Rodolfo and Marco who are two brothers, who came from America as immigrants. Their main aim is to earn because of the difficulties in Italy. They are Beatrice’s cousins. They both have totally different personalities compared with each other. When Eddie offers to let Rodolfo and Marco stay he conveys the image of himself being very munificent and generous. Here I explain in detail about each of them.
Rodolfo is the more spirited and attractive of the two immigrant brothers whose arrivals change Eddie Carbone’s destiny. It is he who impulsively speaks first in the street, unselfconsciously celebrating the fact of his arrival in America. He is a ready verbaliser, eager to offer vivid little pictures of life in Italy and his ambitions for e.g. where he wants
to be a messenger with his motorbike in Italy. When he expresses something stage directions tell us that he tries to precisely explain what he’s saying. His short, grammatically simple sentences add to the general impression he creates of ebullient and intelligent oddity. Rodolfo is a character who is very ego but his charm overrules it. He makes jokes and is not afraid to use his own experience as a subject for them.
Marco offers an example of what counts manliness. He’s got a lot if masculinity to himself. Marco is a person who tends to have a responsible character. He is obviously devoted to his family and speaks of his wife with deep, if restrained, affection. He is more sensible than Rodolfo, whom he treats with the indulgence of an older, wiser brother. He also is a very responsible and supportive person for his younger brother Rodolfo where he supports him when Eddie tries to mock him. Marco is polite and courteous. He has a strong sense of justice. Marco is the character we know least about throughout the play.
Eddie Carbone shows varieties of aggression throughout the play to all the characters. Eddie is a very aggressive where he wants Catherine to finish school he says ‘You’ll get no-where unless you finish school.’He describes Rodolfo as ‘nice kid or weird.’ To Marco says ‘It ain’t so free here either’ and also says ‘Don’t make me do nuttin’ and he says ‘The truth isn’t bad as blood.’ In all these quotes he’s shows a lot of aggression to the surrounding characters especially to Rodolpho and Marco. Eddie is the tragic protagonist, meaning that he’s the central character the tragedy falls upon, but also is the tragic hero throughout the whole play.
In the opening minutes of the play the main focus is conflict, with the first being between Catherine and Eddie. The conflict is an emotional one about something physical. It is clear at this point that Eddie is fond of Catherine: he refers to her hairstyle being ‘beautiful’ and this compliment suggests his affection towards her. Eddie’s more protective nature is revealed when he comments on her short skirt and her high heels, saying, ‘You are walkin’ wavy! I don’t like the looks they’re givin’ you in the candy.’ and he also says to Catherine, “Where you goin’ all dressed up… And what happened to your hair?” soon after he begins to enquire about her skirt when he says, “You look like one of them girls that went to college…I think its too short”. Catherine tries to defend herself, but is reduced to tears when Eddie harshly comments on her. At the very begging of the play it becomes apparent that Eddie cares a lot about Catherine and is very affectionate and caring towards her.
This conflict portrays Eddie as possessive and very protective over Catherine, which builds up an initial view of Eddie in the play. The Sicilian male-dominated society may be reason why Eddie is so protective over his niece, Catherine. When Beatrice tells Eddie that Catherine has been offered a job, he is instantly cynical and nervous as well as angry. He stubbornly says he doesn’t like the neighbourhood’ and she’ll be with a lotta plumbers.’ This underlines his possessiveness. Eventually Eddie gives in and becomes more relaxed. However, the audience is aware that his possessive nature has merely been temporarily drowned and will inevitably resurface. By exposing Eddie’s character flaws Miller is creates an initial view of Eddie. The audience is aware that Eddie tries to shy away from the truth about his feelings for Catherine and, therefore an inevitable conflict will eventually arise. Beatrice asks Eddie ‘I don’t understand you; she’s seventeen years old you gonna keep her in the house all her life?’ Here it reveals to us that Eddie has an unhealthy but concealed obsession towards Catherine, far beyond when Rodolfo comes on to the scene and disturbs this obsession towards Catherine. Later he begins to tell a story about a boy who had lived next door to Eddie many years ago who was named Vinny Bolzano who had ‘snitched’ on his uncle to the immigration. Then Vinny Bolzano beaten and thrown out of his own home and his family was disgraced. Eddie then gives his own opinion on the topic and says “Him? You’ll never see him no more, a guy do a thing like that? How’s he gonna show his face”. Here Eddie is disgusted even by the consideration of telling on a fellow Italian and also warns Catherine not to intend to that . This also shows that he feels strongly about the ‘Italian law’ as he knows that death is the consequence for committing such a crime.
