A View From a Bridge OCR Revision Guide

By: Mr. Dunfords Year Eleven Students, 2011-2012

The Importance of the Title

Many people say that Arthur Miller was referring to the view from Brooklyn Bridge, with the giant buildings of Manhattan on one side, and the small buildings of Brooklyn on the other side. From this view, you can see the waterfront of Brooklyn and see the longshoremen working down on the docks. Having this view from Brooklyn Bridge allows you to have a much wider view and larger perspective of the scene and areas around the bridge. It can allow us to see the parts of the play and see how they fit together. The culture of the Greek plays under the bridge was unknown and ignored by people on top of the bridge. It was a view from our culture to another one. You could also say that the title links to sections of the play that feature Alfieri as he is described to be looking down on the characters in the play from Brooklyn Bridge, this would therefore be literal to the title as it is A View from a Bridge.

What the key episodes/ segments are? What happens in them?/ why are they important?
One of the key episodes was when Eddie grassed up Rodolfo and Marco to the immigration bureau. This was significant because it completely changed the storyline and completely changed Eddies character from him being well respected by the two immigrants to being the most hated by the whole family and the whole of society.

1a

Eddie arrives home from work with some news which he announces that Beatrice's cousins have reached new york.

This part is important as this is the start of the plot, and the constant argueing of the three main charecters.

1b

Catherine announces to Eddie that she has been offered a well paid job at a big plumbing company, she is excited but Eddie is worried but in the end Eddie gives in and allows Catherine to take the job. Also Eddie has a conversation with Catherine about the illegal immigrants and he tells her not to mention them outside the house and Eddie tells the story of Vinny Bolzano who told the immigration about his family hiding his uncle. The cousins Marco and Rodolpho arrive , they all sit down and talk about the cousin Marcos family and Marco says he wants to go home in 6 years.

In this scene eddie is told about the job catherine has been offered and she is excited about it but eddie says she cant take it, because its a dodgy area. This shows to the reader that eddie wants her to keep her innocence and keep her as a child and living in his home for as long as possible. This part shows that they both have different views, marco is more family orrientated and needs money and eddie wants to never go home and wants a nice lifestyle. The part in this when eddie and beatrice sit waiting for them to come home from the cinema shows that they are both very protective over catherine and they still treat her as a little child even though she is an adult. This is the part that eddie regrets later on in the story, eddie thinks that there is a law for marrying someone from another country, this clearly shows that he is brainwashed and all he thinks about is catherine. Catherine in this part shows to the audience that maybe eddies constant putting her off rodolpho are sinking in, this also suggests to the reader that maybe she wont marry rodolpho. the call to the immigration bureau is significant as Eddie now has four people in his apartment which this means he could be jailed as he knows they are there. It also suggests that Marco and rodolpho are using Eddie's generosity. Also you can tell in the scene that Eddie regrets phoning the bureau but its to late as they arrive. This also shows the three main charecters Eddie, Catherine and Beatrices different views. This scene is important as this is what the whole plot has been and what the story has been leading up to, it is also significant because Eddie does something for his anger. The part when eddie tells catherine that if she goes he wont let her back into the house forecasts eddies true feelings for her.

1c

1d

A few weeks later, Eddie and Beatrice sit waiting for Catherine and Rodolpho to come home from the cinema, this is the part when Catherine and Rodolpho have fallen in love. It also brings up the state of Beatrice and Eddies marriage. Eddie goes to Alfieri, wanting the law to step in to stop Catherine marrying rodolpho but Alfieri explains there is no law that will prevent it. But when Eddie goes home there is tension in the air and Eddie pretends to admire rodolpho for being able to cook. Sew and sing. Also after eddie rings the immigration bureau to tell them. Catherine and rodolpho are alone in the apartment for the first time. She asks rodolpho if they could live in Italy when they are married, this is the first time the viewers see them argue. Eddie arrives home drunk and sees catherine leading rodolpho out of the bedroom and eddie assumes worst and kicks him out. Eddie discovers that Marco and rodolpho are lodging with two other illegal immigrants upstairs, he becomes concerned and says they are less safe, as the other two might have been followed and Eddie has already made a call to the immigration bureau. The two officers storm in and find the four immigrants , Beatrice assumes it was Eddie who phoned them and she shouts and cry's this shows how attached she became to them. Also the whole neighbourhood all put themselves around Eddie as they were all in the immigrants position before. Its the day of the wedding. Beatrice gets dressed in her best clothes but Eddie tells her that if she goes he wont let her back into the house. When rodolpho arrives he says that Marco is at the church praying, this is when Eddie's fury rises, he wants to get even with Marco, for ruining his good name in the neighbourhood. . Marco goes to meet Eddie for a public apology instead, Marco calls him an animal. Eddie draws a knife but Marco is able to grip eddies wrist and turns the knife on Eddie himself. Eddie dies in Beatrice's arms. Alfieri closes the play.

