At the beginning, Eddie’s relationship with Catherine seems as though Catherine looks up to Eddie.
“I just got it. You like it?”.
She expects to get his approval. This shows that Eddie inspires the way she acts. Having such control over a young woman suggests that Eddie must enjoy the power of masculinity. The audience can see that Catherine admires his father-figure. Some of the audience could agree with the attitude, as it proves that Eddie has respect.
Catherine’s admiration for her father-figure could suggest a passion she’s not aware of, which unintentionally encourages Eddie’s behaviour (or her behaviour is encourage by Eddie’s). When Miller introduces this suggested desire between the two, the audience feel slightly annoyed at Catherine.
“You like it?”.
She gives Eddie the opportunity to appreciate her beauty. If the audience hadn’t noticed her accidental flirting, it would be seen as an innocent act of asking for approval. However, if seen otherwise, Eddie is taking advantage of what she’s letting him reveal (“turn around, lemme see in the back”). Even Beatrice notices this.
We become aware of Eddie’s concern over how Catherine presents herself (“you’re walking wavy”). He seems concerned for her safety, but perhaps as her uncle, he’s jealous because of how, in a family relationship, he can’t have her to himself. There appears to be slight friction between them just from this first disagreement. Readers decide that Eddie’s too possessive and protective. This is reflected in his views on the attention Catherine’s attracting from the younger men.
“Now, don’t get mad, kid”.
Miller, however, shows that Eddie still has a caring side when he reassures her. Eddie’s married to Beatrice, who’s a major factor in Eddie and Catherine’s changing relationship. The fact that Eddie is married adds surprise to the way he acted earlier with Catherine.
Beatrice’s frantic and constantly worrying.
“I’m- I just- I can’t believe it!”.
She is very worried about the fact her cousins will be illegally staying at their house, but Eddie shows he’s caring to her, too.
“...they’ll think it’s a millionaire’s house…”.
In his role as a husband, Eddie is concerned to keep everything running smoothly and enjoys keeping everything under control. He manages to maintain a steady, laidback attitude and, apart from this helping Beatrice calm down, it also shows he’s not afraid of the law and its consequences. This links in with the Italian love, devotion and loyalty to the family, which is shown dramatically when we hear about “Vinny Bolzaro” and Eddie’s own response (“on his own uncle!”). It again emphasises the Italian importance of loyalty and the shock of betrayal.
Beatrice obviously loves Eddie and praises him for his control on the situation.
“You’re an angel!”.
Miller reveals the closeness of their marriage and their respect for each other so the audience could believe that his behaviour with Catherine couldn’t have meant anything.
The audience’s view soon changes when Eddie once again becomes uncomfortable at Catherine’s increasing independence. He doesn’t realise that she is at a point of change.
“No, you gonna finish school”.
He feels a great sense of loss and is swamped with emotion. His pride for her seems to be lifted, but in the process he is becoming further from her. Catherine doesn’t have to listen to Eddie, but out of respect she does. His abnormal reaction is emphasising by the fact that jobs are vital in such an economically depressed era; she’s incredibly lucky to have such an opportunity. In contrast, Beatrice is supportive and encouraging. Eddie senses this and becomes more sympathetic, perhaps just to cover up his earlier mood. The friction is increasing.
Eddie has some arrogant feelings about Catherine.
“…and you’ll come visit on Sundays…”.
Catherine senses this and feels let down.
“No, please!”.
Eddie’s also critical of Beatrice.
“…but she’s got too big a heart”.
Here, Miller reveals that Eddie’s protective of Beatrice and that he doesn’t want her to be taken advantage of, but the readers can see that the fact is an excuse for his behaviour. He’s over-reacting about anything concerning Catherine becoming more independent. The prospect of Catherine going out into the world is difficult for Eddie to accept. He knows she’ll no longer be the baby in the family for him to support and protect, and he doesn’t know how to deal with his over-protective and emotionally corrupted feelings for her. At this part in the play, it becomes obvious that the tragedy Alfieri predicted is now linked directly to Eddie and Catherine’s situation.
In this play, stage directions are very important as they give the movement and life to characters, and also allow further expressions through movements. It gives the audience a clearer view of positions on stage: social and physical.
“She hurries out. There is a slight pause, and Eddie turns to Beatrice, who has been avoiding her gaze”.
This is particularly important to this play as Miller reveals how Beatrice feels towards Eddie at the time. Although she respects him, she’s now deeply concerned over his thoughts and actions. Alfieri endorses this point by emphasising what a good uncle and husband he is (“he was a good man…”). Readers can see that Beatrice is being affected by his actions.
