A View From a Bridge BBC Bitesize Notes

8/19/2019 A View From a Bridge BBC Bitesize Notes

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“A View From A Bridge”

When the play begins, we see the Carbone family - part of a poor Italian commnity in

Broo!lyn - e"cited abot the imminent arri#al of Beatrice$s cosins from Italy% &et the

arri#al of 'arco and (odolpho fires p tensions that ha#e been smoldering nder the

srface of the family for a while, and the reslt is tragic%

)ddie Carbone

• Eddie is 40 years old, an American of Sicilian decent. He is described as "a husky,

slightly overweight longshoreman."

• He is an ordinary man, part of the local Italian community.

• He is master of the hose - both Beatrice and Catherine are obiously used to him

layin! do"n the rules. He sees this as a #manly# thin! to do and he e$pects all men to do the

same - "hich is "hy he cannot accept %odolpho#s more !entle talents.

• He is !enerous enou!h to offer a home to Beatrice#s cousins, but at the same time

sli!htly "ary and self-protecti#e or selfish - he reminds Beatrice not to let them sleep in his

bed. &'erhaps this prepares us for the "ay he deals "ith his loe for Catherine( is he selfish

then too)*

• He doesn$t trst people easily. He tells Catherine, "the less you trust, the less you be

sorry." &+his prepares us for his suspicion of %odolpho.*

• He is concerned about his honor and protectin! his !ood name. He ends the tale of

the informer inny Bolano, "a guy do a thing like that? How's he gonna show his face?"

• He is ery protecti#e of Catherine, "hom he has brou!ht up as if she "ere his o"n

dau!hter. He paid for her typin! lessons and had ambitions for her to rise to a different class.

He is proud of her loos, yet concerned that she "ill attract the attention of men and is

concerned about her ne" /ob. He finds it hard to admit that she has become a "oman. "I

guess I just never figured... that you would ever grow up."

• Ho"eer, it soon becomes apparent that Eddie is in lo#e with Catherine. He has not

made loe to his "ife for three months. He uicly becomes *ealos of %odolpho because of

the immediate impression %odolpho maes on Catherine. +he stage directions tell us, "Helooks at !atherine like a lost boy" "hen she tells him she loes %odolpho. He is unable to

admit this shameful emotion to himself and is an!ry "hen Beatrice and Alfieri dare to

mention it.

• As his feelin!s for Catherine become more obsessi#e, he does eerythin! he can to

preent %odolpho from marryin! her. He tries to undermine %odolpho. 1or e$ample(

o He mocs %odolpho#s sills at cooin!, sin!in! and se"in!, claims he is

homose$ual and tells Catherine that he only "ants her to !ain 2S citienship.

o He tries to !et the la" inoled and is amaed "hen Alfieri says that nothin!

can be done.

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o He tries iolence( he #teaches# %odolpho to bo$ as an e$cuse to hit him, then

fi!hts "ith %odolpho "hen he no"s %odolpho has slept "ith Catherine.

o He calls the Immi!ration Bureau is a last desperate attempt to stop the

"eddin!( he cares so much for Catherine that he is prepared to brea his code of honour.

• In the end, he loses e#erything( Catherine, his "ife, his name. He has no option but tofi!ht 3arco to the death &he has the nife*. Ironically, his death restores some of his lost

honour because he does not try to escape his fate.

• +he conflict that ends his life recalls other conflict "e hae seen(

o Verbal conflict "ith all the other characters at some point or another. Een his

/oes are barbed and bitter.

o +hysical conflict "ith %odolpho.

o Conflict within himself as he !rapples "ith his loe of Catherine

Beatrice Carbone

• She is Eddie#s "ife. She has neer had children of her o"n and cares for Catherine as

if she "ere her o"n dau!hter.

• She is a lo#ing, caring person. She is e$cited by the imminent arrial of her cousins

and "orried that eerythin! is not /ust so for them, yet also "nervous" .

• She defers to )ddie and lets him control thin!s in the home. Before the arrial of her

cousins, she is an$ious not to upset him( "I'm just worried about you."

• +here are hints ri!ht from the start that she is aware of )ddie$s feelings for

Catherine, such as "hen she aoids Eddie#s !ae "hen Catherine fetches his ci!ar. +his

becomes more obious "hen she confronts Eddie about the state of their marria!e( "#hen

am I gonna be a wife again, $ddie?"

