a view from the bridge greek tragedy essay

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Tragedy in A View from the Bridge

Argues that plays are structured so that the resolution of conflict appears as a “natural” or inevitable consequence of the moral and ethical concerns raised in the play.

In A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller, the downfall of Eddie Carbone is the inevitable consequence of the moral and ethical concerns raised in the play. The structure of the play makes Eddie?s tragic downfall obvious, with the use of structural tragic elements and foreshadows showing to the audience that Eddies downfall is certain. Eddie?s opposition with insurmountable obstacles such as trying to overcome the dichotomy between law and justice and his attempts to impose ?old world? values in a modern and progressive American culture are doomed to failure. His inability to compromise and his refusal to admit his mistakes brings about his defeat at the end of the play, the resolution of conflict appearing as the ?natural? consequence to the audience. The conflict between European ?old world? values with modern American values is an obstacle that Eddie cannot overcome, largely as a result of his inability to compromise. The old world values that Eddie strives to enforce in his life primarily manifest themselves in his over-protectiveness of Catherine. His feelings for her spark his crusade to enforce his traditional Italian values in a culture that embraces freedom, materialism and independence rather than the old values regarding courtship and ?proper? behavior. Eddie cannot enforce these values, and the futility in trying to do so is seen clearly in the conflicts that Eddie has with both Catherine and Rodolpho. He admonishes Catherine for ?walkin? wavy? telling her she is the ?Madonna type?: trying to impose traditional values of chastity and modesty in a modern culture where short skirts and high heels are ?the style now? and flaunting femininity and sexuality is not frowned upon. His conflict with Rodolpho also shows Eddie?s disapproval of modern values, criticising Rodolpho for his carefree attitude to life, spending his pay on ?a snappy new jacket? records, a pointy pair new shoes?. Eddie?s determination to impose his traditional values on youths immersed in American culture and modern values is doomed to failure as his attitudes are shown to be backward and inappropriate and will never be accepted. Eddie?s refusal to compromise and inability to see truth in any opinion but his own leads to a conflict that can only be resolved by his downfall. Eddie?s inappropriate feelings for Catharine are a further obstacle to compromise and facilitate his determination to quash the love between Rodolpho and Catherine, as Eddie is fuelled by feelings of jealousy. His wife Beatrice realises this and says ?You want somethin? else, Eddie, and you can never have her!? Eddies determination is fixated on an impossible and unrealistic goal: to keep Catherine in the role that he has envisioned for her, determined to keep her purity and innocence in his role for her as a ?Madonna?, never counting on the fact that she ?would ever grow up?. Eddie clearly has inappropriate feelings for Catherine as he is reluctant to let her gain her independence by taking a job, and criticises her for flaunting her sexuality by wearing high heels and short skirts. Eddie ?enveloping? Catherine with his eyes is an inappropriate gesture suggesting that his interest in her is more than paternal. Such feelings are also evident with Eddie?s jealousy of the love between Rodolpho and Catherine. He regards Rodolpho with ?concealed suspicion?, taking an immediate dislike to him as Catherine makes it clear that she likes him, exclaiming that he is ?practically blond? and attracted to his good looks and light-heated manner. Beatrice realises Eddie?s jealousy of Rodolpho straight away, saying ?you?re just jealous? as Eddie starts his criticisms of Rodolpho, saying he gives him the ?heebie-jeebies? and ?he?s like a chorus girl or something?. In Eddie?s determination to keep Catherine and Rodolpho apart, he constantly criticises Rodolpho. Eddie is keen to find any excuse to try and tear Rodolpho and Catherine apart, accusing Rodolpho of being ?a weird? and then claiming that he is ?lookin? for his break?, using Catherine to get his American citizenship. Ironically, Eddie?s efforts to keep the couple apart only bring them closer together and serve to ostracize himself from Catherine. His criticisms bring him further away from the conclusion that he hopes for. As Eddie refuses to compromise in a situation where his desired