Beatrice had noticed the odd behaviour of Catherine towards Eddie.
“Because it ain’t only up to him”.
She told Catherine off for flaunting herself around Eddie. She did blame his refusal to let her grow up, but this desperate plea to stop suggested that Beatrice was frustrated by the lack of attention she was getting from her husband. Audience members can feel sympathy for her predicament, especially by the way Miller manipulates our emotions. From this, we feel anger towards Eddie for neglecting his wife. If he hadn’t done so, he wouldn’t have to be so obsessive over Catherine. Beatrice losing her grip on Eddie is a sign of his change already.
Being so desperate to win back her marriage, she decides to get rid of her competition.
“Work is the best practice, anyway”.
She persuades Catherine to go along with her job. This shows how both Beatrice and Eddie try to fight for the right thing. Readers wonder; what is the right thing? They are both fighting to satisfy themselves. Miller’s making readers see the selfishness of both characters.
However, Beatrice’s trying to fix her marriage whereas Eddie’s seeking attention from Catherine.
“You’re the Madonna type”.
When she remarks that Eddie should let Catherine grow up, he feels insulted. Beatrice tries to open his eyes. The audience again feel sympathy for her; she just tries to help Eddie earn back his respect before it’s all gone. Miller here introduces love. He shows how Beatrice loves Eddie and hopes that their relationship can work out, whatever she has to go through, as she’s a forgiving character.
Noticing that their relationship is sinking she worries about the sexual part of their marriage.
“When am I gonna be a wife, again…?”.
Despite pointing it out to Eddie, she’s unable to convince him about their problem and what’s causing it. Miller here introduced the powers that the female characters have in the play. Catherine had been forced to believe she was inferior to Eddie, as was Beatrice (but it was Beatrice’s choice to be inferior). This suggests how powerless women are in the play. This could also be expressed with the reason Eddie believes why Rodolpho wants to marry his niece. Catherine would give Rodolpho his American citizenship; Eddie’s mother gave him his (by marrying his father). Miller could be suggesting how the women are meant for granting an American passport to illegal immigrants. By suppressing his urges, Beatrice is suffering more than any other character; she tries to receive justice in the play. Eddie’s obsession with Catherine grows where his involvement in the marriage is stunted. Readers can see she does this by helping Eddie see what he’s feelings. We feel slight hatred for Eddie for making her go through all this, and being so inarticulate.
In her desperate search to be accepted, she even blames herself. From the start we saw how Eddie was in charge of the relationship, but now Beatrice is angered by his lack of attention.
“Eddie, I want you to cut it out, right now, you hear me?”.
In Beatrice’s frustration, she has stood up to him. The blatant accusation only frustrates and complicates Eddie’s thoughts, and it becomes clear their relationship is starting to break up. This is just from Eddie’s anger towards Catherine and Rodolpho; not only is his marriage breaking apart, but his relationship with Catherine, too. Throughout this, Miller makes it important to remember that the negative actions and tensions running through the household are all because of Eddie; he’s the only one jealous of Catherine and Rodolpho. Readers feel enraged with Eddie and how he’s destroying himself, his family and his community.
Beatrice, still hoping to win back her husband, encourages the wedding of Catherine to Rodolpho.
“Look, honey, you wanna get married, or don’t you wanna get married?”.
She explains to Catherine that Eddie will say anything to prevent the wedding going through. Miller helps us see her selfishness. Readers can believe that this selfishness is due to her rejection and desperate need to fix her marriage. We’re forced to believe her life is turning upside due to Eddie’s change of character. This is another clue that leads to Eddie’s death – the climax of both Eddie and Beatrice’s life, and her justice.
She tells Catherine she should’ve though she was jealous of her.
“You think I’m jealous of you, honey?”.
Beatrice doesn’t deny her jealousy, but hints to Catherine that she had better stay away from Eddie. Beatrice also blames Eddie’s behaviour. Miller’s introducing jealousy in the play. This jealousy contrasts with Eddie’s jealousy of Rodolpho – Beatrice knows what she wants, where Eddie can’t understand what he wants.
Like how Beatrice envies Catherine, Eddie envies Rodolpho. As soon as Catherine showed any attention to Rodolpho, Eddie put her down in his presence.
“What’s the high heels for, Garbo?”