• 'artly because of this, she spports Catherine and encorages her to be

independent. She helps Catherine persuade Eddie to let Catherine !o out to "or and, later,

tells Catherine she must stand up for herself. "It means you gotta be your own self more."

• She has a no-nonsense, practical approach, maes clear obserations and is assertie.

At the end, she is brae enou!h to tell Eddie the truth( "%ou want somethin' else, $ddie, and

you can never have her&"

• She is upset by the conflict "ithin the family that the relationship bet"een %odolpho

and Catherine causes. She continually tries to be the calmin! influence. At the end, ho"eer,

she remains loyal to Eddie, choosin! to stay "ith him rather than attend Catherine#s "eddin!.

She is re"arded for this "ith Eddie#s dyin! "ords - "y (&"

Catherine

• She is 5 years old, the orphaned dau!hter of Beatrice#s sister 6ancy.

• She is attracti#e, energetic and cheerfl. 7et she is also nai#e - she has neer no"n

anythin! of life outside the Carbone household.

•

She lo#es )ddie li!e a father%

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• She "ants his approal for eerythin! that she does( ri!ht at the start, she is desperate

for him to admire her ne" sirt.

• 8ater "e hear that perhaps she is too familiar "ith Eddie no" she has !ro"n up(

Beatrice tells her not to "ander round the apartment in her slip, "hich shocs and saddens

Catherine - the sta!e directions say, ")he is at the edge of tears, as though a familiar world had shattered." She had neer before ima!ined there "as anythin! "ron! "ith her

relationship "ith Eddie.

• She is e$cited at 3arco and %odolpho#s arrial - they represent the "orld outside her

o"n sheltered life. She is attracted to %odolpho strai!ht a"ay - so she is reluctant to tae off

her hi!h heels "hen Eddie tells her to9

• She is initially torn because her loe of %odolpho is at odds "ith her loe for Eddie.

• She tries to encoura!e Eddie to tal to %odolpho( "#hy don't you talk to him, $ddie?

He blesses you, and you don't talk to him hardly."

• She is loyal to Eddie and tells Beatrice that her marria!e to %odolpho "ould be "ron!

if Eddie is a!ainst it.

• Ho"eer, she is prepared to ta!e sides( "hen Eddie spars "ith %odolpho at the end

of Act , she rushes to help her loer. &+his prepares us for her choosin! to marry %odolpho

in spite of Eddie#s "ishes in Act :.*

• By the start of Act II, she has become uieter and more "ithdra"n, concerned about

the rift bet"een the t"o men she loes. She mourns to %odolpho, "I mean I know him and

now I'm supposed to turn around and make a stranger out of him?"

• Ho"eer, she is strong enou!h to leae Eddie to !et married, and is furious "ith him

both for betrayin! the brothers and for forbiddin! Beatrice to attend her "eddin! ceremony,

callin! him "*his rat&"

• ;urin! the play, she turns from a child into a "oman, capable of main! her o"n

decisions. ;espite her ne" independence and matrity, she blames herself on Eddie#s death(

"$ddie, I never meant to do nothing bad to you." ;o you thin she is partly responsible for

the tragedy)

'arco

• 3arco is the older brother of %odolpho. He comes from a poor illa!e in Sicily. He is

Beatrice#s cousin.

• He has left a "ife and three children at home, the oldest of "hom has tuberculosis. He

has come to America so he can earn more money for them than he could at home. It is clear

he lo#es his family ery much( he is near tears "hen he first tals about them to the

Carbones.

• He is an$ious not to outstay his "elcome "ith the Carbones( almost his first "ords are

"I want to tell you now, $ddie + when you say we go, we go." He is e$tremely polite.

• He al"ays speas simply and clearly< "hich indicates his strai!htfor"ard,

uncomplicated character.• He is ery strong. Eddie#s friend 3ie describes him as a re!ular bull.

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• He feels a sense of responsibility for %odolpho( "hen Eddie is upset that Catherine

and %odolpho "ere out late, he "arns his brother "%ou come home early now."

• Ho"eer, he is also protecti#e of %odolpho. After Eddie has punched %odolpho

"hile #teachin!# him to bo$, he sho"s ho" he can lift a chair aboe his head "ith one hand.

+he stage directions tell us the chair is raised lie a "eapon oer Eddie#s head. He is "arnin!Eddie that he "ill defend %odolpho if necessary.

