get stabbed.
The second relationship I am going to evaluate is the one between Eddie and Catherine. When we first see these two characters in the play, Catherine is relaxed in Eddie’s presence. Eddie is worried about the length of Catherine’s skirt and the way she walks.
Eddie: “Listen, you been givin’ me the willies the way you walk down the street, I mean it.” The relationship between them is that of a father and a daughter. The tension increases in the relationship when Eddie hears about Catherine’s new job.
Eddie: “…..plumbers; they’ll chew her to pieces if she don’t watch out.”
Eddie is overprotective about Catherine especially when she has a new job. However, then he allows her to take the job. He gives Catherine some advice.
Eddie: “….don’t trust nobody.” He calls Catherine ‘Modonna’ this is a religious overtoues. He worships her. If I was directing the play I would make that scene a bit intense and make Eddie feel hurt when Catherine has got a new job but Catherine and Beatrice don’t see it.
The tension grows in the relationship when Beatrice’s cousin, Marco and Rodolfo arrive. Eddie becomes jelous of Catherine’s interest in Rudolfo. Rudolfo and Catherine have gone to the Parmount and they come home having enjoyedtheir evening. Eddie tells Rudolfo to go into into the house because he wants to speak to Catherine. Eddie tells Catherine that Rudolfo only likes her so that he can get a passport. Catherine disagrees with this and refuses to believe Eddie.
Eddie: “Katie, he’s only bowin’ to his passport.” I think that Eddie is using this to come between them because I think Eddie has feelings for Catherine and he likes her. If I was the director I would bring more tension into this scene and create some kind of argument between Eddie and Rudolfo.
Eddie comes home drunk and sees Rudolfo coming out of Catherine’s bedroom. He becomes angry and upset. He tells Rudolfo to leave the house, but Catherine says no and she is the one who will be leaving the house. In that scene Eddie kisses Rudolfo to show that he is not straight(gay).
Catherine: “I think I can’t stay here no more. I’m sorry, Eddie.”
The relationship between Eddie and Catherine is getting worse and more tense. Catherine is very angry with Eddie’s anti social behaviour. Catherine tells Eddie that she is going to marry Rudolfo. Eddie tries to tell her that she is too young and that this is the first guy she has met. Eddie doesn’t want Catherine to go ahead with the marriage.
“But you never knew no other fella, Katie! How could you make up your mind?” If I were to direct this play, I would put more action into this scene and a little argument about the wedding.
The final relationship which I am going to explore is the one between Catherine and Beatrice. Beatrice loves Eddie and wants to respect Eddie, but Catherine comes in her way. Beatrice understands that Catherine is growing up and she is not a baby, but Eddie is being over protective of Catherine. Beatrice becomes more certain that Eddie is heading towards disaster.
Eddie: “Beatrice, she’s a baby, how is she gonna know what she likes?”
Beatrice: “Well, you kept her ababy, you wouldn’t let her go out.” Beatrice tries to reason with Eddie. She tries to tell him that he’s being selfish. Catherine try to affect Eddie. Catherine is confused and innocent throughout the play. If I was directing this scene I would create a havoc between Beatrice and Eddie and their relationship would break up.
I think that Beatrice is jelous of Catherine but she is doing the right thing. She tries to push the girl out to work so that she doesn’t come into the relationship between her and Eddie. Beatrice is aware that Eddie some sexual desire for Catherine but she doesn’t blame Catherine for this. She tries to tell Catherine to move on with her life and she does this by standing up for her when she found her first job and when she is going out with Rodolfo.
Catherine doesn’t encourage Eddie purposely. She is not deceptive. Catherine takes Beatrice’s advice to move on with her life.
Beatrice: “You still walk around in front of him in your slip.”
Beatrice: “well you can’t do it.” Beatrice tells Catherine that she is not a baby and she shouldn’t walk around in her slip when Eddie is shaving his underwear. She tells her to go on and marry Rodolfo. Beatrice is doing the right, but inside I think she feels jelous of Catherine. Beatrice was happy when Catherine announced her engagement. Beatrice is ready to attend the wedding but Eddie doesn’t want to.
Catherine: “I’m gonna get married, Eddie. So if you wanna come, the wedding be on Saturday.” I would direct this be instructing Beatrice to shout at Catherine, teaching her to get on with her life. I would tell Catherine to actas if she is confused why Beatrice is shouting at her.
In conclusion, I think Arthur Miller has done well to show the relationships between the characters. He has used different types of techniques and he has been succesful in doing this. Relationships are a major factor in the play because actions come from the characters and their prejudice attitudes etc. Miller shows conflicts, love and arguments through characters. I think the main point of the story is it shows if relationships don’t work, it leads to death and conflict.
