Discuss the extent to which you feel Eddie is a suitable tragic hero in A View From the bridge
Discuss the extent to which you feel Eddie is a suitable tragic hero in A View From the bridge In a traditional sense a tragic hero is a male character of high importance, often nobility who makes an error in their actions or judgement resulting in their tragic downfall. Tragic heroes appear in their traditional form in the works of Shakespeare, Sophocles, Euripides, Seneca, Marlowe and many others. One common trait of these traditional tragic heroes is that their downfall is often a result of their arrogance and ignorance. The tragic hero will eventually discover their fate is a consequence of their own actions and not those of others. The heroes' downfall will often result in death. Their suffering is meaningful as it is a result of their own intentional actions. The tragic hero is often faced with a serious decision. The hero may learn something from his mistake but often too late. It has been argued that "the tragic mode is archaic, fit only for the very highly placed, the kings or the kingly". I agree with this view to some extent but believe that the tragic hero can be brought into a modern context effectively. Archaic can be defined as ancient and belonging to a past time period, this may be true for the traditional noble tragic hero. However I think a modern tragic hero could be the equivalent of "noble" in some other way. Some things may have to be changed to fit a
The theme of jeaslousy in 'A View from the Bridge'
Choose a play in which one of the main concerns is love or jealousy or betrayal or reconciliation. Explain what the concern is, and show how it is explored throughout the play. A play in which one of the main concerns is jealousy is "A View from the Bridge" by Arthur Miller. I will explain what the concern is, and how it is explored throughout the play. Eddie Carbone is a longshoreman living in Brooklyn, in a community which is proud of protecting illegal immigrants. He lives with his wife, Beatrice, and his adopted niece, Catherine. One of the main concerns in the play is jealousy. Eddie's jealousy is explored through his inner conflict and his struggle to control his developing lust for his niece. The source of Eddie's inner conflict is his relationship with his niece, Catherine and Miller presents this through his protectiveness of her. When we are first introduced to Catherine she is waving from the window to Eddie and his friend. She is wearing new clothes and has her hair done in a different style. Eddie lectures her on her short skirt and the increasing male attention that she has been receiving; "You are walkin'wavy! I don't like the looks they're givin' you in the candy store. And with them new high heels ... the heads are turnin' like windmills." At first it seems that he is simply concerned for his niece's wellbeing. Also, feeling jealous could be
What Concerns does Miller present to us Regarding the Community of Salem in Act 1 of 'The Crucible'
"What Concerns does Miller present to us Regarding the Community of Salem in Act 1"? Throughout Act 1 Miller presents the reader with a number of concerns regarding the community of Salem as well as with individual characters. These range from the inherently religious life of a Salem villager to the feelings of mistrust and the ability to decieve held by many of them. In the following paragraphs it will be explored how Miller is able to develop these apprehensions as the Act progresses. From the very first description Miller is able to paint Salem as an isolated and claustrophobic town, setting the scene in a "small upper bedroom" in the house of Reverend Parris. The reader is presented with a very much static scenario in which "raw and unmellowed" furnishings sit unsettlingly around the room and this disconcerting feeling is built upon with the discovery of Parris "kneeling beside the bed...in prayer" while his daughter lies "on the bed, inert". Miller immediately makes us question the situation we have been plunged into and as our curiosity about this secluded community grows, so to do our concerns. As we progress further into the Act Miller clarifies that the previous scene was in fact as isolated as the rest of Salem, and to the outside, European, world the town is seen as nothing more than "A barbaric frontier inhabited by a sect of fanatics". This builds anxiety as
To what extent is Willy Loman a tragic hero?