• He has a clear sense of *stice. He sees thin!s as ri!ht or "ron!. =hen he is arrested,

he spits in Eddie#s face and accuses Eddie in front of the nei!hbours - "*hat one& He killed

my children&"

• His sense of honor is such that if the la" can#t ri!ht a "ron!, he "ill tae the la"

into his o"n hands. He comes to see Eddie at the end to do "hat he sees as his dty - een

"hen Alfieri had "arned him that only >od maes /ustice. &It is interestin! that he breas his

"ord to Alfieri - he ills Eddie despite hain! promised he "ould not.*

• ;o you thin that 3arco "ould hae illed Eddie if Eddie has not !ot out a nife)

=hat do you thin is 3arco#s reaction to Eddie#s death)

(odolpho

• He is the youn!er brother of 3arco.

• He has !ot platinum hair and so maes an immediate impression. He has striin!

!ood loos - Beatrice and Catherine are obiously attracted to him. His unusual loos may be

a si!nal to us that he is #different# from the aera!e Italian immi!rant. &=e later find that he

has a different, more sensitie "ay of tryin! to sole disputes from Eddie and 3arco.*

• He has a !ood sense of hmor, so he is popular. He is unaryin!ly polite, een

"hen Eddie is rude.

• 2nlie 3arco, he "ants to stay in America and o"n a motorbie. He loes America

and "ants to find out as much about 6e" 7or as possible - he is een to see Broad"ay.

Eddie is concerned because he buys #American# items lie a ne" /acet and records, rather

than send money to 3arco#s family.

• He can sin!, coo and se"( he is ery talented. It upsets him that Eddie seems to

dislie him so much - he cannot understand "hy his #feminine# sills are a problem for the

#manly# Eddie.

• His lan!ua!e is liely and ima!inatie, "hich sho"s his intelli!ence. 1or e$ample,

later in the play, he uses the image of Catherine as a bird in a ca!e.

• Catherine falls in lo#e "ith him almost immediately, and he "ith her. Een thou!h

Eddie tries to su!!est that %odolpho only "ants to marry Catherine in order to become a 2S

citien, it is clear his loe is stron! and !enuine( "%ou think I would carry on my back the rest

of my life a woman I didn't love just to be an merican?" He speas ery passionately.

• He does not see thin!s in such blac and "hite terms as 3arco - he attempts to

mediate bet"een 3arco and Eddie and is sensiti#e to both points of ie". =e realise that, in

the end, he is more responsible than 3arco.

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• He ar!ues "ith 3arco to promise not to harm Eddie, so that 3arco can be !ranted

bail and attend the "eddin!.

• He apolo!ises to Eddie before the "eddin! and tries to iss his hand, in an attempt to

calm the situation.

• He tries to preent 3arco and Eddie fi!htin! - "-o, arco, please& $ddie, please, hehas children&"

Alfieri

• He is a lawyer, born in Italy, "ho has been "orin! in Broolyn for :? years. He is

part of the same immi!rant Italian community as Eddie.

• He acts as a commentator on the action( he sets the scene and introduces the

characters. He is tellin! us the story of the play in flashback ( ri!ht from the start "e no"

that it is !oin! to run a bloody course. ;o you feel that he needs to tell us about "hat he has

seen)

• He is compassionate. He tries to sae Eddie and, later, 3arco, from the fatal course

that they hae set out on.

• =hen Eddie first !oes to see him, Alfieri "arns, @there is too much loe for the

dau!hter, there is too much loe for the niece. ;o you understand "hat I#m sayin! to you)

• =hen Eddie isits him the second time to try to preent Catherine and %odolpho#s

"eddin!, Alfieri#s "arnin! is more e$plicit( @7ou "on#t hae a friend in the "orld, Eddie9

• He tells 3arco, @nly >od maes /ustice, tryin! to preent 3arco from tain! the

la" into his o"n hands.

• Ho"eer, really he is powerless to change "hat he no"s is ineitable. Een thou!h

he can e$plain the la" to Eddie and 3arco, he no"s deep do"n that they "ill do "hat their

code of honour reuires. He is lie the chorus in a >ree tra!edy, commentin! on the action

and e$plainin! it to the audience, but unable to alter it.