This suggests how Eddie likes to exercise his authority. The high heels hold a symbolic place in the book. At the start, it’s seen as something sexual – something that distracts men (“The heads are turnin’”). Seeing as Eddie had suggested this himself, he tells Catherine to remove them while in the presence of the good-looking cousin. Eddie is aware of Catherine’s sexuality. Miller is trying to show how Eddie is already alert of what, or who, might take Catherine away from him. Eddie envies the attention Catherine and Rodolpho are paying to each other. He shows Rodolpho he has authority over Catherine and conveys a warning to them both to not to become tempted. The stage directions emphasise this point and it’s clear that Catherine is both embarrassed and angered of being made look stupid. Miller is expressing the already envious feelings that Eddie is feeling; readers understand that he is going to become jealous, which, as hinted previously, will make him act irrationally. Together with Eddie’s other critical comments, the audience can feel the tension developing.
Through Eddie’s growing jealousy, he accuses Rodolpho of being homosexual. This is questioning his sexuality. The reason for why Eddie felt sexual desires for his niece could’ve been the fault of his fear of being homosexual because he thinks it’s “not right”. Eddie is mostly surrounded by men. He may feel, being in the presence of his own sex, that he’s slipping from his heterosexuality. At home, he doesn’t feel that he can prove his masculinity over his wife, so turns to someone he can – Catherine. Catherine, aside from the fact that she’s his opposite sex, looks up to Eddie in great respect. Because he has no control of his emotions, he’s desperate to prove his masculinity, so sees no problem to desiring his niece, as he can prove masculinity over her. Eddie hid this fear by accusing Rodolpho. Readers can see he is an insecure and confused man. Miller writes about how he battles his emotions. It’s clear that his desire for Catherine wasn’t his only worry until he changed so much and slipped so far into his world that he felt no guilt when he embarrassed himself by kissing Rodolpho and his niece.
When he noticed Rodolpho as competition, Eddie, though strong-willed about getting rid of him, felt insecure; he thought he could slip back into homosexual desires. When Eddie finally realised that Catherine saw him as a father-figure and nothing more, he let himself unconsciously become open to his desires. That’s probably why he felt no shame when he kissed Rodolpho on the lips.
“Eddie pins his arms, laughing, and suddenly kisses him”.
Readers almost sympathise for Rodolpho. He doesn’t even know that he’s been trapped in Eddie’s emotional trauma, until he tries to understand what’s going through Eddie’s mind. Here, Miller shows that Eddie has gone over-board with his protecting; he’s become so jealous that he’s trying many ways to get Catherine way from Rodolpho.
Catherine conveys her anger to Eddie for humiliating her, and also indicates she is aware of Eddie's actions. She does this by playing the record, Paper Doll. It is the natural law of revenge and has more significance to him, as it is Rodolpho's nickname from working on the dock. Eddie is becoming frustrated.
"Eddie turns his head away".
Playing the record was an act of rebellion. His first reaction to this is to act as if he has not realised her rebellious state. However this soon changes.
"Its wonderful, he cooks, he sings, he could make dresses".
Eddie has lost control over the situation.
Although, he is drunk (and this partly excuses his actions), the effects have obviously made him reveal his true thoughts in a disastrous way. To add to the unnerving atmosphere he becomes further enraged by the fact Catherine and Rodolpho have been disturbed as they rush out of her room. Eddie is unreasonable and irrational.
"Pack it up. Go ahead. Get your stuff and get outta here”.
He orders Rodolpho to leave even though he is innocent of any wrong doing. Catherine is confident Eddie is wrong.
"(Trembling with fright) I think I have to get out of here, Eddie".
She is obviously scared and, although confused from the change of character, knows she is in danger. Reinforcing her intentions to leave, but still feels she is letting Eddie down - "(She sees the tears in his eyes)" – Eddie, although feels further than ever from Catherine, tries to stop her leaving using the shocking action of kissing her. As Rodolpho intervenes, he kisses him too. There is symbolism in how Eddie tries to portray that there is no difference between kissing a woman and Rodolpho; this adds to the idea of him being feminine. For the first time now, Catherine uses physical force to stop Eddie, and this reveals she is angered to the point feels she must stop him. Catherine and Eddie's relationship is now so badly damaged it would be improbable they could repair it. Miller here introduces sexuality of the protagonist.
He may’ve been just experimenting, but the kiss could’ve also been a cry for a satisfying life. Beatrice might not be satisfying him, due to his desires for Catherine. He tried to persuade Catherine that Rodolpho isn’t for her, because he thinks so. Seeing as Eddie’s plan didn’t work, Eddie was left deprived of everything he held onto to prove his masculinity, and battling for his respect. Altogether, his fear of being gay drove Eddie to fall for his own niece, disregarding the relations and incestuous desires, and make him behave the way he did.
