A View From A Bridge – Summary
Key areas from play Questions/textual evidence and A+E
Playwright’s purpose
and how conveyed
Key characters
(personality etc) and how
they progress
Arthur Miller s A View from the Bridge is a modern tragedy set in 1950 s
Brooklyn about a man s obsession with his niece, and what that obsession
ultimately brings about. Eddie Carbone is a protagonist who ultimately is
fighting against himself with his desires for his niece.
Eddie
Eddie Carbone is the tragic protagonist in the play. He is constantly selfinterested, wanting to promote and protect his innocence. Eddie creates a
fictional fantasy world where he doesn’t think about his decisions in the
context of reality like calling the immigration bureau in the middle of the
Italian community that prides itself on protecting illegal immigrants,
“Give me the number of the Immigration Bureau, I want to report
something. Illegal immigrants.” page 50. In Eddie’s world, he imagines
protecting Catherine from marriage or any male relationship and wants
her for himself. (Beatrice towards Eddie, “I don’t understand you; she’s
seventeen years old, you gonna keep her in the house all her life?” page
11. Eddie constantly looks out for himself at the expenses of others and is
ruled by personal love and guilt. There are several moments in the text
where the audience is given clues that Eddie’s love for Catherine may not
be normal. For example, when Catherine lights Eddie’s cigar in the living
room, it is an even that gives Eddie unusual pleasure. This possibly warm
and affectionate act between a niece and an uncle has attractive
suggestions of the two. Eddie’s great attention to his niece and the state
of his own marital relationship immediately makes this meaning clear.
Although Eddie seems unable to understand his feelings for his niece until
the end of the play, other characters are aware. Beatrice is the first to
express this possibility in her conversation with Catherine. Alfieri also
realizes Eddie’s feelings during his first conversation with Eddie. Eddie
does not comprehend his feelings until Beatrice clearly articulates his
desires in the conclusion of the play, “You want somethin’ else, Eddie,
and you can never have her!” Eddie does not realize his feeling for
Catherine because he has constructed an imagined world where he can
suppress his urges. This suppression is what devastates Eddie. This is
because he has no way of letting his feelings out, even in his own
conscious mind. From this Eddie transfers his energy to a hatred of
Marco and Rodolfo and causes him to act completely irrationally, “I take
the blankets off my bed for him, and he takes and puts his filthy hands on
her like a goddam thief!” Eddie’s final need to secure or retrieve his good
name from Marco is a result of Eddie’s failure to protect Catherine from
Rodolfo. Eddie fails in his life, but seeks redemption (use) and victory in
his death. By averaging Marco, Eddie believes he will regain pride in the
community, another wholly and self-interested act. Eddie in the end dies
of his tragic flaws, including jealousy and pride.
Beatrice
Beatrice is Eddie’s wife and Catherine’s aunt by marriage, the illegal
immigrants Marco and Rodolfo are her cousins. Beatrice is the character
always thinking about the welfare of others. Even when she speaks
forcefully to Eddie she is doing so to help him as well as Catherine. In
the end however like Alfieri she is powerless to prevent Eddie acting in
A View From A Bridge – Summary
his destructive way but despite this she is faithful to him throughout, “He
dies in her arms, and Beatrice covers his body”, (page 64). Beatrice
consists of many qualities but ultimately she is a warm -hearted person
and shows gratitude when anyone helps her family, “(She turns and grabs
Eddie’s face in her hands) Mmm! You’re and angel! God’ll bless you.”
(Page 8). Beatrice is also throughout the play keenly aware of the dangers
involved in the relationship between Catherine and Eddie and tries to
warn Catherine gently. Through this we see her sensitivity but also her
instinct for problems that lurk beneath the surface, “I know honey. But if
you act like a baby and he be treatin’ you like a baby. Like when he
comes home sometimes you throw yourself at him like when you was
twelve years old.” (Page 30). Beatrice also constantly acts like a
mediator, “No, she wants to ask you. Come on, Katie, ask him. We’ll
have a party!”