• he Carbone family - )ddie, his wife Beatrice and her orphaned niece Catherine

- are poor bt content% hey li#e in Broo!lyn, where )ddie wor!s at the

shipyards%

• When Beatrice$s Italian cosins, illegal immigrants, arri#e to stay, the Carbone

family$s life changes fore#er% heir lo#es and their loyalties are tested - and

tragedy reslts%

• +lot

• Act a

• +he play opens "ith the la"yer Alfieri, "ho sets the scene. He tals about /ustice and

ho", sometimes, /ustice is dealt "ith outside the la". He says he has a timeless story

to tell - one that ran a "bloody course" he "as po"erless to preent - and introduces

its hero, Eddie Carbone.

• ne day Eddie arries home from the docyard "here he "ors "ith some ne"s. He

announces that Beatrice#s t"o cousins from Italy hae reached 6e" 7or and they

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"ill arrie at the family#s home at 0 o#cloc that ni!ht. It is obious that the family

has often discussed the isit before - Beatrice is an$ious that she hasn#t completed all

the preparations in the house she had intended to "elcome them, and Eddie reminds

Beatrice not to be so ind to the cousins that he "ill be turned out of his o"n bed for

them. 7et he then claims it is an honour for him to be able to help them.• Act b

• Catherine also has some ne"s( she tells Eddie that she has been piced out of all the

!irls in her typin! class to be offered a "ell-paid /ob at a bi! plumbin! company. She

is e$cited at the prospect, but Eddie is "orried( he doesn#t "ant her mi$in! "ith

stran!ers, "ants her to finish her education and is concerned for her safety. Beatrice

taes Catherine#s side, ho"eer, so in the end Eddie relents and allo"s Catherine to

tae the /ob.

• Because the cousins are ille!al immi!rants, Eddie reminds Beatrice and Catherine not

to mention them outside the house. +o reinforce the dan!er, Eddie tells the story of

inny Bolano, "ho let on to the Immi!ration authorities that his family "ere hidin!

an uncle - and the bloody conseuences.

• Act c

• +he cousins, 3arco and %odolpho, arrie and are "armly "elcomed. +he uiet, polite

3arco reassures Eddie that they "ill not outstay their "elcome and tals about his

family left behind in Sicily, desperate for the cash that he "ill be able to send them

once he starts "or. He hopes to !o home in about si$ years. +he cheerful %odolpho

describes "hat it is lie liin! in a poor peasant illa!e( unlie his brother, he "ants to

stay in America. %odolpho sho"s off his oice by sin!in! #'aper ;oll#, to Catherine#s

deli!ht. Eddie puts a stop to the music because he doesn#t "ant suspicions raised in

the nei!hbourhood, but "e also sense Eddie#s dislie of %odolpho - his face is "puffed

with trouble."

• Act d

• A fe" "ees later, Eddie and Beatrice sit "aitin! for Catherine and %odolpho to come

home from the cinema. It is clear that %odolpho and Catherine hae fallen in loe.

Eddie#s hostility to"ards %odolpho is no" more open and he is an$ious - Beatrice

/oes that he must to /ealous of %odolpho. She admires %odolpho and hope that he

and Catherine "ill marry, but Eddie is appalled by this idea. +his conersation leads

Beatrice to as Eddie about the state of their o"n marria!e( they hae not made loe

for months. Eddie refuses to discuss it.

• =hen Catherine and %odolpho finally return, Eddie ass to spea to Catherine alone.

He repeats, "istfully, that she has !ro"n up "ithout his realisin! it. =hen she admits

to liin! %odolpho, Eddie tells her that %odolpho is only usin! her and that he /ust

"ants to marry an American to !ain 2S citienship. Catherine is ery upset. She

admits priately to Beatrice that she loes %odolpho and "ants to marry him, but that

she doesn#t "ant to hurt Eddie. Beatrice adises her to be more independent and!ro"n up, and less intimate "ith Eddie in the house.

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• Act e

• Eddie !oes to see Alfieri, "antin! the la" to step in to stop Catherine marryin!

%odolpho. He claims that %odolpho is only doin! it to !ain a 2S passport, and that

%odolpho is homose$ual. Eddie is amaed "hen Alfieri e$plains that no la" can

preent the marria!e. Alfieri hints that perhaps Eddie loes Catherine too much &oer and beyond the carin!, uncle-niece loe "hich could be e$pected*, to "hich Eddie

reacts an!rily.

