A View from the Bridge
Drama - Arthur Miller
Studying Drama
Dialogue, monologue,
soliloquy
Aspects of staging:
stage directions,
lighting, set, music
Context and
Setting
Symbolism
Structure:
exposition,
climax,
denouement
Author’s Purpose
– Theme(s) and
Message
Style and Tone
Plot and Key
Scenes
Characterisation –
Major/Minor, Key
Relationships, Conflicts
Stimulus and Development
• Friend told of dream in which he was attracted to cousin –
Miller suggested might mean he wanted incestuous
relationship but he was horrified & refused to accept
(Eddie/Alfieri)
• Story of longshoreman who betrayed own relatives by
going to Immigration – attempting to prevent marriage
between one of the brothers & niece. Scorned &
ostracized by community & disappeared (rumour one of
brothers killed him) – Rodolpho/Catherine & Eddie’s
reaction to relationship
Red Hook and Longshoremen
• In Brooklyn – slum area of New York (across Brooklyn Bridge)
• One of first neighbourhoods to be settled – Dutch Settlers 1636
named after red soil & hook like shape
• 1850 – one of busiest ports
• Community of longshoremen & dockworkers – mostly Italian –
developed late 19th century – most escaping poverty & seeking
new life
• Tough neighbourhood – Al Capone’s first home & scene of first
crimes – got wound which inspired
nickname ‘Scarface’
• Miller explored & researched neighbourhood – struck by
complex Mafia power structure lurking beneath placid surface
• 1950s Golden age of longshoremen community
– 21000 living in row houses (built 1936)
Symbolism of The Title
What is the symbolism of the title – Brooklyn Bridge?
• Symbolic of pathway of opportunity to Manhattan
• Linkage between American & Italian cultures – important as Eddie has to
battle between his Italian community values (loyalty & honour) and American
Law & Order
• Close to Red Hook – constant reminder of American opportunity & industry –
what Rodolpho craves
• Can view entire community below – seek greater abstract meaning from
viewpoint
• Alfieri symbolic of person on bridge looking upon community OR perhaps
bridge himself – allowing people to cross into Manhattan & modern,
intellectual American culture
• Attempts to unite American law with Italian cultural practices – negotiate
place between two
• Narrates from present into past – same vantage point as one looking from
bridge
• As time passes – process events & see greater societal & moral implications it
has for community as a whole
• WE MUST BALANCE OUR OWN PERSONAL/INDIVIDUAL NEEDS & DESIRES
WITH THOSE OF PEOPLE AROUND US - WIDER COMMUNITY
The Greek Tragedy
“I wanted to write a play that had the
cleanliness… the clear line of some of the
Greek tragedies. Meaning that we would be
confronted with a situation that we would be
told in effect what the ending was. The
question was not what was going to happen,
but how it was going to happen”
Arthur Miller on the Dramatic Nature of the play.
Greek Tragedy – Genre Features
• Unity of time, place & action – a single location & situation
• Tragic Hero (Eddie) – a character of noble stature & greatness,
occupies a ‘high’ status position - must embody nobility & virtue
as part of innate character
• Not perfect – we must be able to identify – must see as
essentially like us
• Downfall partially his/her own fault = free choice. Triggered by
error of judgement or character flaw: Hamartia = Tragic Flaw
(Eddie’s self-interest & denial)
• Punishment not wholly deserved – exceeds crime
• Fall leads to some increase in self awareness, self-knowledge,
discovery (Eddie’s final lines)
• Arouses solemn emotion but offer catharsis
- cleanse us of ‘unhealthy’ emotions
(contribute to good health of community)
Greek Chorus
• Originally a group (up to 50 members) – several
techniques: singing, dancing, narrating, acting
• Provide background and summary information to help
audience follow performance – comment on themes
• Often express what the main characters cannot say –
hidden fears, secrets
• Alfieri (the Lawyer) performs role of Greek chorus - he has
the view from the bridge - an elevated position of moral
superiority: he has the ‘big picture - tells and controls the
story in flashbacks, focusing on key scenes/moments – an
important structural feature
• Tells us what is going to happen - he sees the imminent
danger but is powerless to stop it – reminds us of
inevitability of ending
Alfieri’s Opening Monologue
What is revealed through Alfieri’s opening speech about the
setting, situation and themes of the play?