outcome is not possible, it is inevitable that a resolution of conflict will only be brought about by the death of Eddie. A View from the Bridge displays tragic elements that add to the tone of inevitability evident throughout the play. Eddie is a modern tragic hero: an ordinary individual whose wish for Catherine not to marry Rodolpho is so intense that he is willing to give up everything else in the pursuit of his convictions. He is ?not purely good, but himself purely? as his beliefs are not perfect, but he is determined to stick by them. Eddie shows the characteristics of the tragic hero as he is of high moral worth but is unmistakably human: he is vulnerable as his pride leads to an error of judgement in regards to Rodolpho. His jealousy of Rodolpho leads him to deceive himself in thinking that Rodolpho ?is not right? and that he is intent on exploiting Catherine?s love for him to gain his American citizenship. Eddie remains the hero of the play rather than being perceived by the audience as a villain as his moral nobility and the dogged determination to pursue his convictions is admirable and he moves the audience to pity as his misfortune is greater than deserved. His refusal to compromise is a heroic quality, but is this flaw which leads to his downfall as he will not ?swallow his pride? and ?settle for half?. The use of Alfieri as the chorus is another tragic element used in the play. Alfieri responds to the action and sets the mood for A View from the Bridge. Being a lawyer, Alfieri is able to give the audience interpretations of the action that cannot be formulated by Eddie?s uneducated group and is able to articulate and explore the ironies and ambiguities of the situation. In this position, Alfieri plays a large part in setting the tone of inevitability through the use of foreshadows. Alfieri introduces himself as a lawyer ?thought of in connexion with disasters? and the play is introduced with Alfieri watching the action ?run its bloody course?, and in doing so makes it immediately clear that the resolution of conflict will only be brought about by an act of violence. Alfieri knows that Eddie?s misconceptions will lead him to tragedy and can do nothing despite the fact he has all the evidence before him. Alfieri?s feeling of powerlessness as he ?lost his strength somewhere? and ?could see every step coming,? adds to the tone of inevitability as the resolution of conflict is predetermined, and nothing can stop the events from running their course. The use of foreshadow is a powerful structural element of A View from the Bridge, making the downfall of Eddie seem to be an inevitable consequence to the conflicts that his actions precipitate. While Alfieri?s comments to the audience use foreshadow to indicate the certainty of Eddie?s downfall to the audience, action in the play also indicates future events. Eddie?s destruction at the hands of Marco is made certain in the chair lifting scene where Marco raises the chair ?like a weapon? over Eddie, warning Eddie against threatening Rodolpho with a show of strength. This establishes Marco as a threat to Eddie as such a show of strength represents masculinity, proving that Marco is more of a ?man? than Eddie and has the power to defeat him. Eddie?s determination to sacrifice everything in his efforts to tear Rodolpho and Catherine apart alienates Eddie from those around him. Eddie stops at nothing in the pursuit of his convictions and in doing so distances himself from those he most loves. His close relationship with Catherine is destroyed by Eddie?s endless criticisms of Rodolpho. Eddie?s efforts to discredit Rodolpho isolate him from Catherine and also force Catherine to become independent from Eddie and make her own decisions, saying ?I think I can?t stay here no more? I?m not gonna be a baby any more!? Eddie?s continued resistance against Catherine?s marriage turns him away from her completely as Catherine comes to think of Eddie as a ?rat? who ?comes when nobody?s lookin? and poisons decent people?. Eddie?s relationship with his wife also becomes tenuous, as Beatrice is anxious for Catherine to gain her independence while Eddie is striving for her to remain a ?baby? under his influence. This creates a lot of tension between them, aggravated by the fact that Eddie expects Beatrice to ?believe? him, saying ?If I tell you that guy ain?t right don?t tell me he is right?. Beatrice?s resistance to Eddie?s claims about Rodolpho leads Eddie to think he has lost his ?respect?. Eddie deludes himself into thinking that Rodolpho ?ain?t right? to justify his efforts to discredit him in front of Catherine and does not care about the effect