To What Extent Is Willy Loman A Tragic Hero? The play, "Death of a Salesman", written by Arthur Miller, is about the 'American Dream' and a man so disillusioned by it that he becomes a modern day 'tragic hero'. Tragic heroes derive from the Greeks, but Shakespeare adapted his own genre for tragedy. Most Shakespearean tragedies all fit the same pattern, which is that the protagonist is of noble birth and have a fatal character flaw which usually leads to their demise. Arthur Miller took Shakespeare's ideas for what a tragic hero should be and made them relevant to this time period. One particular critic thought, "a contemporary audience can no longer accept that a tragic hero is punished by comic force...A tragedy must be brought about by... recognisable social factors." 1This means that the factors of Shakespearean and Aristotelian tragedies are outdated for a modern day audience, audiences cannot accept that the protagonist falls due to a higher power, it must be something they can relate to or understand. Willy Loman is a struggling salesman around the age of sixty. He lives with his wife Linda and two sons Biff and Happy. Willy does not fit the usual criteria established by Shakespearean or Aristotelian tragedies. Firstly, he is not of noble birth, although in the play Miller makes a link known to the audience because Willy is made to appear of noble birth as he is in
Without the stage directions, the tragedy of Death of a Salesman could not be realised. To what extent do you agree?
"Without the stage directions, the tragedy of Death of a Salesman could not be realised." Beginning with an analysis of ... to what extent do you agree? Obviously Death of a Salesman is a play, so stage directions are very important in the development and the performance. But in some plays the stage directions are there just for confirmation, as the speech plays a large role in what happens logistically on the stage. But in Death of a Salesman there is a very different story in terms of stage directions, Arthur Miller wanted the tale of Death of a Salesman to be one that touched upon real life, all of the setting, the two story family house and the average car, as well as the characters, A husband working hard to provide the mother trying to do what she can at home and two sons trying to make the best out of what they have during their younger years. But to fully finish off this aim of reality Miller needed to include some stage directions that the reader can link too when the script is read through and also vivid imagery when the play is watched by an audience. My first example comes at the beginning of ACT 1. The script begins, as you would imagine, with stage directions, key to starting off a play so all of the actors know where to be placed. But Death of a Salesman is different, it has a 'page and a half' of stage directions, all in full detail which allows the first
A View from the Bridge. Although Eddie is a good man, how do his weaknesses destroy him?
Although Eddie is a good man, how do his weaknesses destroy him? The play 'A View from the Bridge' by Arthur Miller centres on the Carbone family living in 1950's New York City. Within the tragic plotline, Arthur Miller vividly illustrates how an individual's life can be crippled under the weight of their own personality flaws. Miller intertwines this central notion with how personal obsessions, relationship issues and distrust explain the self destruction of the protagonist, Eddie Carbone; a second generation Italian - American and a hardworking longshoreman who attempts to provide his niece, Catherine, with a better and brighter future. With the arrival of Rodolfo and Marco, his obsessive love for Catherine causes him to subconsciously behave in a jealous and selfish manner, and due to his inability to understand his emotions, Eddie is in denial of his irrational actions. It is consequently Eddie's weaknesses that destroy him both emotionally and fatally, even supposing he is a good man. But how do they destroy him, and how much blame can we put on his weaknesses for the tragic outcome of the play? Despite the unscrupulous acts Eddie commits at the very end of this tragedy, he is still considered to be a good man throughout. In 'A View from the Bridge', Eddie works strenuously at the piers of Red Hook to sustain his current lifestyle, even supposing it may be recognised as
Joe Keller is a tragic hero
All My Sons by Arthur Miller has been described as "a play about the generation gap". How far would you agree that the source of the tragedy and its consequences is the gulf that lies between the values and outlook of Joe and those of his sons? The modernism model challenged pre-existing socio-cultural norms and was exemplified by the discussion of social relationships in early twentieth century literature. The concept of modernism developed from refutation of creationism and reinforced self identity and self consciousness as a form of expression. Moreover, the modernism paradigm is inherently intertwined with culture and Eysteinsson and Liska argue that in terms of literary criticism, "modernism constitutes one of the most prominent fields of literary studies today" (Eysteinsson and Liska, 2007:1). Indeed, leading anthologist Rainey asserts that in literary terms "modernists were giants, monsters of nature who loomed so large that contemporaries could only gape at them in awe" (Rainey 2007, p.xix) However, whilst modernism is instrumental in approaching literary context, it is evident that "it is however, a field that stands in a very ambiguous relationship to the present literary and cultural situation...... scholars and critics are seeking to draw a balance sheet with modernism" (Eysteinsson and Liska, 2007:1). Indeed, Arthur Miller's play "All My Sons" (1947) has
Death of a salesman - Why did Willy commit suicide? What did his suicide represent?