“I want my respect, Beatrice”.
Miller shows Eddie’s progression through his rage for Rodolpho. This jealousy drives Eddie to call the Immigration Bureau, which destroys his loyalty. To Eddie, this may have been his way of protecting Catherine, but not betraying his community. Readers can see how self-interested Eddie is; he risked breaking a community’s trust just so he could have Catherine. He believed that with Rodolpho gone, he could continue over-powering her. His efforts, all of which failed, made Eddie’s situation grow worse.
Eddie had also questioned Rodolpho’s masculinity.
“You ever do any boxing?”.
He asked if Rodolpho would fight him, fighting being a masculine thing to Eddie. This scene could’ve been an output for his tension, being in a position to hit Rodolpho and get away with no conflict. Instead of taking Catherine, he targets Rodolpho – who happens to be Eddie’s obstacle in his path to Catherine. Readers are aware of Rodolpho’s innocence; he doesn’t mean to be a victim of Eddie’s emotional battles. We feel sympathy, but anger towards Eddie for using Eddie as a way out for his frustration. This scene expresses how Eddie has changed in the play.
Rodolpho happens to also be Catherine’s uncle, but not directly. This isn’t pointed out because Miller isn’t too concerned with this fact, but it could still help analyse both Eddie and Catherine.
“…she’ll be with a lotta plumbers?”.
Due to Eddie’s promise to protect Catherine, she’s isn’t used to meeting people her age. This is because Eddie had convinced her that guys would ruin her. Because she looked up to Eddie, she listened and didn’t let herself fall for any guys she felt Eddie would disapprove of. Falling for Rodolpho was an act of, not only to prove her independence, but an act of a rebellious teen who doesn’t want to listen to their father-figure. For letting herself fall for someone he doesn’t approve of, he becomes the way he is. Readers can feel anger towards Catherine for doing this to him, and could understand why he becomes jealous. This also suggests how Eddie destroys himself. It’s Eddie’s fault for being so over-protective and forcing her to rebel the way she did.
Catherine's first feelings towards Rodolpho are important and we need to know why and what she feels for him. You would think, if anyone, she would be attracted to Marco. He’s tall, dark and strong - the typical macho hero figure, where Rodolpho could not be any more different, but the contrast with his brother makes him seem even more unusual. His most striking feature is his blonde hair, which he attributes to the Danes having invaded Sicily. Later on, Eddie drops hints that it might be dyed. Rodolpho is young, immature and excited; this is just what Catherine finds so charming. He’s also charismatic and talented.
"Listening to the fountain-like birds".
This is one of the many similes he uses. We also discover that he laughs countless times and tells exaggerated stories, such as the motorbike he wishes to purchase. Catherine is attracted to Rodolpho, now that she sees herself as grown up and independent. This surely influences her sudden interest in him. Readers can see they’re attracted to each other, so wonder how Eddie would do now that they have both revealed to each other their feelings.
Rodolpho may seem over confident, conceited and thoughtless, but he always seeks permission from Marco for his actions. They are close brothers, but it is obvious that Marco is the wiser and more respected
"If we can stay here a few months, Beatrice…".
His gratitude and respect being revealed indicates that Marco is affectionate and cares for his own family. The tragedy is underway and all this action is developing before Eddie. Due to his situation, he becomes more and more agitated. Eddie's attempts to intervene in Catherine and Rodolpho's relationship are ineffective. Rodolpho is affectionate to Catherine already in singing Paper Doll, which she finds flattering. There is further symbolism - in her offering him sugar to which he readily accepts. Miller adds all this to Eddie's jealous and resentful attitude.
Eddie’s jealousy is expressed even more strongly later on. There is much irony with Louis and Mike,
"He comes around, and everybody's laughing".
The tense atmosphere increases immediately when Eddie meets his friends on the pier, putting further strain on Eddie's thoughts and feelings. You get the impression Louis and Mike know to talk about Rodolpho in such a way as Eddie becomes unbearably uncomfortable.
"Yeah (troubled) He's gotta sense of humour".
He only gives short answers to his friend's tedious and drawn-out remarks. This whole scene is ironic in that no matter how tense Eddie becomes Louis and Mike continue to build on their remarks, repeating how much they like Rodolpho. Here, Miller is lightening Eddie’s emotions, by showing it through his jealousy.
