.
- Will Cath and Rodolpho form a permanent attachment?
- What is the exact nature of the relationship between Eddie and Cath?
- Will it get out of hand, will it go too far?
- What will Eddie do to get Rodolpho out of the way?
When he does inform on them, we are keen to find out:
- What Marco is going to do
- Does Eddie's wife know what is going on?
There are lots of dramatic moments but the best is perhaps the scene with the boxing and the chair which makes the point about strength.
Some of the things that Alfieri brings to the play are:
- He describes New York and the world that Eddie Carbone lives in
- He tells the audience about Eddie
- He discusses Eddie's problems with him
- He warns Eddie that his behaviour will lead to trouble
- He advises Eddie how to cope with the problems he thinks he is facing.
- He deals with Eddie's anger and confronts him directly
- He warns the audience that terrible things will happen
- He helps us to sympathise with Eddie despite Eddie's conduct. He gives us reasons for this conduct
- Eddie’s relationship with Catherine shows him treating her like a sexual object, and as someone to be grabbed and kissed
- It shows that Eddie considers Rodolpho to be homosexual and insults him by kissing him. In Italian culture this would be a grievous insult to another man.
- It shows that Eddie cannot control himself and he appears to be a violent and threatening figure
- It shows the jealous side of Eddie
It is important because
- Eddie has lost the sympathy of the audience at this point. When we watch this scene, we do not like the bullying, crude figure that Eddie has become
- We now know that Catherine has stronger feelings for Rodolpho than she does for Eddie. In fact she is frightened of Eddie.
- Eddie has gone too far now and the movement towards tragedy cannot now be stopped.
It is a very dramatic scene, and is a reminder of the underlying themes of the play: sexual jealousy and conflict. It can be compared with the scene where Eddie teaches Rodolpho to box, at the end of the first act.
Eddie is unquestionably jealous of Rodolpho because of his relationship with Catherine. Remember that Beatrice speaks to Catherine about the way she behaves in front of Eddie. Clearly Beatrice recognises that Eddie might be drawn to Catherine in a sexual way, which is inappropriate, given his relationship to her. When Eddie goes to Alfieri for advice he suggests that Rodolpho 'ain't right' because of his pretty looks and the way he behaves. Eddie seems to inidicate that Rodolpho is effeminate, possibly homosexual, and later in the play, when he kisses him on the lips, he makes this feeling obvious. Also, he believes that Rodolpho is using his relationship with Catherine simply to gain citizenship and not because he genuinely loves her.
For Rodolpho's part, he doesn't seem to be hostile initially to Eddie and tries to build up a frienship with him (remember the boxing scene), but this fails because of Eddie's hostility.
Eddie's feelings push him into betraying both Marco and Rodolpho and this leads to his own death. You now need to go back to the play and look for support for these points in the words and actions of Eddie.
Some of the things that Alfieri brings to the play are:
He describes New York and the world that Eddie Carbone lives in
He tells the audience about Eddie
He discusses Eddie's problems with him
He warns Eddie that his behaviour will lead to trouble
He advises Eddie how to cope with the problems he thinks he is facing.
He deals with Eddie's anger and confronts him directly
He warns the audience that terrible things will happen
He helps us to sympathise with Eddie despite Eddie's conduct. He gives us reasons for this conduct
- Eddie and Beatrice
- Eddie and Catherine
- Eddie and Rodolpho
- Eddie and Alfieri
- Catherine and Beatrice
- Catherine and Rodolpho
Eddie and Catherine
Catherine is the daughter of Eddie's dead sister-in-law, Nancy. He has promised to bring her up and protect her but has developed very strong feelings of jealousy about her.
Beatrice and Catherine
Beatrice wants the best for Catherine and hopes that she is able to make her way in the world without pain or trouble.
Eddie and Rodolpho
Eddie has agreed to help Marco (his wife Beatrice's cousin) and his brother Rodolpho to settle in the USA (even if only temporarily) and to make money working. As they are illegal immigrants, they require support and assistance from Eddie and Beatrice.
Marco and his family
Marco has left his wife and three children in Italy, remember. He is trying to earn enough money to help and protect his own family. They 'eat the sunshine', if you recall.
Marco and Rodolpho
Marco is protective of Rodolpho, particularly in the way he relates to Eddie.
What you now need to do is to look at these relationships and see how they reflect the way that people care and protect others as parents or guardians. Ask yourself if these relationships are good ones. Are there any problems or difficulties? Do any of these relationships have negative features to them? Are any characters not behaving and thinking as they should?