Catherine
Catherine is probably to the audience the most likeable person in the play
with her relationship through most of act one being warm and friendly to
both Eddie and Beatrice. She is also the most excited about the arrival of
the two immigrants and when they enter she is interested in them and
wanting to know about them and their lives in Italy, especially with
Rodolfo. Catherine changes gradually in the play but at the same time
throughout expresses her fondness to Eddie, especially in the first half of
the play. It isn’t until the beginning of act two that Catherine shows a bit
of anger and frustration towards Eddie, especially after kissing first her
then Rodolfo in a drunken rage. The final shocking act is the betrayal of
Eddie which forces Catherine to cut him off completely in order to be
with Rodolfo. Catherine is also desperate to be independent and is
obviously well thought of at college, however at this point we can still see
Eddie has control over her. “She’s crazy to start work. It’s not a little
shop, it’s a big company. Some day she could be a secretary. They
picked her out of the whole class.” –page 10. However when Rodolfo
arrives we see that Catherine has strength to show her independence
despite Eddie’s discomfort, “ Catherine (flushed with revolt)’ You wanna
dance Rodolfo?’ (Eddie freezes) – page39. Also we see Catherine’s
respect and love turned away for Eddie when he betrays Rodolfo and
Marco to hatred, and later in the play when she is stronger tells this to his
face, “Catherine (clearing for Beatrice): ‘What’re you scared of? He’s a
rat! He belongs in the sewer’”. – page 61. However in the end Catherine
feels guilty for all that has happened. She had no idea it could end so
tragically, “Eddie, I never meant to do nothing bad to you.” – page 64.
Alfieri
Alfieri is the symbolic bridge between American and Italian laws. Alfieri
is am Italian-American and is true to is ethnic identity. He is a well
educated man who studies and respects American law but is still loyal to
Italian customs. The play is told from the view point of Alfieri and he
represents the difficult stretch embodied in the Brooklyn bridge, from
small ethnic communities filled with dock labourers to the rich upper
class people of Manhattan. From his view and point, Alfieri attempts to
A View From A Bridge – Summary
present an un-biased and reasonable view of the events of the play and
make clear the greater social and moral problems in the work. From his
narration, it seems that Alfieri has decided to tell the story for his own
reasons as much as anyone else’s. He does not find a conclusion after
telling the Carbone story, but tells it nonetheless and he speaks and
reveals his honest views and facts. He is cast as the chorus part in Eddie’s
tragedy. Alfieri informs the audience and provides commentary on what
is happening in the story. The description of the people within the play
and narration at the beginning of every scene change helps to distinguish
the short chapters in the tale. There is no illusion to reality, Alfieri
purposely breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience during the
retelling of the story. Throughout the play one thing remains constant and
this is Alfieri’s reminder that the law does not always deliver justice and
that sometimes he says you have to rely on God, “This is not God, Marco.
You hear? Only God makes justice”, page 60.
Rodolfo
Rodolfo, the blonde is a cooking, sewing, and dancing full- blooded
Italian, and the greatest threat to Eddie Carbone, “Oh I sing Napolidan,
jazz, bel canto- I sing ‘Paper Doll’”, page21. The play does not fill out
the character of Rodolfo as an individual, whose motivations are left
unknown. Unlike Beatrice and Catherine, who we hear talking together
about their thoughts and feelings, Rodolfo reveals little about himself.
There are many questions left unanswered including his sexuality, his
love for Catherine, and whether he actually forgives Eddie at the play’s
conclusion. The audience really never know if Rodolfo truly loves
Catherine, their romance is curiously devoid of passion. Unlike his Italian
brother Marco, Rodolfo does not seek revenge on Eddie for calling
Immigration or abusing his finance in front of him. It is very clear that
Rodolfo wants to be an American citizen at all costs and there is a great
possibility that he does not love Catherine. Like Eddie fears, Rodolfo
may only want to gain citizenship through marriage. The conversation
between Rodolfo and Catherine in the beginning of Act two does little to
clarify the issue. Catherine does not ask him whether he would marry her
if they moved to Italy, but Rodolfo does not seem thrilled by the idea.
Despite this however Rodolfo is capable of inspiring trust and love toward
Catherine, “Teach me, I don’t know anything, teach me, Rodolfo, hold
me”, page 46. Rodolfo is constructed to fuel Eddie’s jealousy, but like the
woman of the play, Rodolfo has little life of his own. Rodolfo however is
also the peacemaker in the play and is prepared to accept responsibility
for a situation that is not of his making. He will go to great lengths to
prevent the approaching tragedy, “It is my fault, Eddie. Everything. I
wish to apologise. It was wrong that I did not ask your permission”, page
62.
Marco
Marco is an Italian immigrant that moved illegally to the United States
with his brother Rodolfo to work as longshoremen, since at the time his
country of origin, Italy, was going through a major economic depression.