1e

2a

2b

2c

The main character in the story is Eddie Carbone, an Italian American longshoreman, who lives with his wife, Beatrice and his orphaned niece, Catherine. As the play begins, Eddie is protective and kind toward Catherine, although his feelings grow into something more than normal as the play develops. His attachment to her is brought into perspective by the arrival from Italy of Beatrice's two cousins, Marco and Rodolpho. It seems that Eddie is power mad and therefore it is rare that people stand up against him in the play. When he sees his power being taken away, or disrespected (when Rodolfo starts to date Catherine) He has no other resort but to snitch on his own family.

Eddies character evolves throughout the story, when the plot becomes more in depth so does Eddies character. As at the beginning of the play we dont have much of an understanding of the plot, or Eddie. Whereas towards the end of the play the audience gets a view of Eddies feelings being shown, instead of being supressed or having a glimpse of it.

Eddie is the protagonist, and without him there is no narrative, therefore Eddie is needed and is an important aspect to analyse in essays. He controls the mood and the development of the story, and so then when it changes when the Italians arrive and become settled the effects are tragic.

Rodolphos Character
Other Characters views
The audience has trouble deciding whether Rodopho is genuine or not, as Beatrice and Catherine think he is nice and sweet. The dock workers however fuel the suspicion that he is gay and Eddie uses his behaviour for an excuse for his actions towards Catherine. However as it becomes more obvious that Eddie is the problem, Rodophos feminine flaws seem insignificant.
Eddie calls Rodolph a punk, alluding to the fact that he thinks he is gay, although Rodolphos actions may sometimes back this up; Eddies own actions and thoughts overshadow Rodolphos. Eddie seems perverse to the audience and so because of this Rodopho seems normal.

Growth of Rodolpho throughout the play

Start- At the beginning Rodolphos dreams and lack of ties in Italy make him seem young and adventurous. Marco is clearly the more responsible one and Eddies gradual increase of only addressing Marco highlights this. Middle- We begin to learn more about Rodolfo as the play goes on, through his treatment of Catherine we see him grow within himself from a free young man to a passionate romantic, who looks to give the best to Catherine and fight for her if need be. Due to this the audience begin to trust him more. End- At the end of the play Rodolpho is due to marry Catherine and he tries to get Marco to see sense. The roles have switched, Rodolpho is now the responsible one, this could be due to him gaining more responsibilities as time goes on, he has to become more mature. He must now look after Catherine as well as himself. His characters growth is really shown in the end when, even after all Eddie has done to him and accused him of he attempts to make things right. This shows Rodolpho as the better man, who rises above his pride. By the end because of this his intentions seem true and audience trusts him.

Third Segment (act 1) Although Rodolpho does play a small part in this segment he is mainly indirectly characterized by Eddie and Catherine. Although their conversation is mainly due to Eddie trying to get Catherine back, Rodolpho is the subject of the problem, as the reason why Catherine is going out in the first place. We find that Catherine has clearly changed, she goes out more and spends a lot of time with Rodolpho. Catherine sees Rodolpho as a good, sweet guy with honourable intentions. Eddie however insists that he only wants a green card. This not only puts doubt in Catherines mind but a readers also, we know that Rodolpho wishes to become an American. The audience doesnt really know much about Catherine so it is possible.

Tension Suspense and Interest

From the beginning Rodolpho is aan object of interest to Catherine and the juuxtapositions posed by Eddie and Catherines conflicting view points about him, create tension between them. The audience hence becomes interested in him because they want to learn the truth about him. Suspense is created through Eddies obvious dissapproval of Rodolpho and as an audience we begin to wonder what he will do.

Alfieris Character /Role in Play

As a Narrator/Chorus
As a narrator, Alfieri foreshadows the tragedy that is imminent throughout. He himself seems to represent normality illustrated by the way he talks to the audience for example when Alfieri's does his soliloquy in the first scene of the play. This is very important as he plays the role of the chorus in "A View From the Bridge", as he prepares the audience for what is about to happen. When he walks into the darkness, it is a symbol of the negativity and tragedy that is about to take place. He, like the chorus in "Romeo and Juliet" is informing the audience of the inevitable, and conveying a sense of danger. He plays this role as he is a man of experience

As a Lawyer
As a layer Alfieri attempts to stop Eddie, or anyone else from making a mistake or going outside of the law to get what they want. He uses language to mediate between the audience and the characters. Towards the audience he uses very elegant, refined and sophisticated language, which isolates him, in contrast to when he takes up his role in the affairs of the play, he speaks with plain, simple colloquial language which is expected of a lawyer in Brooklyn, allowing the others to comprehend with him for example when he talks to Eddie, "I don't understand what I can do for you. Is there a question of law somewhere?" This is a cause of Eddie's isolation as well as his love for Catherine which no one else agrees with. It is seen as betrayal on the family on his behalf so therefore he becomes isolated.