this has on his marriage. Ironically, it is only at the end when Eddie comes to the realisation that it is Beatrice and not Catherine who is most important in his life. Eddie proves that he will stop at nothing to try and keep Rodolpho and Catherine apart when he ?snitches? on Marco and Rodolpho to Immigration. Eddie secures his own downfall when he rings Immigration as the backlash from the community for such an act is bound to end in the act of violence that is suggested by Alfieri in the beginning of the play as the events will run their ?bloody course?. Early in the play, Eddie describes the fate of Vinny Bolzano who ?snitched to Immigration? on his uncle and was ousted by the community, ostracized for the rest of his life and regarded with scorn and contempt. A similar fate is inevitable for Eddie, who is prepared to give up his status in the community to make Rodolpho go back to Italy, as he sees that as the only option available to him. By ringing Immigration, Eddie?s downfall is secured as Marco is set against Eddie, spitting into Eddie?s face and calling him an ?animal? and the killer of his children. However, it is Eddie?s refusal to admit his mistakes and to admit that he disgraced his name by ringing Immigration that brings about the final confrontation between Eddie and Marco. Marco wants retribution against Eddie for forcing him to go back to Italy, ruining his families chances of ever escaping poverty. Again, Eddie is seeking the impossible: to ?get his name? and dignity from an apology from Marco, when it was Eddie who relinquished his own dignity in the pursuit of his unfortunate convictions. While it is Marco that kills Eddie, it is the knife that Eddie drew that is the instrument for his death, signifying self-destruction. It is this self-destruction that is evident throughout the play as Eddie?s downfall is brought about through his own failings and mistakes, rather than the mistakes of others having an impact on him. In A View from the Bridge it is made evident that American law is not consistent with justice as Eddie?s destruction is aided by the American system of law, his downfall signifying an inadequacy in the legal system. Alfieri is only too aware or the inadequacy of the law, saying, ?Only God makes justice?. The dichotomy existing between law and justice is highlighted by Eddie?s actions of calling Immigration, the only legal solution open to him to get rid of Rodolpho. However, it is this legal solution that conflicts with the moral codes that Eddie abides by. Eddie is able to use the law to try and put an end to a situation, which he only sees as being unjust as ?morally and legally? he has no rights in regards to his efforts to separate Catherine and Rodolpho. In abandoning his moral code to ring Immigration, Eddie brings about his own destruction by Marco, who lives by a traditional moral code and is adamant to bring about justice, whatever the cost. Like Eddie, Marco does not know the meaning of compromise, as he feels obligated to kill Eddie for what he has done. The law proves to be totally incapable of handling a situation where the pursuit for justice is more important than upholding the law, and breaking the law to obtain justice seems insignificant. It is in this situation where the death of Eddie by Marco is made inevitable, as Marco is intent on upholding justice rather than law. The resolution of conflict brought about by the downfall of Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge is seen to be the inevitable consequence of the moral and ethical issues raised in the play. Old world values are shown to be inappropriate in American society, and Eddie?s attempts to enforce his old fashioned morals is doomed to failure, leading to an unfortunate conclusion as Eddie lacks the ability to compromise. Eddie?s inappropriate feelings towards Catharine act as a further barrier to compromise, facilitating his determination to try and tear Catharine and Rodolpho apart. Tragic elements also add to the tone of inevitability with the use of foreshadows the use of Alfieri as the chorus and Eddie as the tragic hero, with his vulnerability and misconceptions leading him to self-destruction. His dogged attempts to humiliate Rodolpho before Catherine alienate Eddie from those he most loves, and in ?snitching? to Immigration Eddie ostracizes himself from the whole community. Eddie cannot overcome the insurmountable obstacles that stand in the path for him to enforce his views on those around him, and the impossibility of realising his convictions lead to Eddie?s death, as the resolution of conflict in such a situation can only result from Eddie?s downfall.