Pay particular attention to:
The impression created of the Italian community
The atmosphere of suspicion
‘justly shot by unjust men’
Use of imagery to describe Red Hook
Changes over time
Contrast between Alfieri’s usual cases and Eddie’s
The universality and inevitability of Eddie’s fate
Overview
• Carbone family = Eddie (tragic hero), Beatrice (his wife), Catherine
(Beatrice’s sister’s daughter)
• At start, family are content, close . Eddie is dominant male, loving, well
respected and overly protective
• They are going to take in Beatrice’s cousins who are illegal immigrants
looking for work
• Rodolpho and Catherine begin to form a relationship which Eddie is
jealous of
• He tries to prevent the relationship and seeks advice from Alfieri (the
lawyer)
• When he does not get the advice he wants to hear, and is not
successful in splitting the two up, he commits the ultimate betrayal
• This leads to his family and the community turning against him
• Marco seeks his revenge which leads to the inevitable tragic conclusion
Act 1 – Part a: pp.1-7
Alfieri sets the scene and introduces Eddie’s story; Eddie
arrives home with news of cousins’ arrival.
How are the Carbone family presented at the start of the play?
Consider them as individuals and as a family unit.
Eddie
Catherine
Beatrice
Eddie
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Respected
Domineering
Paternal
Protective
Precious about
Catherine
• Worldly wise
• Frank in his views/
opinions
• Inquisitive
• ‘a husky slightly
overweight
longshoreman’
• ‘you’re an angel’ – B
• Symbols – ‘walkin’
wavy’ / ‘high heels’
• Acknowledges his
roots
Act 1 – Part b: pp.7-15
Catherine tells Eddie about her job opportunity; Eddie
reminds Catherine & Beatrice not to speak about cousins
and tells the story of Vinny Bolzano.
QUESTIONS:
List Eddie’s reasons and fears about Catherine’s job.
What does Beatrice suggest is behind Eddie’s reluctance? Explain his
reaction.
What is the significance of Vinny Bolzano’s story being told?
What signs are there in this section of the closeness between Eddie &
Catherine? Consider stage directions and symbolic objects/ acts.
How does Alfieri’s speech help establish Eddie’s character?
Listening Focus Act 1
• Presentation of brothers
• Eddie’s attitudes/ relationship with
Rodolpho
• Catherine & Rodolpho’s emerging
relationship
• Beatrice’s comments to Eddie &
discussion with Catherine
• Alfieri’s comments & discussion with Eddie
• Boxing match/ confrontation
Act 2 Scenic Unit 1
• Explain fully why this is such a pivotal
scene:
Relationship between Catherine & Rodolpho
Relationship between Catherine & Eddie
Symbolic importance of ‘the kiss’
Support your points with textual evidence.
Pivotal
• Consumation of Catherine & Rodolpho’s
relationship
• Catalyst for Eddie’s breaking point
• Revelation of true (lustful?) nature of
Eddie’s feelings for Catherine
• First assertion of Catherine’s
independence – rejection of Eddie
The Kiss
• Catherine?
• Passion
• Rodolpho?
Possession
Humiliation
Act 2 – Scenic Unit 2
• How does Miller use Alfieri to convey the
danger Eddie is in?
• Who or what does Eddie betray when he
phones immigration?
• Summarise Beatrice’s view of the situation
with Catherine.
• What is revealed about Eddie’s attitudes
during his argument with Beatrice?
(‘wholly known’)
Act 2 Scenic Unit 3
• Explain and analyse Eddie’s reaction to the
news of Lipari’s two other boarders.
• What is significant about the timing of the arrival
of the Immigration Officers? Explain how Eddie
reveals himself.
• In terms of the drama why is it important that the
arrests happen in public? Explain fully.
• Analyse and summarise the differing views of
justice discussed by Marco and Alfieri.
The Ending
• Catherine’s final assertion of her
independence
• What Eddie wants at the end – why
Rodolpho won’t suffice
• Beatrice’s view of situation
• Eddie dying on his own knife
• Eddie’s final words
• Significance of Alfieri’s comments
Character Notes
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Eddie
Alfieri
Beatrice
Catherine
Marco
Rodolpho
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Personality
Relationships
Role in drama
Key quotes
Stage directions
Relevance to theme
Carousel Activity
• Themes
• Images/ Motifs/ Symbols
• Turning Points/ Key Scenes
• Dramatic Irony
• Eddie
• Catherine
• Beatrice