A View From The Bridge Thesis

ASSIGNMENT TITLE: ‘A View from the Bridge ends in tragedy. Explore how the audience’s response is shaped towards this conclusion throughout the play.’ Arthur Miller is a world-renowned playwright and dramatist who was born in New York City in the year 1915. Miller studied at the University of Michigan where he started writing some of his better known plays. In the year 1955, Miller wrote a play called, ‘A View from the Bridge’, it is a 20th century interpretation of the dramatic form.

It is set in the late 1940’s amidst the Sicilian community in Brooklyn, New York. It is said to be a modern version of a Greek tragedy with its powerful speeches and references to fate. A lawyer, Alfieri re-tells his account as he ‘oversees’ the events that take place. The play is in two acts, but careful incisions by Alfieri help the audience to reflect on the events that have just happened. The title of the play is based on the Brooklyn Bridge and Alfieri having a view from on top of it.

Since this play is supposed to be a modern version of a Greek tragedy, tragic events take place throughout the play. The concept of impending doom is something that is threatening to happen, and throughout this essay, I will go into depth about how Arthur Miller created this atmosphere through his written language and stage directions.

A View From The Bridge Movie 2012

Eddie Carbone is introduced into the play as a ‘slightly overweight longshoreman’ and we see straight away that he is a character of authority when Catherine appears and waits on him in an affectionate way.

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Catherine is an 18-year old who, because of her mother’s death is living with her Aunt Beatrice and her husband, Eddie. Eddie has taken upon himself to be a father to Catherine and to give her the very best in life.

Therefore, because of his ‘fatherly’ affections Eddie and Catherine have developed a close family relationship. Eddie’s first comments to Catherine this early in the play are all centred on Catherine’s appearance. References made about her hair, clothes and about her ‘walkin’ wavy.’ This obsessive attention to Catherine’s physical appearance is extremely questionable especially when he asks her to turn around so he can see her back. When Eddie becomes quite adamant that he disapproves of the way she walks, Catherine is ‘almost in tears.’ This simple act of crying shows the audience immediately how naive and vulnerable she is.

Beatrice, Eddie’s wife doesn’t seem to notice or observe the actions of Eddie and his niece Catherine. The play then plummets into the arrival of Beatrice’s two cousins from Italy who are illegal immigrants. The ‘honour’ that is bestowed upon the family as Eddie says, is pride. The law does not matter in this community – they make the rules. Eddie ironically tells the tragic story of Vinny Bonzano who told the Immigration Bureau that his uncle was an illegal immigrant and staying with them.

He was then disowned from the community. This states the harsh reactions that the community has against someone who ‘breaks the code.’ The result is always violence. The arrival of the cousins creates apprehension and Marco who is the eldest is very courteous towards Eddie. Rodolpho is the younger of the two and he is blonde. This fascinates Catherine and she voices her fascination.

The arrival of the two brothers, Marco and Rodolpho has a big impact in the way Eddie acts. He is more aggressive and agitated. This results in more violence between the two brothers and Eddie. Miller presents emotion with Eddie’s character. We can indicate that the play is more violent and confused, as Marco and Rodolpho are more involved with Eddie and his way of life. Alfieri is the voice of faith and acts as the chorus in the play. He helps the audience to reflect on the events that have just occurred. He launches into graphic detail about past bandits and murders and about how justice is very important to the Italians. The community is the ‘gullet of New York,’ which is ‘swallowing the tonnage of the world.’

U.S. Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy was one of the most controversial figures of the 1950s. His charges that the U.S. State Department had been infiltrated by Communists were never substantiated, but his widespread popularity caused many government officials to avoid challenging him. After televised hearings in 1954 where he accused the U.S. Army of coddling Communists, he lost popular support and was censured by the Senate for methods he used in his investigations. Miller used the era of McCarthyism to reflect his play on the laws and views of illegal immigrants entering the country.