• +here is tension in the air "hen "e ne$t see Eddie, Beatrice, Catherine, 3arco and

%odolpho at home to!ether. Eddie maes barbed comments, implyin! that %odolpho

is too friendly "ith Catherine and too casual "ith his money. He pretends to admire

the fact that %odolpho can coo, se" and sin!, before addin! that it is "ron! for

someone "ith those sills to "or at the docs. He offers to treat %odolpho and

3arco to a ni!ht "atchin! a prie-fi!ht and teaches %odolpho to bo$. +his is clearly

/ust an e$cuse to punch %odolpho, but %odolpho taes it !ood-humouredly. Catherine

sho"s that she is more interested in %odolpho#s safety than Eddie#s. 3arco sho"s off

his o"n stren!th to Eddie by liftin! a chair by its le! "ith one hand - a feat that Eddie

cannot match.

• Act .a

• It is nearly Christmas. Catherine and %odolpho are alone in the apartment for the first

time. Catherine is sombre. She ass %odolpho if they could lie in Italy "hen they are

married, but he claims it "ould be ridiculous to !o bac to such poerty. He does

reassure her that he is not !oin! to marry her /ust to !ain 2S citienship, ho"eer. She

says that she doesn#t "ant to hurt Eddie. =hen he has comforted her, they !o into the

bedroom. Eddie returns, drun, and is a!hast to see %odolpho follo" Catherine out of

the bedroom. He tells %odolpho to leae immediately< Catherine says that she "ill !o

too, but Eddie !rabs her and isses her. =hen %odolpho protests, sayin! Catherine is

!oin! to be his "ife, Eddie isses him too. +he men fi!ht, "like animals" .

• 1our days later, Eddie returns to Alfieri and tells him "hat happened. 3arco has not

been told of the fi!ht. Alfieri reiterates that there is nothin! Eddie or the la" can do to

preent the "eddin!. He adises Eddie to let the couple marry, "arnin! him that there

could be a"ful conseuences if he didn#t. 7et Eddie i!nores Alfieri#s "ords and

telephones the Immi!ration Bureau, anonymously, to betray the cousins. =hen Eddie

returns home, he finds that 3arco and %odolpho hae moed upstairs to a nei!hbour#s

apartment. +here is a tense conersation "ith Beatrice - she is ery an!ry "ith him.

Beatrice tells Eddie that Catherine and %odolpho are !oin! to !et married ne$t "ee,

ironically because Catherine is afraid that the authorities "ill catch up "ith the

brothers. She tries to !et Eddie - "ho has tears in his eyes - to a!ree to come to the

"eddin! and, "hen Catherine comes in, Beatrice encoura!es Catherine to as Eddie

herself. Catherine refuses to listen to Eddie#s su!!estion that it is not too late for her to

meet other boys - his last-ditch attempt to preent the "eddin!.• Act .b

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• =hen Eddie discoers that 3arco and %odolpho are lod!ed "ith t"o other ille!al

immi!rants upstairs, he becomes concerned and "arns that they "ill be less safe from

the authorities there. He is obiously re!rettin! the call he made to the Immi!ration

Bureau, but it is too late - t"o officers arrie. It is clear that Beatrice and Catherine

immediately suspect that Eddie "as the informer. As the officers lead 3arco,%odolpho and the t"o other immi!rants a"ay, Catherine pleads "ith the men to spare

%odolpho and 3arco spits in Eddie#s face. Eddie shouts out that he#ll ill 3arco<

3arco retorts that Eddie has stolen food from his children. Eddie protests that he is

innocent, but all the nei!hbours turn a"ay from him. +he honour of both Eddie and

3arco is no" at stae. =e ne$t see 3arco and %odolpho and Catherine "ith Alfieri#s

in the reception room of the prison( Alfieri needs a promise from 3arco that he "ill

not ill Eddie as a condition of bail. 3arco is reluctant, feelin! that Eddie should be

punished, but a!rees.

• Act .c

• It is the day of the "eddin!. Beatrice !ets dressed in her best clothes, but Eddie tells

her that if she !oes, he "on#t let her bac into the house. Catherine is an!ry, callin!

Eddie a rat. =hen %odolpho arries to tae Catherine to the church, he says that

3arco is at the church, prayin!. Eddie#s fury rises( he "ants to !et een "ith 3arco,

for ruinin! his !ood name in the nei!hbourhood. Beatrice tries to calm him, tellin!

him that the reason he is an!ry is because he is about to lose Catherine for eer - but

this truth fires Eddie up een more. 3arco arries, callin! Eddie#s name. Eddie !oes

to meet him in the street and demands a public apolo!y. Instead, 3arco calls him an

"animal". Eddie dra"s a nife but 3arco is able to !rip Eddie#s "rist and turn the

nife on Eddie himself. Eddie dies in Beatrice#s arms. Alfieri closes the play,

commentin! on ho" useless Eddie#s death "as, and on ho" much he admired him for

allo"in! himself to be "wholly known."