As a lawyer he attempts to stop the flow of the story (by attempting to stop Eddie), but as a narrator he gives the play its direction giving the storyline a structure similar structure to a Greek Tragedy.

* Beatrice Carbone
Character
Beatrice is the wife of Eddie Carbone and aunt of Catherine. Beatrice has never had her own child so raised Catherine as like it was her own from the time she was very young. Beatrice is a loving, caring person. She is excited by the imminent arrival of her cousins and worried that everything is not just for them, yet also "nervous". There are hints right from the start that Beatrice is aware of Eddie's feelings for Catherine. This is shown when she avoids Eddie's gaze when Catherine fetches his cigar. This becomes more obvious when she confronts Eddie about the state of their marriage "When am I gonna be a wife again, Eddie?. The fact that Eddie seems to be in love with Catherine creates a lot of tension for Beatrice and she becomes slightly jealous of the matter. Partly because of this, she supports Catherine and encourages her to be independent. She helps Catherine persuade Eddie to let Catherine go out to work and, later, tells Catherine she must stand up for herself. Beatrice gets extremely upset by the conflict within the family that the relationship between Rodolpho and Catherine causes. She continually tries to be the calming influence. At the end, however, she remains loyal to Eddie, choosing to stay with him rather than attend Catherine's wedding. She is rewarded for this with Eddie's dying words - "My B!"

Catherine
Kelly Kingham-Aarons

Catherine and Eddie

Catherines Character
Catherine is a seventeen year old girl who has never really left Brooklyn. This makes her nave and not very independent as she has always had a supportive family around her. As Catherine's parents aren't around she has to rely on her supposed Uncle Eddie (a father figure) and her Aunt Beatrice (a mother figure). Beatrice is the middle man between Catherine and Eddie. She wants Catherine to become a woman and create her own life where as Eddie has other ideas. He wants her to be his baby forever. The relationship between them is very strong but Eddie at times is too overpowering. In Act 1, Eddie treats Catherine as a child and she goes long with it as she doesnt want to hurt him. However, towards the end of this Act Beatrice talks to Catherine about growing up and becoming more independent It means you gotta be your own self more. You still think youre a little girl honey. But nobody else can make up your mind for you any more, you understand? You gotta give him to understand that he cant give you orders no more. This is an important part for Catherine as she can now take a step forward for and put what Beatrice has said into practice. Then, in Act 2, Catherine has a deep conversation with Rodolpho and Eddie walks in drunk. He thinks Catherine and Eddie have been up to something. This is significant as it is when Catherin truly stands up to Eddie and what she believes in. She finds this hard as Eddie has been a huge part of her life but she has realised she needs to grow up and turn into a woman. Catherine's character changes immensely over the course of the play.

Catherine and Eddie

The Character Of Marco

Here shows one of the main points in the play. Marco (holding the chair in one hand) stands above Eddie (blue shirt) with a chair in one hand and the other behind his back. This occurs after Eddie has just had a play fight with Rodolfo. Marco does this to show Eddie that he is more powerful. This also juxtaposes the two cultures of America and Italy in the sense that Eddie represents America and Marco represents Italy. Eddie (America) shows that you need to be able to fight in America which connotes the ghetto and the slums. However, Marco (Italy) shows that you need to have more inner strength and power to be able to survive on the streets of Italy which connotes that you must be able to stand on your own two feet when no none else is around to help you. Marco creates tension through the competition he has with Eddie. It is almost as if he has to have more attention than Eddie all the time. Eddie notices this and he also steps up his own competition which creates even more tension. Marco also creates tension as he is never afraid to speak his mind. Whatever he has to say he will say it because that is the kind of character he is. This causes suspense because you do not know how the character whom he is talking to will react and the hatred he has sustained with Eddie makes the audience think that the situation will be worse than what it actually turns out to be. This then makes the audience think that the hatred they have for each other has gone until the end when Eddie is killed by Marco which is a massive shock to the audience but at the same time it was expected as there were still elements of hatred between Marco and Eddie.

Foreshadowing
When Marco does raise the chair, the stage directions states the chair raised OVER Eddies head like a weapon. In this play we have constant foreshadowing which decreases the amount of shock we have after Eddies death. The use of constant foreshadowing tells the audience that his death is inevitable. There is nothing we can do and Eddie is helpless as he doesnt realise his fatal flaw.

