His role as representing the law is obviously seen by the fact that he is a lawyer. He reveals this in his long opening speech where he gives the audience background information to the story and most importantly his views, which the audience will come to rely on. He draws the audience into the play, hinting at themes and he creates a sense of inevitability with his descriptions of Greek tragedies that increases the audience’s involvement. Alfieri links this modern day play with the classical Greek tragedies right at the start, as there are echoes of this throughout the play. For example Alfieri acts as the ‘chorus’, often present in the classics. His speech, just like a chorus is full of rhythm and poetry, which separates him from the other characters. To emphasize his separation from the Red Hook cultures by representing the law, he should be clothed smartly in a suit throughout the play. This would help him to relate more easily to the middle class audience watching the play at the time.
Alfieri’s second appearance comes at the end of the first scene. He makes a short speech, which again includes his view of Eddie. He describes Eddie as a ‘good man’ and because the audience trusts Alfieri’s balanced character, his opinions keep us sympathetic towards Eddie even as he begins to act wrongly. Alfieri also uses his speech to build up tension and signal the start of discord in the play;
‘And toward 10’clock of that night, after they had eaten, the cousins came’.
As well as commenting and showing his views, Arthur Miller also uses Alfieri to break up the play into the different scenes. He is used to ‘bridge’ two scenes or to let time pass with the help of the stage directions. Arthur Miller states that the lights should fade on the main stage and rise on Alfieri, then return back to the action. There is no mention of Alfieri exiting the stage at any point. Therefore, I would allow him to always remain on stage, giving him a continual view of the events and allowing him to narrate openly.
During Act One Eddie approaches Alfieri and he takes on his role as a law representative. He begins by setting the mood for the scene and influences the atmosphere, by describing Eddie whose eyes ‘were like tunnels’. Eddie is able to confide in Alfieri, as he isn’t involved in the main story. This lets the audience understand better and we always look to Alfieri for his opinion as he provides us with explanations and again most importantly his views. He is able to create a connection between the characters and the audience and he could be seen as the character with the view from the top of the bridge, looking over all the action of the play. Alternatively he could be described as the ‘bridge’ himself, connecting the characters and the audience as well as the characters and the law, therefore, it is his ‘view’ that we are given.
The second time that Eddie contacts Alfieri the mood is even bleaker and Eddie’s predicament has escaladed. Alfieri takes time to describe the atmosphere to the audience and he explains how he would ‘never forget how dark the room became’. On stage this effect could be obtained by blacking out the rest of the stage leaving only a pool of light of Alfieri and Eddie at the desk. Casting long shadows would exaggerate this. When Eddie leaves to make his phone call, Alfieri should not attempt to follow him too quickly as he already knows that he cannot change the inevitable and is just as helpless as the watching audience who are able to identify with him. The description of ‘eyes like tunnels’ back up the certainty of the one only conclusion and so Alfieri should speak his lines with despair.
In the final scene, after Eddie’s death, the stage lights ‘glow’ around Alfieri. This should be done so that the audience can focus on him giving his final soliloquy to settle the audience after the dramatic final scene. His words of wisdom about settling for half rounds the play off, giving it a sense of completion and leaves the audience to think over his words and his view as the bridge between the law and life.
Throughout the play Alfieri has helped Arthur Miller to write his 20th Century tragedy by bringing out the themes of the role of the law, and settling for half. He has become a friend to the audience by the end and his narration has been vital to the play and the audience’s enjoyment of it.