/ramatic )ffect

0ere$s what 'iller himself said abot the dramatic natre of the play% 1I wanted to

write a play that had the cleanliness %%% the clear line of some of the 2ree! tragedies%

'eaning that we wold be confronted with a sitation and we wold be told in effectwhat the ending was% he 3estion was not what was going to happen, bt how it was

going to happen%1

)ach of the following aspects of the play contribte importantly to the bild p of

dramatic tension as we wait to see how the tragedy will play ot%

1A 2ree! tragedy1

8ie a >ree drama - "here the action all taes place in a sin!le location - most of the action

of this play taes place in the Carbones# apartment or immediately outside it. 3iller e$plains

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at the openin! of Act ho" Alfieri#s office can fit into this settin! too &it is Alfieri#s view from

the bridge that "e see*.

Alfieri is established immediately as the commentator. He introduces the play, narrates the

story in flashback , focussin! on ey scenes, then closes the play. He is in control and "e trust

him.

• He is lie the Chors in a >ree tra!edy, e$plainin! the eents on sta!e to the

audience "ithout actually participatin! in them.

• Althou!h he does play some part in the action, it is clear that he "as powerless and

that nothin! he could hae done "ould hae altered the bloody course. He tells us ri!ht from

the start "hat is !oin! to happen( dramatic interest is maintained because "e "ant to find out

ho".

• He reminds us at arious interals durin! the play that the endin! is ineitable, such

as near the end of Act ( "I could see every step coming, step after step, like a dark figurewalking down a hall towards a certain door."

As you read the play, it is important to ima!ine yourself "atchin! and listenin! to the action.

It is a drama, not a noel9 +he stage directions are important in helpin! us to ima!ine e$actly

"hat is !oin! on( they can help us picture each character#s actions and reactions.

;urin! the course of iew from the (ridge the Carbone family chan!e from a poor but

loin! family into one torn apart by mistrust, /ealousy and iolence. As yourself "hat

happens to create such a dramatic contrast . Ho" is the tension maintained and the audience

inoled)

he Character of )ddie

+he drama re#ol#es arond )ddie. He is the focal point. Eerythin! rests on Eddie#s

reaction to eents. At first this is comparatiely minor( "ill he or "on#t he allo" Catherine to

tae the /ob at the plumbin! company) 7et soon it becomes crucial( "ill he or "on#t he

understand that he cannot eep Catherine to himself - that he must allo" her to lie her o"n

life)

Eddie is the centre round "hich all the conflict in the play reoles.

• Verbal conflict "ith all the other characters at some point or another. He often

deliberately starts ar!uments - for instance, he uestions the irtue of the "ies of Italian

immi!rants( "I betcha there's plenty of surprises sometimes when those guys get back there,

heh? Een his /oes are barbed and bitter.

• Conflict within himself as he !rapples "ith his loe of Catherine.

• +hysical conflict "ith %odolpho and, ultimately, 3arco.

+his creates a lot of tension, "ith each scene of conflict becomin! more intense than the one

that preceded it. +he tense atmosphere durin! the bo$in! at the end of Act leads on to the

shoc near the start of Act : "hen an enra!ed Eddie isses both Catherine and %odolpho and

starts a fi!ht - "hich in turn prepares us for the final scene.

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one and iming

+here are numerous chan!es in tone. A!ain, this is often dependent on Eddie. If he is in a

!ood mood, such as immediately the cousins arrie and the stage directions tell us he is

"laughing" , the tone is li!ht-hearted< if he is in a bad mood, such as later on that ni!ht "hen

"his face puffed with trouble" , there is tension. Can you thin of any other chan!es in the tone

in the play)

iming is crucial to the action of the play. 1or e$ample, Eddie calls the Immi!ration Bureau

after his meetin! "ith Alfieri on the ery day that Catherine says that she is !oin! to marry

%odolpho soon because she is scared of him !ettin! cau!ht by Immi!ration< simultaneously

3arco and %odolpho moe out of the apartment, and thereby cause other immi!rants -

relaties of the 8iparis "ho hae nothin! to do "ith Eddie - to be piced up too. 1rom then

on, the pace increases uicly to the end.