A View From A Bridge – Summary
In the play, we are told that Marco's plan is to make enough money to
survive and be able to send some of that money to his wife and his three
kids back in Italy, who are starving. Marco physically resembles the
Italian stereotype, with dark skin and dark hair, (stage direction, “he is
square-built peasant of thirty-two, suspicious, tender, and quiet-voiced”,
page 16. He is also very strong and portrays this throughout the play In
this play; the author uses plot, dialog, actions and symbolism to
emphasize Marco's honour. Throughout the play, we can clearly see that
the plot helps us develop Marco's character, for example, he is an illegal
immigrant taking American jobs, and this might give the reader a less
honourable view of him, and it might justify Eddie's action. But the fact
that Marco left his family to give them support and to save his oldest son,
who is sick, makes the reader forget about his illegal stay and makes his
status rise to the one of a hero. In this play, Marco's actions lead us to the
discovery of a violent side which he uses to defend his honour in a
number of occasions. For example, when he challenges Eddie to lift the
chair at the end of the first act, we understand that he did it to save his
brother's face and his family's honour. He also shows is strength towards
Eddie by in his outrage of being reported to immigration he looses all
control, and cannot understand why one human being would do this to the
other, and spitting in Eddie’s face snows utter contempt to this, (stage
direction) “Marco suddenly breaks from the group and dashes into the
room and faces Eddie; Beatrice and First Officer rush as Marco spits in
Eddie’s face”, page 56-57. In addition, the killing of Eddie by Marco's
own hands at the end of the play is the final display of his character.
Marco's character is definitely expressed more by his actions than by his
words. He is very strong, and he is obviously aware of that, but doesn't
like to show it in words, or brag about it. In fact, when Eddie was making
fun of his brother Rodolfo, instead of replying to him in words, he chose
to use his strength to get his point across by lifting the chair. Overall
however Marco believes that it is his duty to right this wrong of Eddie’s
betrayal without recourse to the law. He believes that the law has nothing
to do with his need for justice, “The law? All the law is not in the book,”
page 59.
The relationship between Eddie and Catherine
At the beginning of the play we are immediately aware that there is a
lively, in intimate relationship between Catherine and Eddie. There are
no barriers. Eddie is delighted by Catherine’s beauty, but because of this
he fears what other men will see. Catherine is unhappy when Eddie
objects to her going out to work. Beatrice tells Eddie he is smothering
Catherine and preventing her independence. When the cousins arrive,
Eddie is quickly aware of the attraction Rodolfo has for Catherine and
from that moment onwards Eddie attempts to place a barrier between
them. Like Beatrice, Alfieri is aware of the dangerous nature of the
relationship and he also warns Eddie that he must not feel as he does for
Catherine. Every statement by Alfieri makes it clear that the relationship
must end now or it will have tragic consequences. In the end of course,
Catherine’s hostile attack on Eddie is a statement that she has finally
broken free from him, and the break in the relationship is complete.
A View From A Bridge – Summary
Key scenes and how they
develop later in play
(what is their
significance in revealing
key themes,
characterisation etc.)
Eddie kissing Catherine and Rodolfo
Miller uses these two very simple actions, kissing Catherine and kissing
Rodolfo to show that Eddie has now true and utterly overstepped the
boundaries of decency and looses all respect for his own self. These
actions show further evidence of the love of Rodolfo and Catherine as
Rodolfo stands up to Eddie when he says, “Don’t … stop that! Have
respect for her!” – page 47. Then Catherine screams at Eddie, “Eddie! Let
go, ya hear me! I’ll kill you! Leggo of him!” – page 47. Here we see the
love between Catherine and Rodolfo is so much stronger than the love of
Beatrice and Eddie, and how it is taking over from Catherine’s affection
for Eddie.
Eddie calling the immigration bureau
Eddie phones the immigration bureau and tells the officer he wishes to
report two illegal immigrants “Give me the number of the immigration
bureau. Thanks. I want to report something. Illegal immigrants. Two of
them.” Her we see Eddie’s betrayal and witness the terrible irony of his
actions. From this Eddie will later also realise the consequence of his
betrayal as not only will Marco and Rodolfo be deported but other illegal
immigrants in the area too.
Marco and lifting the chair and the trial of strength
This occurs when Eddie tries to assert himself over Rodolfo by striking
when attempting to teach him how to box. All the different characters
view this incident differently, Beatrice, after the initial alarm sees only
what she considers friendly rivalry. Catherine is on the other hand fearful
of Rodolfo’s safety, much as she is fond of Eddie; she is showing that if
necessary she will take Rodolfo’s part. Marco firstly is cautious at first
but then decides to react. He sees Eddie’s action as hostile and, without
saying so; he challenges Eddie to a trial of strength. This scene is
therefore important because it shows that when it really matters Marco
will always be the stronger of the two men. He will be loyal to Rodolfo
and if Eddie shows further aggression towards either of the brothers
Marco will be a force to be reckoned with.