Key Points
Does Eddie think anything of this situation? Does this trigger anything off in Eddies mind about his death? If this didnt occur, would the shock of Eddies death have been more or less? Can you decide/determine your fate?

Catherine & Rodolphos relationship

By Rose Millar

Catherine and Rodolphos relationship Rodolpho and Catherine realize that this is the first time they have been alone in the house. Catherine explains her desire to live in Italy after their marriage, but Rodolpho is committed to staying in the United States. He assures her, however, that it is she he loves, not America. More than living in Italy, Catherine actually wants simply to get away from Eddie, whose recent behaviour confuses her, although she still loves him. Rodolpho nudges her toward the bedroom. Eddie goes to Alfieri the lawyer because he believes that Rodolpho is simply using Catherine to get a passport so that he can move permanently to the states. Alfieri reminds Eddie that he can do nothing about this as Rodolpho is acting within his rights. Alfieri also reminds Eddie that he cannot marry Catherine himself. Eddie moves away in anger. Eddie tries to provoke a fight with Rodolpho by suggesting that he would be better off working somewhere else besides the docks. Act I concludes with Eddie showing Rodolpho how to box. Marco is uneasy however. Rodolpho and Catherine are hoping to get married. Rodolpho tries to convince Catherine to break from the house and not be so afraid of Eddie. Eddie arrives home drunk and finds both of them coming out of the bedroom. He threatens to throw Rodolpho out of the house and forbids Catherine to go with him. She is torn between her attachment to Eddie and her love for Rodolpho. Alfieri warns Eddie that he has no rights either morally or legally and to leave Catherine alone to make up her own mind about marriage. Eddie seems to be in love with Catherine but refuses to face this fact at any stage in the play. This love gives rise to tragedy, Eddie dies at the hands of Marco the Italian at the conclusion. Catherine falls in love with Rodolpho and their love is genuine and sincere. Their love is doomed to disaster and tragedy as a result of Eddies jealousy and possessive nature over Catherine.

Eddie dont want Catherine to get a job

E-whats the high heels for, Garbo? C-I figured for tonight- E- Do me a favour, will you? Go ahead

Eddie dont want Catherine to grow up. He wants her to stay as a baby When Eddie is dying Catherine says to him Eddie, I never meant to do nothing bad to you. E-Then why-Oh B Everything that had happened has completely ruined and changed there relationship even when he is dying he still can not properly forgive Catherine. But she is very upset as she always even when she had a go at Eddie cared and saw him as a father figure.

I dont think you listening any more to me Eddie says this to Catherine, he first thought he was in control and in charge of Catherine, but now its changed because she is in a relationship with Rodolfo, she doesnt depend on Eddie as much.

First seen as protective, then becomes clear his actions are because he is in love with Catherine. Eddie hits Rodolfo

Constantly questioning Rodolfos sexuality, as he doesnt want Catherine to be with him. He is trying to find any excuse as he is becoming desperate as the idea of Catherines and Rodolfos relationship develops.

When Eddie notices that Catherine and Rodolfo share an interest in each other his attitude towards them changes.
he aint right When asked if Eddie wants to go bowling he replies Im too tired. Goin to sleep, its significant as we see that he is changing his life to watch Catherine and Rodolfo.

E-Okay. I only wanted the best for you, Katie. I hope you know that Eddie is trying to guilt trip Catherine, as he knows he has lost her as she has decided to get married. He is trying anything to get her back.

when he comes home you throw yourself at him like when you was twelve years old You still walk around in front of him in your slip- Catherine is nave to how what she is doing is not helping. She sees her relationship as father and daughter while Eddie sees it as a different type of love.

At the end on Catherines wedding day you can see how she has developed into a women by finally sticking up for herself and Beatrice you got no more right to tell nobody nothin Eddie is hurt by these comments as he knows how upset Catherine is and he has lost her. There relationship is eroding.

A-she cant marry you, can she E-(furiously) whatre you talkin about, marry me! I dont know what the hell youre talking about! A-there is too much love for the daughter, there is too much love for the niece

E-Beatrice, shes a baby B-Well, you kept her a baby

you sit on the edge of the bathtub talkin to him when hes shavin in his underwear

Other people have noticed that Eddie sees Catherine in a different way. So they are not happy with their relationship as they can see what is going to happen.

Relationship of Eddie and Beatrice

Sexual relationship
Early on in the play it is established that their sexual contact is now very rare and an physical relationship is almost completely absent from their marriage. However the causes of this are never made very clear. Eddie and Beatrice both have very different feelings toward the situation.