On Catherine's return from her date with Rodolpho, we see how she and Eddie react toward one another; this is one of the few chances we get where the two main characters convey their real feelings towards one another. We now see that Eddie grows tense when Catherine is out
"I don't see you no more, I come home your running around some place".
Catherine becomes frustrated too at Eddie ("What's the matter, you don't like him?") This is Catherine's concern of Eddie's distrust in Rodolpho. Eddie finds it difficult to talk directly to her.
"You gonna marry him?"
She avoids answering. Eddie clearly wants to resume the relationship, hence the friendly approach of smiles. Eddie feels he has to be more direct, but he still keeps the conversation safe. From that, Eddie suggests that Rodolpho should ask permission and that he’s “only bowin’ to his passport". As the intensity of his accusations increase, Catherine feels more let down and perhaps guilty - "He loves me". She's reflecting this in her answers using short, sharp lines and denying anything Eddie promotes. Eddie is becoming frantic by criticising Rodolpho. Eddie blames him for spending his pay on clothes instead of sending it home to his family; he also finishes with the simple declaration.
"The guy is no good."
Just from his speech there is a loss of control and frustration – “You don't think so!". This reflects directly to the audience that he is frantic and becoming erratic in his actions.
To perfectly counteract this conversation we see Catherine's other side of the argument in the form of Beatrice. The key words used here are "baby," "little girl" and "grown woman." Catherine is not guilty in any real sense of the word, but Beatrice makes it clear that she has helped to foster Eddie's feelings for her from her girlish affection. Beatrice uses the fact again and again that she is independent, grown up and the fact that Eddie has no control over her actions. We see Catherine's response to Eddie's thoughts as self-doubt, becoming reluctant to hurt his feelings. As Catherine grew up she saw Eddie as her father-figure and for this has much respect for him. Beatrice knows there is this sense of jealousy.
"If it was a prince came here for you it would be no different"
There is definite discomfort, now in Catherine as well as Beatrice, although more hidden. This mirrors how they act towards him and each other.
Eddie needed help deciding how to get rid of Rodolpho, so turned to Alfieri, his father’s lawyer. Alfieri is who Eddie found that he could express himself to.
“I’m trying; to bring out my thoughts here”.
He first went to Alfieri to find out what he could do to stop Rodolpho take Catherine away. Miller is showing us how helpless Eddie has become. Alfieri tells the tale of Eddie as if he’s a legend. This shows that by following Alfieri’s clues, we would find out Eddie’s demise.
Miller uses Alfieri as the narrator and a character in the play. He appears in vital points, predicting an outcome, summarising the action and giving personal views on the characters and events. Alfieri is the first person the audience is introduced to and is a dramatic device; he gives an immediate personal connection by talking to the audience directly. As a lawyer, we know he can be trusted; he represents the official and legal law and is well respected for this ("the two pitchers nod to him as he passes"). However, the official law that he represents contrasts with the sense of justice each character seeks. He talks in retrospect and even uses an extended metaphor to create an impression of the area these characters are placed.
"This is the gullet of New York swallowing the tonnage of the world".
It emphasizes greed and corruption. He gives away that there will be a tragedy at the end - "and sat there as powerless as I, and watched it run its bloody course". At first read, this play could be seen as badly written. However, when Alfieri gives these clues, it prepares the audience for tragedy, enabling the audience to pick up on what to look out for. This adds to the build up of tension. Following his prediction, there is a link with the tragedy and the main character, Eddie ("this ones name was Eddie Carbone"). It instantly shows us that Eddie is involved directly to what will happen.
In the next scene, Alfieri takes part as a normal character. He does not abandon his chorus role; he introduces Eddie with a brief speech and links the next section with another soliloquy. His certainty of disaster communicates itself to the audience. It is almost as if Eddie's destiny has over taken him, and as if he has already committed the crime, he is filled with guilt and revenge but has so far held this all in. Alfieri's tone and context always follow the main idea of law,
"I don't understand what I can do for you. Is there a question of law somewhere?"
He repeats throughout words such as "law," "legal," "proof" and "nothing to be done." This contrasts Eddie’s words, "I know," "I mean," "I see" and "right." They are talking two different types of evidence, natural and legal, leaving Eddie with what he thinks is the only right one.
Alfieri is very observant as a lawyer,
"Eddie. She can't marry you, can she".
It is becoming obvious to him Eddie is jealous of Rodolpho. Eddie’s thoughts are very confused ("What're you talking about, marry me! I don't know what the hell your talking about"). His reaction to the truth being revealed is to block it out of his mind and deny any knowledge of knowing what Alfieri is talking about. He continues to act as if it never happened.