Themes and how they are Justice and Judgement
conveyed
Justice and Judgement is a key theme and sets up a very basic conflict of
the American law against the Italian tradition. When the American justice
system is incapable of bringing the characters the kind of justice they
think they deserve, everything goes haywire. They resort to their
unspoken codes of their Italian roots. This results in stuff like bloody
revenge and duels in the streets. This is why the ending is the way it is as
Marco follows the Italian tradition instead of abiding by the law.
Honour and Loyalty
There are many aspects of loyalty and honour including Eddie finding it
hard to admit his love for Catherine due to it being dishonourable and
shameful in the public eye. Beatrice’s constant love for Eddie is so strong
and even though she is aware of his feelings towards Catherine she is still
forever loyal to him, sticking up for him when she can, “Don’t you call
him that” – page 68. Beatrice sticks up for him throughout the whole play.
A View From A Bridge – Summary
Marco shows honour to himself and his brother Rodolfo, and showing
Eddie that Marco won’t let Eddie treat Rodolfo badly, “Like a glare of
warning into a smile or triumph, and Eddie’s grin vanished as he absorbs
the look”. – page 46.
Control
Eddie throughout the play is always controlling over Catherine always
trying to prevent her growing up and keeping her at home. This keeping
Catherine as a child, young and innocent and this is conveyed through a
number of nicknames such as ‘Madonna’ by Beatrice and Eddie. He is
also really strict with her is maintaining her innocence in the sense
keeping her from dressing like a woman and trying to flirt with men,
“Now don’t aggravate me Katie, you are walkin’ wavy!” – page 4.
However it isn’t just Catherine Eddie wants control over, Marco and
Rodolfo are also to be controlled in the sense that they are in his house
and he feels he needs to be assertive towards them being the male of the
house; however this doesn’t happen and causes great tension between the
men.
Respect and Reputation.
It all ends with the main character throwing his life away over this
showing how destructive it can be when a person places his reputation
over everything else. It also points out how difficult it is for anyone to
respect a person who doesn't respect their own self.
Men and Masculinity
The entire world of A View from the Bridge is male dominated. As such
there's a lot of talk about what a real man is supposed to be like. The main
character's ideas seem to be pretty traditional of being big, strong, silent,
and hardworking. That is why Rodolfo sexuality is questioned and Marco
and Eddie have so much conflict.
Key dramatic features
(dramatic irony, imagery
etc.) and how and why
used to convey
char/theme/relationships
etc
Dramatic Irony
There is allot of dramatic irony throughout the play as we can portray and
see what is to come in the play for example Eddie’s self interest in calling
the immigration bureau in self interest of keeping Catherine for himself
but however that does not happen in the end as he dies on his own knife,
resembling dying of his own self-interest.
Irony
Irony is constant throughout the play from Catherine and Rodolfo dancing
to “Paper Doll” with the words describing summing up how Eddie feels
about Catherine leading to it becoming too much for him to handle and
puts an end to the dancing. Also there is the irony of Eddie kissing
Catherine and Rodolfo portraying the idea if anyone was a homosexual it
would be implied to be Eddie. Irony also includes when Beatrice refers to
Eddie as an angel when actually he was the one who caused all the pain,
problems and issue and to the audience would in there eyes be the
opposite of an angel.
A View From A Bridge – Summary
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a key dramatic feature of the play and runs throughout
the play. We first have Alfieri in act one page 31, “my first thought was
that he has committed a crime” portraying the crime that Eddie ends up
committing in front of the whole community and how he goes against all
his believes which gives the sense of a tragedy. Another incident of
foreshadowing includes The Vinney Bolzano told to scare Catherine into
warning of not to call immigration on her family. This highlight Eddie’s
strong feelings on betrayal and reveals that he is well aware of the
consequences in doing such a thing. This foreshadowing his decision to
phone immigration which highlights how dramatically Eddie has changed
as a person by his obsessive desire for Catherine and conveys how
powerful an influence is self-interested flaw is. A final piece of
foreshadowing consists of in act 1, page 34 when Eddie and Rodolfo are
play fighting and Eddie is trying to portray he is stronger then Marco
steps in and raises the chair and dominates Eddie, this foreshadows
Eddie’s fate and how Marco turn’s Eddie’s own knife on him in
protecting his own brother.