Emotional Relationship
Throughout the Play it is very uncertain as to whether Beatrice and Eddie love each other anymore. They tend to argue a lot and it seems as thought Eddie cares more about protecting Catherine then pleasing his wife. Throughout the novella I did not think that Eddie loved Beatrice anymore as he seems very unbothered by her company and it appears he is in love with Catherine. In terms of Beatrice's emotion it seems as though Beatrice still loves Eddie HOWEVER she hates the way he is behaving and this is pushing her away from him. This adds to the tension of the piece as throughout we are begging for clues as to if they will make it as a couple. This confusion is then ended as Eddie dies as Beatrice says Eddie, I never meant to do nothing bad to you then why- Oh B yes, yes My B this last short conversation proves to the audience that Eddie does love Beatrice as all his last attention is to her and by calling her My B he is reclaiming the ownership he has over her as her husband and therefore showing his love in his final breath. This adds to the tragedy as it breaks your heart that just as they sort things out they loose each other.

BEATRICE; This lack of intimacy worries Beatrice a lot, and she seems to think this means Eddie is not attracted to her anymore. It seems as though Beatrice suspects his loss of desire for her is caused by a new desire for her niece Catherine, however she does not want to admit this and tiptoes around saying so. what's the matter, Eddie , you dont like me, heh?

EDDIE; Eddie avoids talking to Beatrice about their situation, it seems as though the topic very uncomfortable and this adds to the awkwardness as it is though he is hiding something. He claims I aint been feelin good. They bother me since they came. However Beatrice goes on to explain this has been going on since way before they arrived.

TENSION; This creates two types of tension in the play. First of all the most obvious as we can see Beatrice sexual frustration and this makes the subject very tense. However also for us as an audience to consider Eddie is more attracted to his niece than his wife seems disgusting and makes us feel tense and uncomfortable.

TENSION; this causes tension as we are just as oblivious and suspicious as Beatrice as to why Eddie is not feeling good and therefore everything he says makes us feel nervous as too how the play is going to end. We wonder if his marriage will survive , if these attractions to Catherine are true of just suspicion?

Greek Tragedy
Dramatic nature of play; the narrative is about how the ending will come about rather than what the ending will be. "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 and 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. Miller Similar to a Greek Tragedy because: The action all takes place in a single location - most of the action of this play takes place in the Carbones' apartment or immediately outside it. Alfieris office also fits into the setting. Alfieri is established immediately as the commentator. He is like the Chorus in a Greek tragedy, explaining the events on stage to the audience without actually participating in them. Although Alfieri does play some part in the action, it is clear that he was powerless and that nothing he could have done would have altered the bloody course. He tells us right from the start what is going to happen: dramatic interest is maintained because we want to find out how. He reminds us at various intervals during the play that the ending is inevitable, such as near the end of Act 1: "I could see every step coming, step after step, like a dark figure walking down a hall towards a certain door. Caesar is mentioned at the beginning of the play by Alfieri. This was to highlight the idea of a fatal flaw, which is a trait shared between Caesar and Eddie Eddies flaw being the fact he has a strong attachment to his niece. After ringing the immigration agency, Eddie is presented in a cathartic fashion, because he becomes more apologetic towards Rodolfo and Marco and starts to lose both his aggression and emotion. How this relates to suspense: The single location means that the story is very engaging and quickly goes to a climax; it also makes the characters more vulnerable because they cannot run away or hide. The fact that Alfieri is powerless to stop the oncoming disaster creates suspense because it makes the situation seem dire and inevitable because not even Alfieri (who represents omniscience) can stop it.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/dramaviewbridge/3drama_viewbridge_dramarev1.shtml

The majority of the tension revolves around Eddie. He is the focal point. The conflict caused by him results in tension between other characters. The physical conflict in Act One where Eddie is trying to teach Rodolfo how to box. The tense atmosphere during the boxing leads onto the shock in Act Two when an enraged Eddie kisses Catherine and Rodolfo and begins to start a fight. This confrontational scene prepares us for the final scene. Eddie is not present when Marco agrees not to take revenge, nevertheless he is never far from the readers thoughts as everything here is a direct result of Eddies actions. In some ways, his absence is even more powerful because Miller forces us to imagine what Eddie s reaction will be when he meets Marco and Rodolfo again. As Catherine and Rodolfo s relationship develops, so does the tension between Eddie and Catherine. It is evident he has feelings for her; feelings which an uncle should not have for a niece. As a result of feeling this way, Eddie constantly causes suspense between Catherine and Rodolfo unnecessarily, and selfishly.

The ending of the play is poignant, and filled with suspense. Perhaps the tension is accumulated as a private tragedy is very publicly discovered. The erosion of the family is extremely evident, as Eddies tragic flaw fully shows through. The fact that Eddie understands the code of honour yet is still willing to break it for his own needs acquires more tension, as the reader is aware of what is at stake, becoming gripped to Eddies horrific dialogue. The announcement of Catherine being asked to take a job, she was very pleased with this prestigious opportunity. However, Eddie s response led to tension being caused. He claimed to disapprove of the area where she worked, implying there were dodgy types of men around. This foreshadows later in the play how Eddie competes with his sexual frustration and tension he has for Catherine. Beatrice and Eddies marriage appears to be suffering under tension. For example, in Act Two, when Beatrice says Listen to me, I love you, Eddie responds with Dont bother me!. This implies their marriage is a victim of Eddies inner tension.