+hese e$amples of unlucy timin! !ie rise to dramatic irony &"here the audience hae a

better idea of "hat is !oin! to happen than the characters do themseles*. Another e$ample is

"hen the Immi!ration fficers appear outside the Carbones# apartment /ust as Catherine is

ar!uin! "ith Eddie oer "here 3arco and %odolpho if Eddie thro"s them out of the

buildin!. =e no" their ar!ument is pointless because the officers are about to pounce. +he

effect of dramatic irony is to inole us in the action, to mae us feel implicated, almost as if

"e are ourseles characters in the play.

he )nding

+he ending is poi!nant. A priate tragedy ends up bein! acted out in public. All the main

characters and other people are on the street outside the apartment to see Eddie illed by

3arco. Alfieri rounds off the drama by remindin! us that Eddie#s death "as useless and that

he loed him, but that he mourns him "ith "a certain... alarm." =hat does Alfieri mean by

this)

• He is thinin! that een thou!h he could predict "hat "as !oin! to happen, een he -

a la"yer - could do nothin! to preent it.

• 'robably he is thinin! that Eddie#s faults are common ones, and that his story should

be a "arnin! to us all to be more self-a"are.• 'erhaps another, eually disturbin! thou!ht has occurred to him( that "hen it finally

comes, Eddie#s destruction feels not only tra!ic, but in some "ay ri!ht and appropriate( lie

the old !eneration main! "ay for the ne".

In iew from the (ridge, the central themes are 4o#e, 5stice and the 4aw, and Codes

of 0onor% ogether, they help s to learn abot the characters and nderstand why

they act as they do%

4o#e

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+here are arious types of loe e$plored in the play. 1rom "hich characters do "e learn

about the different sorts of loe)

4o#e in $A View From the Bridge$

ype of 4o#e Characters

8oe of a

family

Beatrice, Eddie and Catherine are first seen as a loin! family.

3arco loes his family deeply. He has come to America to help

them. He misses them a lot.

In the "ider sense, Beatrice loes her family in Sicily enou!h to

support her cousins. 1amily ties are ery important.

1ather -

dau!hter loe

Eddie and Catherine, althou!h uncle and niece, hae become more

lie a father and dau!hter. Eddie made a lot of sacrifices to proide

Catherine "ith the best education he could.

Brotherly loe 3arco and %odolpho hae a stron! bond - !reat enou!h for 3arco to

lay do"n his life for his brother#s cause.

%omantic

married loe

Eddie and Beatrice#s marria!e is obiously not as stron! as it used to

be( Beatrice ass, "#hen am I gonna be a wife again, $ddie?" +hey hae

not slept to!ether for months.

Catherine and %odolpho uicly fall deeply in loe.

Eddie#s loe for Catherine has become se$ual, een thou!h he

refuses to admit it. +his is the cause of the friction in his o"n marria!e and

the dispute "ith %odolpho and 3arco.

8oe of a

place

%odolpho and 3arco loe their homeland.

%odolpho also loes America. Catherine says, "he's cra/y for -ew

%ork."

+he play sho"s us that loe is not al"ays beautiful - it is responsible for all the conflict

bet"een the characters. It is a deep passion that can create /ealousy and cause pain both to the

person "ho loes, the person "ho is loed and those around them. 1or Eddie, loe also

causes conflict "ithin himself "hen he cannot admit to his illicit loe for Catherine.

=hat do you ima!ine happens to the loers Catherine and %odolpho at the end of the play)

;o they !o on to find happiness) =hat about Beatrice)

5stice and the 4aw

+he "ords *stice and law are freuently heard in the play.

Alfieri, the la"yer, establishes that *stice and the law are !oin! to be important in the play

in his openin! speech. He sets the story that he is !oin! to tell us in the conte0t of history,

both ancient and modern.

"In )icily, from where their fathers came, the law has not been a friendly idea since the

1reeks were beaten.."

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"I only came here when I was twenty+five. In those days, l !apone, the greatest

!arthaginian of all, was learning his trade on these pavements, and 2rankie %ale himself was

cut precisely in half by a machine+gun on the corner of 3nion )treet, two blocks away."

+he fact that Alfieri !oes on to state that la"yers in ancient times, as "ell as he in modern

times, "ere unable to preent a "complaint" runnin! a "bloody course" causes us to uestion

the po"er and influence of the la". In other "ords, althou!h /ustice is ery important, often

the la" as it stands is incapable of delierin! /ustice.