Literature Studies

Exploring Literature for A Level Study

A View from the Bridge

Miller’s use of the chorus in a modern tragedy.

When we think of tragedy, we tend to think of Aristotle’s definitions of Greek Classical tragedy, set out in his Poetics . While many subsequent plays might be considered tragic in terms of their plot, when Arthur Miller wrote A View from the Bridge , he consciously modelled his play on the Classical Greek models. His tragic hero, however, is not a significant figure, but a lowly, ordinary working man. Eddie Carbone is a docker, ‘ a husky, overweight longshoreman ’, unloading ships in New York. In his ‘ clean, sparse, homely ’ apartment he enjoys a cosy, loving family life; the opening of the play’s action gives little indication of the tragedy to come.

However, the audience is already aware, because Miller uses a Chorus. The ancient Greek playwrights used a Chorus, a group of actors who danced and sang, interpreting the action, guiding the audience’s response, filling in parts of the story and reacting to events on stage. A View from the Bridge is not a musical – there is no group of singers and dancers. Instead, Miller opens the play with a monologue by a lawyer, Alfieri, who provides much the same function as the Greek Chorus. He gives the background and context, hints at violence and introduces Eddie in the past tense. He also comments that he was ‘powerless’ as he watched the story ‘run its bloody course.’ From the start, then, Miller creates that sense of inevitability which is a hallmark of tragedy.

The Powerlessness of the Chorus

The powerlessness to which Alfieri refers is an important part of the tradition of the Greek Chorus. Importantly, the Chorus was affected by the events of the play, but could never intervene or alter their course. Aeschylus daringly comes close to challenging this in his play Agamemnon , when the Chorus of rather ineffectual old men actually approaches the stage to challenge the regime of the queen, but Clytemnestra appears just before their ascent to send then scurrying back by the pure force of her scorn.

Alfieri is an updating of that idea. He is a character within the play as well as a commentator on it. In Alfieri’s opening monologue, Miller establishes that the play is a recreation of his memories; the events it portrays have already happened; the story is finished. That creates a modern interpretation of the inevitability of tragedy, as Alfieri cannot of course change the past.

Alfieri’s Interventions in the Plot

Alfieri’s legal expertise and position within the New York Italian immigrant community makes him a confidant for Eddie, and this allows Miller several occasions when Alfieri is part of the story. While he is used to fill in the gaps and provide explanations, his discussions with Eddie are crucial to the play’s development. He comments on Eddie’s eyes ‘like tunnels’ and on his ‘passion’ and it is his insistence on the legitimacy of the relationship between Eddie’s niece, Catherine, and the immigrant Rodolfo which goads Eddie to the revelation of his deep-seated anxieties about Rodolfo’s sexuality. It is also he who articulates that Eddie might have ‘too much love for the niece.’ An alert audience might have picked up on the sexual undercurrents of the play, but Miller uses Alfieri to make them explicit.

Alfieri’s Warnings

He also makes his choric role explicit. Looking back, he admits that he ‘could see every step coming, step after step’. There was nothing he could do then, and certainly nothing he can do now to alter the tragic direction of the story. He asks himself why, as ‘an intelligent man’, he ‘was so powerless to stop it.’ This speech is towards the end of the first act of a two act play, so it also acts as a key foreshadowing device for the audience. This anticipation of further developments is another traditional feature of tragic dramatic construction. In Act Two, when Eddie moves to make his fatal phonecall of betrayal, Alfieri warns him ‘You won’t have a friend in the world, Eddie! …Put it out of your mind!’ But this is a tragedy, and Alfieri is a Chorus, who cannot intervene even if he wants to. Eddie makes the call.

Despite Alfieri’s attempts at peace-making, he is of course proved right and the dénouement is bloody. Miller gives his Chorus the last word and Alfieri makes a final pitch at positioning a flawed, violent dock worker as a tragic hero, a man ‘not purely good, but himself purely, for he allowed himself to be wholly known’.

Watch this interview with Arthur Miller about the play:

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A View from The Bridge: Themes of Immigration and Tragedy

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Published: Sep 7, 2023

Words: 639 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The immigrant experience, family and betrayal, justice and tragedy, relevance and impact.

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A View from the Bridge: Greek Tragedy - Eddie's Downfall!

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

29 January 2022

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A View from the Bridge Lesson Bundle!

This engaging, varied, and informative scheme of learning is designed to help students gain understanding, assessment skills, and key interpretations of Arthur Miller's play 'A View from the Bridge.' Made up of a wide-range of interesting and exciting lessons, students should complete this scheme having gathered vital skills in: interpreting the significant meanings of the text, understanding the writer's ideas within the text, identifying the traits of key characters, settings, and themes, understanding dramatic and language devices, and relating the text to its social and historical context. Stimulating, visual, and easily adaptable, these lessons provide suggested learning objectives and outcomes for students of a wide-range of abilities - The vast majority of tasks are differentiated to allow for different abilities and needs in your classroom. Each lesson loosely follows this logical learning journey to ensure that students learn in bite-size steps: \- Engaging \- Defining/ Understanding \- Identifying/Remembering \- Analysing/ Creating \- Peer or self evaluating. All of the lessons are interactive, employ a variety of different teaching and learning methods and styles, and are visually-engaging. Resources, worksheets, and lesson plans are all provided.