Alfieris last speech relates to his view on the events that had just happened. The line Most of the time now we settle for half and I like it better was first said by Alfieri at the start of the play, and relates to how society has changed, and has become more evolved and tolerant. By repeating this line, Alfieri links the start of the play to the end to reinforce the message that something's you cannot stop, and have no control over, which relates to the helplessness of the people around Eddie that could see what was going to happen. This therefore links with the Greek tragedy theme of the play, that everyone knows what is going to happen, but they do not know how it will.

For other characters in the play the question is raised whether Eddies motives were purely trying to protect Catherine, or whether he was seeing what he wanted to someone taking advantage of a vulnerable young girl, only looking for a way to stay in America. However this is only how Eddie sees Catherine as the same young childlike character that she has always been. He refuses to confront the fact that she is a woman, and his continuous shielding of her is the reason why, to him, she has grown up to quickly. Throughout the play Eddie is oblivious to the fact that Catherine is no longer a little girl, because of this, tension builds between them as she gets closer to Rodolfo.

The line not purely good, but himself purely, shows how even though Eddies motives could be interpreted as being unacceptable, as the feelings he has for Catherine are not commonly accepted because he is presented as her father figure. For him, he always did the right thing for Catherine and in the end was only trying to protect her from what he felt was a threat. Alfieri is saying that Eddie saw his actions as rational, and could not understand why people resented him for what he had done. The word purely demonstrates how Eddie felt about his own actions, as in his mind he was only acting in Catherines best interests.

Alfieri states that Eddies death was useless because in the end his death did not accomplish anything as he did not change the outcome of the event of marriage. His death did not impact the end of the story as much as it could of as even though everyone knew that Eddie would end up confronting Marco, this did not change Catherines decision to marry Rodolfo.

The quote it is better to settle for half also relates to the fact that Eddie should have let Catherine go, this would have solved all of the problems that they would later face, relieving the tension between the family. Both Alfieri and Beatrice continuously try to warn Eddie throughout the play, as they could see what the pressure between Eddie, Catherine and Rodolfo would ultimately lead to. This is why Alfieri keeps repeating this phrase, as he could see that the death of Eddie could have been avoided, if he himself could have seen what consequences his actions would have.

Love of a Family
At the beginning of the play, Catherine, Eddie and Beatrice are seen as a loving family. Marco is devoted to his family, he misses them very much and is in America in order to help them.

Father/Daughter Love
Eddie and Catherine, although niece and uncle, have a father and daughter relationship due to the fact that Eddie has sacrificed many things to provide Catherine with education.

Romantic Love
Beatrice and Eddies marriage is falling apart, Beatrice asks When am I going to be a wife again Eddie? Eddie is to caught up over Catherine. Beatrice and Eddie havent slept together for months. Quickly but surely, Catherine and Rodolfo fall in love and soon want to become married. Eddies feelings towards Catherine become sexual. This causes tension between Eddies marriage with Beatrice and Catherines relationship with Rodolfo.

Brotherly Love
The bond between Marco and Rodolfo is very strong, strong enough that Marco is willing to put his life on the line for his brother.

Love of a Place
Rodolfo and Marco both love their homeland. Rodolfo also loves America.

How this relates to Tension, Suspense and Interest..

Sexual tension is shown between Catherine and Rodolfo from the moment they meet: How come hes so dark and youre so light, Rodolfo? She instantly falls for him. The audience are very aware that Eddie is very much in love with Catherine, but within the play, Catherine is completely unaware of this which illustrates her naivety to these sort of situations. There are many different forms of love used within the play. Eddies love is so strong that he is willing to sacrifice his life for it by breaking the code of honour and betraying his family.

Verbal Conflicts. Eddie has numerous verbal conflicts in the play with, Catherine, Alfieri, Rodolfo, Marco and Beatrice. Some of which even lead to more physical conflicts such as one of the most significant sections of the play, when he fights Marco, leading to Eddies demise. Physical Conflicts. In addition to the fight to the death between Marco and Eddie another physical conflict takes place. The boxing match between Rodolfo and Eddie, whilst it may not be apparent that this fight spurred from an actual conflict, Eddie had concocted his own ideas about Rodolfo and almost instantly despised him from the second he laid eyes on Catherine.

