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The Dramatic Importance of the Role of Alfieri in A View From the Bridge

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The Dramatic Importance of the Role of Alfieri in A View From the Bridge First performed in 1956. Arthur Millers play 'A view from the bridge' was originally set in the 1940's and started life as a one act verse before Arthur Miller converted it to a two act play to enhance and make it more enjoyable for the audience of today. In the title 'A view from the bridge' Arthur Miller is referring to the Brooklyn Bridge which used to be the largest cable bridge in the world and its main purpose is to separate Manhattan from the slums of Brooklyn such as Redhook. One of Arthur Miller's main intentions for writing this play was to show that it is still possible for all the pressures and problems of the …show more content…

Eddie is a longshoreman and earns his living on the New York docks and he is the plays protagonist but also as a famous Greek philosopher called Aristotle said " The tragic hero is one who is neither villainous nor exceptionally virtuous, moving from happiness to misery through some frailty or error in judgement." And this is exactly what Eddie Carbone is, a tragic hero. The plot is based around Eddie agreeing to shelter Marco and Rodolfo (his wife, Beatrice's illegally immigrated cousins) while they seek refuge in the Sicilian community of Redhook. As his wife's niece Catherine whom he has unconditional love for as a daughter begins to take a liking to Rodolfo, Eddies love begins to transform into jealousy and hate of Rodolfo and as a consequence Eddie commits an unjustifiable and indefensible act of hatred which in the Sicilian community would be classed as a 'crime' against everybody around him including his family by revealing Marco and Rodolfo to the immigration bureau. The background to Arthur Millers 'A view from the bridge' and also the inspiration was brought upon Miller by one of his friends who himself was a lawyer and had heard the story. After visiting Sicily for himself Arthur Miller decided to act upon it and as a result brought about the writing of 'A view from the bridge'. The Sicilian immigrant community is the focal point of the play and has themes of

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