Consider the end of Millers play A View from the Bridge. How effectively does the final scene conclude the drama?
Consider the end of Miller's play 'A View from the Bridge'. How effectively does the final scene conclude the drama? 'A View from the Bridge' provides the inevitable ending of a traditional Greek tragedy, where in this case Eddie's inability to make a concession eventually results in his deserved death; although tragic, this is necessary to conclude the story. As a lawyer, we immediately trust Alfieri to be a good judge of character as well as rational. Along side this we watch Alfieri oversee the whole play and watch it 'run it's bloody course' whilst acting as the commentator throughout the story Which leave him in some sense, acting as the bridge; seeing both the darker side (Redhook) and the somewhat innocent side (Manhattan) but he links the two together. He is the only character that predicts the outcome of Eddies and Marco's actions and, thus tries compassionately to stop them from committing further insult to one another. In Alfieri's opening monologue he uses words like 'disaster' and states that Eddie was 'unable to settle for half', which consequently, results in his 'bloody' death. The audience could also relate this story line to Vinny Bolzano's, where he was severely punished for 'snitching' on his immigrant family, which sadly resulted in him being thrown down the stairs 'head bouncin' like a coconut', this would indicate to the audience that Eddies actions
How does Miller succeed in making Eddie someone with whom the audience can sympathise?
4. How does Miller succeed in making Eddie someone with whom the audience can sympathise? Arthur Miller wrote 'A View from the Bridge' as a modern version of a Greek tragedy, therefore, Eddie's death at the end of Act Two should be tragic. The audience have to feel pity, or pathos, towards Eddie when he dies to make the play a successful tragedy. According to 1.Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero, the hero should be noble and of high status; he should have a flaw, or hamartia, which should lead to his tragic ending; his punishment should seem to be harsher than his crime; and he should realise that his flaw has led to his tragedy. By making his play a modern version of a Greek tragedy, Miller uses the character of Alfieri, his description of Eddie as a likeable and respected man and an extreme and violent death in the arms of his wife to make the audience sympathise with him and to make him a tragic hero. Throughout the play, Miller gives his audience many reasons to respect and admire Eddie. Although there is "too much love" (p. 48) for his niece, it is also obvious that he is very protective over Catherine and genuinely cares about her. Eddie and his wife have taken Catherine in and have given her a loving and caring home to live in. Also, Eddie seems popular within his community, is liked by Louis and Mike and is described by Alfieri as "good a man as he had to be in
A View From The Bridge Essay
A View from the Bridge - How does Arthur Miller show tension escalating during Act 1? Tensions exist in families because of arguments and disagreements occurring between parents and their children especially teenagers, about boyfriends and the way they dress, which refers back to Eddie and Catherine Carbone's disagreement in the first scene when Eddie comments on Catharine's skirt. 'A View from the Bridge' was set in the 1950s in an Italian American neighbourhood under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. The area, which the Carbone family lived in, was called 'Red Hook'. It is a poor place where crime, gangsters and the Mafia had been well known in recent history. Tension in the Carbone household is present right from the beginning of the play and the narrator, lawyer and family friend Alfieri warns the audience of a tragic ending in his opening speech. Alfieri also gives us some background information on the Carbone family and it sets a mood to the start of the scene. Alfieri introduces the play, narrates the story in flashback, focussing on key scenes, and then closes the play. Arthur Miller himself says, " I wanted to write a play that had the cleanliness... the clear line of some of the Greek tragedies." Meaning that the audience would be confronted with a situation and that the audience would be told in the beginning what the ending was. The question was not what was