Internal Conflict. Eddies internal conflict spurs from his love for Catherine. Eddie is a little bit confused about his feelings towards Catherine ever since Alfieri hinted that to him that maybe he likes Catherine a little too much. Eddie attempts to fight this feeling by going into sheer denial, if Catherine and Eddies bond is bought up by anyone in the play he becomes very defensive and immediately denies all accusations. Conflict with Society. Eddies internal conflict, originating from his love for Catherine, causes yet another conflict, this conflict is within his society. As Eddie becomes aware that he may like Catherine a little too much he becomes very hostile towards any suggestions that he may like her. This causes him to become very paranoid as he knows that whilst he and Catherine may not actually be related, society would not agree with Eddies type of love towards Catherine. All of these types of conflict create a sense of tension as Eddie begins to isolate himself from his friends and family as he slowly becomes more and more controlling and aggressive.

Honour- is shown to be very important, throughout the play, especially to the male characters. It means far more to them than the law. To be honourable is to be respected. If you do anything dishonourable, you lose respect. That is why Marco and Eddie are so keen to protect their names and get a 'just' conclusion. Codes of honour bind families and the whole neighbourhood with a sense of community. Everyone should look out for one another, to betray someone is the most dishonourable action imaginable. Honour is what fuels most actions, both passive and aggressive. For example; the fact that Eddie doesnt pursue his apparent love for Catherine is because it is unjust, and will be seen as dishonourable. It is also what drives Marco to pursue Eddie, as he has dishonoured him and must regain his honour.

In the play every character has honour sown into their life style and their actions, all apart from Rodolfo. All throughout the play he is seen as the wild brother. He never sent any money home to help Marcos family, he is always buying for himself. His lack of honour also creates tension as it increase Eddies hatred for Rodolfo.

Marco believes the only honourable course is to punish Eddie when Eddie betrayed the brothers. Alfieri tries to persuade him otherwise: "To promise not to kill is not dishonourable" - but Marco's sense of honour it too strong. (It is interesting that Marco had given Alfieri his word that he would not harm Eddie, yet then does so: clearly, Marco's need for revenge is stronger than any fear about breaking a promise. Also the protect Marcos and Rodolfos honour, Marco gives Eddie a challenge, to lift the chair, on one knee, with one arm behind his back. Eddie cannot do this and when Marco achieves this he lifts it above Eddies head, and issues him a challenge, this creates tension.

Eddie tells Beatrice, "It's an honour, B. I mean it." when they discuss the imminent arrival of the cousins. Perhaps one of the reasons why Eddie finds it impossible to admit his love for Catherine is because he knows how dishonourable it is? When Eddie rats out the two cousins he loses all respect from the community. Could it be that Eddie has become Americanised, because he is going against the community?

Honour in Italy is a big part of the community. All actions are done and averted from due to honour and how the community will react. This is carried over into the small city Red Hook by the Brooklyn bridge as they are mainly all Italian immigrants. Honour is now a huge part of the community, this is hinted at by Louis saying You got a lot a credit comin to ya Eddie. This implied that this is one of the motives for Eddie allowing the two cousins for coming over. Eddie is such a huge part of the community that it would cause a member of the family to be thrown onto the street, this is shown in the story of Vinny Bolzano.

Alfieri:
Women in the play:
There is a constant , subtle, struggle between Beatrice and Catherine. This is fuelled mainly by Beatrices jealousy of the way Eddie treats Catherine. The struggle between them is so prolonged due to their fatal flaws and strengths.
For example Catherine is more educated than Beatrice and therefore perhaps more intelligent giving her a higher social and hierarchy standing then if she wasnt but she often acts childish, until the end, which prevents many people, mostly males, taking Catherine seriously for example Rodolfo calls her baby to comfort her and Beatrice recalls the time when Catherine would watch Eddie shave in the bathroom. Beatrice however is very experienced and adult compared to Catherine, this was probably due to Catherine being held back by Eddie which Beatrice probably did not have to experience. Throughout the play it feels as if Beatrice has more power as she often advises Catherine and tells her what to do, however especially near the end, Catherine begins to be more forward and demanding. People begin to acknowledge her this is when I believe that Beatrice begins to lose her hold, as she becomes depressed due to relationship problems and her world is then turned upside down emotionally when Eddie is killed. This probably would shift the hierarchy and power between the two as Catherine would have to comfort Beatrice and look after her. 1. During a view from a bridge the highest person in the hierarchy of a view from the bridge is Alfieri throughout the story. 2. In the play Alfieri is often portrayed as omniscient (all knowing) . He is also given a higher social class then everyone else through his profession and him being educated. (in a different social bracket) 3. Alfieri actually does a have a view from a bridge. He has an outside view of the events, he knows what is going to happen but cannot prevent the unfolding of events. 4. Is the chorus, separates him from everyone else.