"I’m- (He feels the threat of sobs, and with a helpless wave) I'll see you around".
To avoid the awkward situation, he leaves in shame. Miller introduced desires that Eddie is brushing off. The audience is reminded of how his devotion to keeping Catherine is slowly destroying him.
Alfieri, even as a powerful figure in society himself, feels he can do nothing.
"I knew where he was going to end I was so powerless to stop it".
This he reveals in his scene summary, which conveys how the play is much like a Greek tragedy. In the next scene all the household characters are involved. This is an ideal opportunity to view as the audience how they now react toward each other in the confinements of the social surroundings. Eddie is still frustrated with Rodolpho ("I know lemons are green, for Christ's sake"). To add criticism also makes the joke of Italian women not holding their responsibilities, but is also again able to twist the tension of his remarks to warn Rodolpho about the strictness in the area - "it ain't so free here either". Rodolpho is able to pick this up - "well I always have respect". His comment also reveals he is aware of Eddie’s concern. Marco probably feels he must keep respect for Eddie - "You come here early now" – by taking the side of Eddie.
Eddie visits Alfieri again and it reveals how helpless he is and that this is a last desperate attempt to prevent them getting married. A striking simile here is "His eyes were like tunnels".
This phrase could resemble a missing fulfilment in Eddie's life, or perhaps a frightful sense of danger waiting to be released. Alfieri becomes irritated at Eddie’s persistence, "morally and legally you have no rights". This only makes Eddie more frustrated by the lack of legal rights to intervene. Alfieri plays as Eddie’s ‘guardian angel’ – he can help Eddie the only way he can, but can only watch on how Eddie takes his advice.
Marco and Rodolpho's arrival signals the start of the turning point in Catherine and Eddie's relationship. Eddie's open greeting to Beatrice’s cousins reveals his warm and confident character. Marco shows he has a lot of respect for Eddie and reflects this by thanking people frequently, quietening his brother and refusing food. He is keen to avoid taking liberties, whereas Rodolpho is excitable and less mature. There is also contrast in the physical appearance of the brothers,
"He's practically blonde".
This is Catherine’s surprised reaction, which signals her future interest in him. The brothers' background is important, as it reflects how they act towards other people and their surroundings.
"In our town there are no piers only the beach and little fishing boats".
This now shows us that, as poor peasants looking for work, they will have high expectations of America. Readers probably feel more respect towards Marco than the respect Eddie has in the play. Miller is forewarning the readers that, being such a reticent man, Marco may need to settle things with Eddie. His respectful ways could trigger thoughts of how this respect could be questioned.
Marco is able to notice Eddie's jealousy.
"Can you lift this chair?".
This is a subtle test of Eddie's strength. It is an important quote as it is his warning and a threat, and is aware of Eddie's actions to his brother. The scene is charged with suppressed violence and connects with how Italians are loyal to their family - "Eddie's grin vanishes as he absorbs his look". Physical strength is admired, yet feared. The audience can easily see how the position of Marco and Eddie gives the visual impact of threat and superiority. This scene could have also been Miller’s way of expressing Marco’s respect towards Eddie by breaking the tension.
We see how Eddie's character has now changed,
"Get them out"
He constantly worries about the two immigrants from Lipari's family, as this will increase knowledge of what he has done. Up to the entrance of the immigrant officers Eddie becomes understandably more frantic; Catherine and Beatrice could seem a little naïve.
"She stands a moment in realised horror".
They only realised what has happened at the point of the officer's entrance, which astonishes them. Marco is also shocked.
"He spits into Eddies face."
This shows his disgust and the loss of his respect; Eddie does not seem to understand the concept of natural law, though when it is being used on him ("Oh, you mothers-!"), he is also threatening - "I'll kill you for that". Although it is just a play it is still shocking to read how outrageous his response to Marco's action is, and how from now, all Eddie’s vengeful feelings are directed to Marco, instead of Rodolpho.
Now that the immediate neighbourhood have been alerted, Marco sees this as the ideal opportunity to take further revenge by exposing what Eddie has done,
"That one, he killed my children!".
Although he exaggerates the truth, his accusation is still just as shocking. This obviously has a powerful effect as everyone now turns their backs physically and mentally, leaving Eddie by himself in shame.
The situation has now for the first time brought Rodolpho and Marco to Alfieri for the first law situation, also Alfieri's knowledge as a lawyer can be used for effect. Alfieri understands how Marco must feel against Eddie.