When Catherine explains to Rodolfo about Eddie, Miller creates an initial view about Eddie, ‘You don’t know him; he was always the sweetest guy to me. Good. He razzes me all the time but I know he doesn’t mean it. I know. I would just feel ashamed if I made him sad.’ Here it’s a key element in Miller’s subtle characterisation is Catherine’s devotion to Eddie which also entails to us that Eddie is a good hearted person throughout the play the audience know that he’s going to get punished but towards the end we realise that he gets punished for falling in unstoppable love.
In this play it teaches us about many of the Italian traditions. It tells us that View from a Bridge play revolves around not to ‘snitch’. For Italians it is basic law not to tell or to ‘snitch’ on their fellow Italian if they have entered a country illegally and if they did, they would have to pay the ultimate price. Death. This was known as the ‘ultimate crime’ and no Italians would defy telling on another Italian.The society in which they live in could potentially cause instability and tension. It is clear that is a patriarchal society, as Beatrice and Catherine serve Eddie and appear to be dominated by him.
Here I’m going to investigate how the character of Eddie in the last scene of Act 1 develops. Ever since Rodolfo and Marco Eddie has disliked the young men whenever Eddie looks at Rodolfo in an expression which would be verging in disgust. Eddie really disapproves of Rodolfo. This arises because of Rodolfo’s attention seeking. Eddie seems to get very aggravated by this, when a conversation is commenced somehow or rather Rodolfo or Marco gets to be the subject of the conversation.
Beatrice constantly asks a whole range of questions to Marco and Rodolfo this is another reason why Marco and Rodolfo are in the centre of awareness. Because Beatrice intends to do this, it enrages Eddie more, which results that Eddie’s anger is turned at her.
Another palpable reason why he gets enraged with her is that she tends to ask obvious questions from Eddie’s point of view, for example she says, ‘ Couldn’t they like fish from the beach.’’ The audience know that it’s impractical to fish sardines from a boat.
As a director at this point of the play I will make Eddie seem very embarrassed and uncomfortable but also laughing with the rest of the surrounding environment. Eddie entices himself to be the subject of the conversation at all times and when he doesn’t achieve this he tends to get very agitated.
At the end of Act one Eddie ‘playfully’ teaches Rodolpho how to box. I think he does this to maintain his dominance in the household and also to belittle Rodolpho in front of Catherine and to prove that he’s not a proper man. Eddie almost patronises him in an attempt to show that ‘the guy ain’t right’. By this point in the play it is clear that there is a lot of friction between Eddie and Rodolpho. Eddie is jealous of Rodolfo that Catherine seems to like him better. After Eddie teaching Rodolfo how to box, Marco asks whether if Eddie can lift up the chair with one hand over his head, at this point of the play a lot of friction is created in the play but as an audience we know that Marco is doing this to protect his brother Rodolfo and to belittle Eddie. Marco asserts his power by lifting a chair above his head which Eddie couldn’t do. Here Eddie revealed his dominance and to show who the coward is, here Marco is supporting his brother Rodolpho by patronising him. He also became very naïve and desperate in order to degrade Rodolfo as he tried insulting him and also tried persuading Catherine that he just wants to marry her to gain legal citizenship in America. Here Miller uses this as an aid to create tension and gives another characteristic towards Eddie.
Miller also uses Alfieri to create a judgement of Eddie and as an aid to creating tension throughout the play. He narrates and comments on key points and he is, also an active character. His powerless status makes the outcome of the story seem inevitable. Alfieri is portrayed as a powerless observer, which creates sense of inevitable fate and therefore emotion, tension and an impression towards Eddie is generated.
Alfieri’s primary role is commentator, as when he introduces the pay in the opening scene. Miller instantly begins to associate him with trouble when Alfieri explains, ‘We’re only thought of in connection with disasters.’ He is also a key part of describing the backgrounds and setting of the play. The lawyer gives the impression that the family honour and respect are important within the Sicilian community and that there is a great distrust of the law. Miller has underlined the significance of honour and justice by saying, ‘Justice is very important here.’ As an audience member you realise that this potentially a key aspect of the play. It subtly creates apprehension about what will inevitably happen.
Alfieri concludes his introduction by saying ‘and sat there powerless as I, and watched it run its bloody course,’ which, makes the audience expect a tragic outcome to be resolved in blood. Throughout Alfieri’s introduction there is a sense of dramatic tension and an inevitably destiny. Miller slowly engages the audience with Alfieri’s dramatic introduction and makes them feel apprehensive.
Miller also uses Alfieri to create a judgement of Eddie and as an aid to creating tension throughout the play. He narrates and comments at key points and he is, also an active character. His powerless status makes the outcome of the story seem inevitable. Alfieri is portrayed as a powerless observer, which creates sense of inevitable fate and therefore emotion, tension and an impression towards Eddie is generated.
To me this play has no surprise really. One knew in the beginning if the play more or less what was going to happen by the end of the play, which was a factor why I liked the play a lot because what was really involved was not what was going to happen but how it was going to happen, which is a much stronger way if a telling a tale.