Tension:
Tension is created for the audience as it becomes evident that there are power struggles in the story. This makes it inevitable for their to be collision points in the story. In a way this makes the play more interesting. This is done in several scenes, for example when Eddie walks in drunk on Catherine and Rodolfo or the boxing between Eddie and Rodolfo.

Men in the play: The main battle for power and therefore better social standing is within the circle male of characters. The struggle for dominance would only ever be between Eddie and Marco. 1.Marco has a big physical stature, gives him a dominating presence in the play. Many people describe feats of his strength throughtout the play. 2.Eddie has a more technical approach to his dominance in the play for example his skills in boxing are shown in the novel, he also picks away subtly at people and makes snide remarks to people this is especially done to Rodolfo. However he still is quite strong, he pins down Rodolfo. A main confrontation point between the two is the scene in which both attempt to lift a chair, Eddie is unable to but Marco succeeds and even lifts it into a position which makes it look like he is about to strike Eddie with the chair. He then grins. This shows that Marco now knows that he is much stronger which gives him some power over Eddie.

In View from the Bridge, Alfieri is the law and states that it is better to accept a flawed legal order than to take matters into your own hands. Alfieri is the voice of reason in the play, the most important character in the play. Represents the community in Red hook, the community get along following un-official laws of justice and honour. Eddie is seen as scum by the neighbourhood as he broke the law regarding submarines.

It is best to settle for half

When characters take up their own idea of justice, conflict occurs. Eddie is killed as a result of his and Marcos shared idea of going to regain justice. Marco wants justice after Eddie tells the immigration police of them. Eddie wants justice after Marco disgraced his name in front of the whole neighbourhood

Justice & The Law

The main idea of Law, explained by Alfieri is that the written law may not always act in favour of justice yet it is better to follow the law than to take it into your own hands

Tension/Suspense: Justice and Law:

- Thy Story of Vinny Bolzano, left town as he told officials of his illegal Uncle - Rodolpho telling Marco who is the real judge of events, Only God makes justice. Alfieri sets the scene and expresses his views of what is right and wrong in regard to the actions of certain characters at the beginning of each act. This relates to Greek Tragedy as your aware of the main idea, however you do not know the details, this builds suspense as you are left to wonder how the play will pan out.

Miller intended to manipulate the dramatic nature of the play by making the play a Greek Tragedy. This meant that the outcome of the situation would be obvious, but it would be the way that the characters reached the outcome that would make the play dramatic.

Eddies relationship towards Catherine could be interpreted as the start of the Greek tragedy; this is because it could be seen that this would eventually lead to disaster. It is the introduction of Marco & Rodolfo that are the how in the Greek Tragedy and they help the tragedy to develop. In effect Alfieri represents fate because although he does not have a major role as a character in the play, he foreshadows and is the omniscient being that reveals the Greek Tragedy to the reader.

Religious connotations are predominately referred to towards the end of the play. This highlights the Role of Fate and suggests that God may be the only being who can judge, he is the ultimate role of fate.

These connotations that all allude to God foreshadow Eddies death. People that are close to death sometimes become religious, this could represent how Eddie has lost his name, his family and his reputation and is now about to lose his life.

Eddies fate could have been predicted from the beginning of the play

Act 1: "I could see every step coming, step after step, like a dark figure walking down a hall towards a certain door. - Alfieri

Foreshadowing is used throughout the play, to fit with the Greek style of it. We need to know what happens but not how it happens. This is what the foreshadowing does, mainly through Alfieri.

Act 1 - Opening
The use of the proper noun Caesar. Alfieri mentions Caesar, who like most characters in tragedy's, have a tragic flaw. Caesar was too proud and thought the world revolved around him. This is foreshadowing as Alfieri mentions this just before he talks about Eddie Carbone. Eddie Carbone has a tragic flaw, in that he also thinks the world revolves around him.

Vinny Bolzano Story

Eddie mentions the Vinny Bolzano story to scare Catherine into making sure the cousins aren't caught. In the Vinnie snitches on his uncle and he is humiliated in the street by his own parents and he leaves his house never to be heard of again. This is foreshadowing as it is hinting that this story will repeat itself. This is ironic as the story that Eddie tells actually happens to him, and the use of the foreshadowing prepares us for Vinnys fate.

Tension, Suspense, Interest or Engagement We are constantly being told that Eddie is going to die through multiple layers of

foreshadowing. All the way through the play we are being prepared for Eddies death. This means that the engagement of the play cant be in the death itself, but actually in the build up of the play. The inquisitive nature of our minds doesnt care as much about what happen, rather how it lead to that point. This of course relates strongly to the idea behind a Greek tragedy. The tension and suspense are used in the events building up to Eddies death, as this is the unknown factor of the play how.