Death of a salesman Why did Willy commit suicide? What did his suicide represent? Willy commits suicide in the last scene of Act 2, the audience are left to let there minds finish the play as 'the car speeds off' and the next thing the audience see is the Family at the funeral. The scene leading up to the suicide is a confrontation between Biff and Willy, this confrontation exposes the essential gridlock of their relationship arguable caused by Willy's affair. Willy desperately wants Biff to think of him as successful like his Uncle Ben rather than a 'useless bum.' Biff wants to leave and for Willy to forget about him so he can continue his life without the ongoing pressures from his father and live his life how he wants to instead of the carrying the weight of his fathers dreams. When Biff and Happy return to the house with a bunch of roses for Linda but she throws the flowers to the floor, and tells them to leave and accuses them of leaving there self destructing father in the restaurant bathroom. Happy denies all the accusations but Biff admits his mother's judgements and degrades his own status by calling himself the 'scum of the earth.' Biff wants to see his father and 'erupt a conversation' before he leaves but Linda tries desperately to prevent a confrontation which I feel she does as she knows deep down how close he is to death and this would kill him. Biff hears
How does Miller use the character of Alfieri to involve the audience and illustrate the cultural context of the play?
How does Miller use the character of Alfieri to involve the audience and illustrate the cultural context of the play? Alfieri is used in a multitude of ways by Miller to help the play at various stages. He is a character in the play, which other characters interact with, however, he is displaced somewhat because he comments on the goings on of the play, expands on what has happened to make it clearer to the audience, links scenes together and to a certain extent takes the role of a narrator. The character of Alfieri as a lawyer is wisely chosen. Lawyers at that time were seen as a sign of bad luck as with priests, because they were symbols of the law and "law has not been a friendly idea since the Greeks were beaten". This shows that Alfieri does not always bring good news and often brings about the things that people do not want to hear, like when Eddie goes to him and asks what he can do to get rid of Marco and Alfieri tells him that there is nothing he can do. The majority of characters in this play are immigrants who have tried to make a living by living in America so at one point or another they would have wanted to avoid the law. Alfieri being a lawyer also shows us how he is above the other immigrants as they are still uneducated, living lives of hard labour using colloquiums such as "yiz" which indicates a lack of control or status. However, Alfieri is educated and
It is the capitalist society that has done Willy in - How far do you agree with this reading of the play - Death of a Salesman
"It is the capitalist society that has done Willy in". How far do you agree with this reading of the play? "Death of a salesman" is a "tragedy of a common man". Throughout the play the reader sees how Willy Loman struggles to achieve something, which is beyond his capability. He has a dream, the American dream of success and accomplishment. And yet, he is not able to ever thrive because his idea of how to succeed is wrong. The times have changed, the play is set in the period of and economic boom and increasing desire for material goods in America and the Loman family is now living in a capitalist society, however, Willy seems not to have realised that things have changed. He is constantly battling between the present and the past, the reality and a dream. The play is about a conflict between a man and his society, it's a "hanging fire" between suicide and intolerably changing world. To begin with, however, it is important to identify what is meant by the term "capitalist system". Capitalist system is a type of an economy where the owners of the businesses retain all the profits for themselves. This type of a system encourages people to want more, as they hold total responsibility of how much they earn. The importance of the employer and employee relationship increases, as the workers are judged by the quality of the work they are putting into the company. It becomes a