A View from the Bridge Huge Bundle!

THIS BUNDLE CONTAINS ALL OF THE 'A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE LESSONS, IN ADDITION TO THE COMPREHENSION BOOKLET, THE KNOWLEDGE ORGANISER AND THE POINTLESS GAME! This engaging, varied, and informative scheme of learning is designed to help students gain understanding, assessment skills, and key interpretations of Arthur Miller's play 'A View from the Bridge.' Made up of a wide-range of interesting and exciting lessons, students should complete this scheme having gathered vital skills in: interpreting the significant meanings of the text, understanding the writer's ideas within the text, identifying the traits of key characters, settings, and themes, understanding dramatic and language devices, and relating the text to its social and historical context. Stimulating, visual, and easily adaptable, these lessons provide suggested learning objectives and outcomes for students of a wide-range of abilities - The vast majority of tasks are differentiated to allow for different abilities and needs in your classroom. Each lesson loosely follows this logical learning journey to ensure that students learn in bite-size steps: \- Engaging \- Defining/ Understanding \- Identifying/Remembering \- Analysing/ Creating \- Peer or self evaluating. All of the lessons are interactive, employ a variety of different teaching and learning methods and styles, and are visually-engaging. Resources, worksheets, and lesson plans are all provided.

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Ms Bellamy's English Class blog

N5 - 'a view from a bridge'.

• Justice and the Law
• Natural law vs written law
• Masculinity
• The importance of reputation (importance of your name)
• Responsibility
• Forbidden Desires
• Women and Femininity
• Language forms – Educated, controlled dialogue of Alfieri vs. raw nature of Eddie’s speech.
• Metaphors and imagery 
• Dramatic tension
• Foreshadowing – hinting at events to come
• Dramatic irony – when the audience knows more than the character about a situation.
• A close father/daughter relationship
• Eddie is protective of Catherine and Catherine cares deeply about what Eddie thinks of her.
• Catherine cares for and looks after Eddie/eager to please and Eddie appreciates this and wants what is best for her.
• Tensions have started to form due to the arrival of Rodolpho and Catherine’s attraction towards him
• Eddie has become far more controlling and cruel towards Catherine
• Catherine is upset by Eddie and is angered at the way he is treating her
• Catherine begins to speak out against him/is not so easy to please.

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A View From the Bridge

Clarity, perspective, and tragedy in a view from the bridge anonymous 11th grade.

Arthur Miller wrote A View from the Bridge , a work set in the late 1940s, as he became interested in the Italian immigration at the Brooklyn docks. Fascinated by the life of Pete Panto, a longshoreman who challenged the work of the Mafia, Miller wrote the play in the form of a Greek tragedy, of which Alfieri is the chorus. Annoyed by critics not capturing “the real and inner theme of the play,” Alfieri acts as an impartial, omniscient figure who helps us to fully understand the tragic demise of Eddie at the hands of the corrupt Italian-American society, “a bridge between the old and new worlds” (Stephen Marino).

Miller positions Alfieri as the chorus in this play, which adheres to Aristotle's classic tragic structure. Under Aristotle's scheme, that there should be a protagonist who suffers from a “tragic flaw” and hence falls from his earlier high status, a fall which “should come about as the result, not of vice, but of some great error or frailty in the character”; in Miller’s case, Eddie falls due to his obsession with Catherine and with his own dignity. In terms of the chorus, Aristotle argues that “it should be an integral part of the whole,” contributing to the actual play, not simply providing “mere interludes.” And so...

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A View from the Bridge Essay

A View from the Bridge is a play by Arthur Miller. The play is set in Brooklyn in the 1950s and tells the story of Italian-American dockworker Eddie Carbone.

Eddie is a proud and protective man, who is deeply devoted to his family. However, his loyalty to his family is put to the test when he falls in love with his niece, Catherine.