"You won't touch him. This is your promise".
Alfieri still believes Marco will look for revenge. Catherine has lost all respect for Eddie, emphasising to Rodolpho how they must move on from here. This contrasts deeply how she felt at the start of the play. Marco is looking to get back at Eddie.
"The law, all the law is not in a book".
Marco is emphasizing that it is natural law for him to get revenge for what he feels is a traitor to his country.
The next scene shows how although their marriage has been shaken, Beatrice and Eddie are still together. This must come from a solid feeling of love for him and how Beatrice will always support him. As they talk it is revealed Eddie is still after his "respect," and an apology from Marco. As Catherine enters, she’s enraged at Eddie.
"How can you listen to him? This rat".
Beatrice is worried about Eddie's reaction
"Shut up, Katie".
She reveals this by trying to quieten Catherine. This, however, only has the opposite effect by emphasising Catherine's comments. Eddie has lost control and has a sense of almost madness - "Eddie seems about to pick up the table and fling it at her". Eddie is only after revenge for Marco, who humiliated him earlier and seems unstoppable in his quest. Rodolpho's a ‘peace maker’, trying to stop any violence from erupting, ("I wish to apologise"). His own guilt that Eddie created makes him feel he must do this. Eddie is persistent for his respect - "He's got my name."
At this point, Beatrice is also trying to stop the inevitable.
"You want something else, Eddie, and you can never have her!"
Like Alfieri, she reveals the truth about his feelings for Catherine. They are both horrified by this, but before any real feelings are expressed, the entrance of Marco adds further tension. This is an unstoppable explosive situation as they are both looking for revenge. Eddie shows he is more enraged first.
"I want my name, Marco".
Trying to show it is more his fault before taking the first move against him. We now see how that, because Marco is stronger than him, Eddie relied on using a knife to give him the upper hand. It also shows how he had the intentions to prepare this for when he met up with him, and that his actions were not encouraged at the time. There is symbolism that Eddie brought his death on himself.
As a character, I think Eddie is strong-willed. When noticing how attracted Catherine was to Rodolpho, he tried many ways to break them apart.
“…he ain’t right…”.
At the beginning, I thought he was a generous man for letting his wife’s cousins illegally stay at his house. He seemed caring to both the women he protects. He seems to be a larger than life figure, who’s wilful. I had noticed that he enjoyed acting as ‘the man of the house’; he felt respected and apparently had earned it all.
His authority was soon threatened when Beatrice’s cousins came to stay. His attitude between his wife and niece was changing in that there were disagreements in the household.
“No, she’s gonna finish school…”.
These common quarrels would’ve settled in time, but the arrival of Rodolpho and Marco triggered them to act in a completely different way. I believe that Eddie grew more attached to Catherine when he felt Rodolpho was “stealing” from him. If Rodolpho hadn’t returned Catherine’s feelings, Eddie would’ve found no need to feel jealous and deprived. Eddie felt the need to protect his niece from discovering independence, but had failed to do so, so became more envious.
Instead of being happy for her, Eddie was desirous. I thought Eddie was being very self-interested; he looks out for himself at the expense of others. While reading more on Eddie, I thought of how he was living his ‘bubble’ world where everything goes the way he wants. Because of this, everyone around him suffered more than he did. Through his change, I felt that he could’ve prevented it by just listening to Alfieri and Beatrice (“you can’t have her…”, “too much love…”). If he had done this, he would’ve been more open to his feelings and found a solution that everyone around him could compromise for.
At the end, however, I thought that Eddie had finally realised what he had been doing.
“My B.!”.
This end scene expresses a great deal of new, or revised, emotions. Here, Miller showed how the couple had found reconciliation and repair for their broken relationship. Beatrice is able to forgive Eddie because she has finally found her justice. This is a moment where Eddie needs her more than she needs him. It’s the first time the audience hear of Eddie’s needs and expresses his weakness. The downscaling of their marriage causes Eddie to return to Beatrice at the end. This shows that he had finally realised what he had put her through, and how asinine he had been by going after his niece, who he could never have. Catherine, beyond his control, no longer seeks his approval. This also caused him to return back to Beatrice. His death is the only time everyone in the play found justice. Here, Miller showed how justice doesn’t always bring happiness.