The playwright uses a number of devices to foreshadow the tragedy that will ultimately unfold. For example, Eddie’s brother-in-law Marco talks about how he had to leave his home in Italy because he was accused of being a Communist. This sets up the idea that there may be political tensions within the family. Additionally, Eddie’s obsession with Catherine and his possessiveness of her foreshadow the tragedy that will occur when he tries to stop her from marrying her boyfriend, Rodolfo.

Ultimately, it is clear from the beginning of the play that it will end in tragedy. The playwright uses a number of devices to hint at the tragic events that will take place, making it evident from the start that A View from the Bridge will be a tragic story.

A tragedy in a play script is dramatic with an unhappy conclusion, but it does not always have to end in death. A tragedy may be a sad occurrence, calamity, serious accident, or crime without any connection to the play. Eddie has both a severe accident and an act of betrayal in A View from the Bridge, making it a tragedy. The notion of a tragic finish becomes more apparent through certain elements of the drama (such as time and place), as well as the setting and background.

Eddie’s character is one which instantly creates a sense of unease and tragedy. A control freak, Eddie is constantly trying to be the head of the house, making decisions for everyone else without any regard for how they might feel. This lack of empathy sets him up as someone who is not going to have a happy ending – he is too wrapped up in himself to be able to see what is happening around him. The fact that he lives in such a small, cramped apartment also suggests that he is trapped both physically and emotionally.

The play is set in Red Hook, Brooklyn in 1955. Red Hook was (and still is) a very poor area of New York City. It was known for being a tough place to live, with high crime rates and a lot of poverty. The fact that the play is set here adds to the sense that it will not have a happy ending – the characters are already struggling to make ends meet, so it is unlikely that things will work out well for them.

The play also deals with some heavy topics, such as illegal immigration and violence. These are both things that can lead to tragedy, and Miller does not shy away from showing the darker side of life in Red Hook. There are several scenes in which Eddie gets angry and violent, and it is clear that he is capable of doing serious harm to others.

All of these factors come together to create a sense that A View from the Bridge is heading towards a tragic ending. Eddie is a deeply flawed character who is struggling to deal with some difficult situations. The play itself is set in a tough, dangerous place and deals with some dark themes. All of this makes it clear that the play will not have a happy ending.

The play’s setting, both on stage and in society, is the first aspect to be noticed. The play’s only few essential props are found on the stage. The presence of Alfieri’S OFFICE and a FIRE ESCAPE creates an impression of attempting to avoid legal entanglements. A phone booth also appears, implying something terrible will happen when illegal immigrants arrive.

The colour red is also significant as it is seen as a warningsignal. The colour is used for the car, Marco and Rodolpho’s shirts and on the fire escape. A View from the Bridge is set in Red Hook, Brooklyn in 1955. The time period is vital to an understanding of the play as it provides context surrounding the events that take place.

At this time, America was undergoing massive social change with immigration playing a large role. This was a time of great tension between those who were pro-immigration and those who were against it. This tension is reflected in the play through the conflict between Eddie and Marco.

Eddie is introduced as a man who is struggling to come to terms with his own identity in a changing world. He is a longshoreman who has worked on the docks for many years. He is a respected member of the community, but he is also a man who feels threatened by the changes that are taking place around him. He is particularly afraid of immigrants, and this fear is what drives his conflict with Marco and Rodolpho.

Eddie’s niece, Catherine, is also introduced in the play. She is a young woman who is caught between two worlds. She is attracted to Eddie, but she is also drawn to Rodolpho. She represents the innocence of the American dream, and her choices will have a major impact on the events of the play.

The final character to be introduced is Alfieri. He is an Italian-American lawyer who serves as the play’s narrator. He is a voice of reason who tries to guide Eddie away from his self-destructive path.

The play opens with Eddie and Catherine preparing for Rodolpho’s arrival. Eddie is immediately suspicious of him, and he does everything he can to try to keep him away from Catherine. However, Catherine is drawn to him, and she eventually agrees to marry him.

Eddie’s suspicion of Marco and Rodolpho turns into jealousy, and he starts to plot against them. He falsely accuses them of being illegal immigrants in order to get them deported. This ultimately leads to tragedy, as Marco takes desperate measures to protect his family.

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