The reason for Eddie’s change was due to the incestuous desires Miller introduced. However, Miller hadn’t, throughout the whole book, outlined the incestuous nature of his desires. What I had concentrated on was how he had fallen for something he couldn’t have, due to age, his marriage and the respect that would’ve stayed best the way it is. His sexuality was, I think, the cause of his death. Due to his sexuality, he had found the need to desire someone he could prove his masculinity. This was followed by incest.
The desire could also not be seen as incest because of how they are distantly related – she is his wife’s niece. They’re only related through marriage. If Beatrice was less of a threat, like just Eddie’s partner, not wife, the desire would’ve still been unachievable. The fact that Eddie was an emotionally troubled man prevented people from understanding him and his needs. Not even Eddie himself understood. If Catherine had kissed Eddie back, he would’ve realised his emotions then and there, and would’ve, I think, stopped what he was doing. He would remember his life, how he had achieved it and who had been by his side all the way through – Beatrice. He would’ve still gone back to Beatrice if the play had ended any other way, as he would realise he has destroyed himself.
Some would reckon that the play was focused on incest all the way through. I feel that loyalties are a stronger theme. Eddie’s loyalty and trust were shattered because of the way he felt about Catherine. I felt sorry for Beatrice because of how her husband had put her through as much turmoil as he had gone through. She went through denial to acceptance, going through pain and rejection. She had suffered, probably, much more than Eddie himself.
To summarise the play we need to understand why the action took the course it did. We know from the start that Eddie brought up Catherine in perhaps the wrong way, it is displayed throughout the play and although she fostered his feelings, he could have changed. To begin with Catherine had a lot of respect for Eddie adopting her, but she realises herself through Eddie’s continuous jealous actions, he is wrong. I personally feel as a writer, Arthur Miller created Catherine to act this way as a sympathy tool for the audience. By including her, the audience can relate to her and easily distinguish the so called ‘good and bad’ characters of the play.
The characters’ actions are only brought around by love and it is this that fuels the violence. Catherine's love for Rodolpho is real but, as Eddie indicated, I feel that she is perhaps just taking the first man she can, to become more independent. She has love for Eddie as a father, but this is soon smashed by his jealous actions. Eddie loves Beatrice as his wife. Beatrice always loved Eddie but this is complicated by his feelings for Catherine. We even see Marco has genuine love for his family, not just in helping his brother but also by his intentions to help his family back home.
The other main factor that circulates the play is the family loyalties: Beatrice and her cousins, Marco and his wife, Eddie and his family and even the Lipari household. The problem is the hatred and love goes against the family connections. This only ends in tragedy as the situations only complicate others further, and if families are betrayed it can bring whole communities of people against one other. In this case it was Eddie Carbone, the seemingly innocent hard worker and ideal family figure.
In conclusion, Eddie was a character - because of his blindness to what he was doing - to feel sorry for. He hadn’t meant to act the way he did. As Alfieri believed, Eddie was possessed with “passion that has moved into his body, like a stranger” and was unable to control him. The passion, unreleased and suppressed in his unconscious was a stranger to Eddie’s conscious self that actively denied any thoughts of incest, or otherwise. Miller was successful with showing how a man can easily destroy himself by jealousy. He did this by increasing Eddie’s jealousy for Rodolpho. This increase of jealousy reveals the strength (or strengthens) Eddie’s desire for Catherine. His protectiveness is way too strong, and his jealousy shows it. His theme of incest is considered, but isn’t such a large problem. The problem is how his affection for Catherine shows another theme, loyalty, through. Eddie breaks a community’s trust, which is a major theme as the 1950s had a cultural rule for the Italian community. This theme teaches readers of how loyalty was a powerful concept back then. Alfieri acted as narrator. He knew what was going to happen, like foot steps behind a door. He foreshadowed the tragedy at the end, and hinted it many times. All he could do was watch Eddie’s jealousy eat him and eventually kill him (“I was powerless”). If Eddie’s death hadn’t been the end of him, the kiss would’ve been. His death had released from his ‘world’ and made him realise what he had done and felt. He would’ve realised that if Catherine had mutual feelings for him. This would’ve opened his mind. This realisation would’ve also prevented his death. The end was when Eddie realised what he went through and put others through. The title was to tell readers that Alfieri had to watch over Eddie, like over a bridge. It’s as if he can watch, as readers read, but can’t act. We watched Eddie change, whilst Alfieri watched him destroy himself. I thought the change of Eddie was not worth it for a woman he could never have. Alfieri said it was better to “settle for half”. This means that Eddie went too far for Catherine. His desires changed him into a jealous man, who made his death inevitable as it gave characters justice in the play. Only at the end did Eddie realise who he needed.