Alfieri beliees that it is best to "settle for half" ( it is better to rely on "ritten la" as far as

possible and accept it een "hen you are only #half# satisfied. +he "ritten la" may not al"ays

act in faour of /ustice yet it is better to follo" the la" than to tae it into your o"n hands. In

the play "e see that Eddie betrays 3arco and %odolpho, there is no la" to punish Eddie so

3arco taes the la" into his o"n hands, the play ends "ith a fi!ht to the death. Alfieri

reiterates his beliefs at the end of the play( "ost of the time now we settle for half and I likeit better." Alfieri alues the la" more than /ustice, he sees that "hen people !o a!ainst the la"

to assert /ustice it can lead to conflict and death.

+he play encoura!es us to as "hat is /ustice) =hat maes /ustice) Both Eddie and 3arco

hae stron! ideas of "hat is #/ust# and are prepared to !o to !reat len!ths to achiee it. +he

characters often mistae their o"n desires for /ustice, they fail to loo for a hi!her principle

of /ustice seperate from their o"n feelin!s, this is "hat leads to conflict.

Here are some more instances in the play "hen *stice and the law feature(

• +he story of inny Bolano is an e$ample of ho" someone obeyin! the la" &as inny

technically "as "hen he informed on his uncle* is actually doin! somethin! un/ust. ;o you

thin the treatment of inny by his relations "as /ust)

• Alfieri tries to "arn Eddie about his relationship "ith Catherine and ar!ues "ith him

to allo" her to marry %odolpho. "#hen the law is wrong it's because it's unnatural, but in

this case it is natural and a river will drown you if you buck it now." He is su!!estin! that it is

Eddie#s feelin!s for Catherine that are #unnatural#.

• Eddie maes recourse to the la" that he spurned "hen he telephones the Immi!ration

Bureau. Eddie has no fi$ed principle of /ustice, his feelin!s dictate "hat he beliees to be

#/ust#.

• Alfieri tries to mae 3arco realise "ho is the real #/ud!e# of eents - >od. "%ou hear?

4nly 1od makes justice." .

Both Eddie and 3arco allo" their personal feelin!s to affect their idea of /ustice. +hey are

not stron! enou!h to tae an ob/ectie ie". =e see that Alfieri is ri!ht, people are not stron!

enou!h to e$ecute true /ustice, their desires and feelin! al"ays tae a part. +his is "hy it is

better to rely on the la", "hich althou!h fla"ed offers an ob/ectie ie".

6ote do"n other references to *stice and law in the play and decide "hat ideas they

contribute to the theme.

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Codes of 0onor

Connectin! the themes of 5stice and the 4aw and 4o#e is the theme of 0onor. Eddie and

Beatrice#s tale of inny Bolano at the start of the play sets the tone(

"*he family had an uncle that they were hidin' in the house, and he snitched to the Immigration."

"He had five brothers and the old father. nd they grabbed him in the kitchen and pulled him

down the stairs + three flights his head was bouncin' like a coconut. nd they spit on him in

the street, his own father and his brothers. *he whole neighbourhood was crying."

It is clear that, in the eyes of Eddie and Beatrice, inny had done somethin! ery "ron! and

"as /ustly punished. Eddie is clear that inny "ill neer be seen in the nei!hbourhood a!ain

out of shame( "a guy do a thing like that? How's he gonna show his face?" 1amily comes

first. +o betray one#s family is a crime and should be punished - inny !ets no sympathydespite the in/uries inflicted upon him( it "as seen that he !ot "hat he desered. It is ironic

that Eddie does /ust the same thin! as inny - #snitch to Immi!ration# - to 3arco and

%odolpho at the end of the play.

0onor is sho"n to be ery important, especially to the male characters. It means far more to

them than the la". +o be honourable is to be respected. If you do anythin! dishonourable, you

lose respect. +hat is "hy 3arco and Eddie are so een to protect their names and !et a #/ust#

conclusion. Codes of honour bind families and the "hole nei!hbourhood "ith a sense of

community. Eeryone should loo out for one another, to betray someone is the most

dishonourable action ima!inable.

Here are some e$amples of ho" honour "ors in the play(

• Eddie tells Beatrice, "It's an honour, (. I mean it." "hen they discuss the imminent

arrial of the cousins.

• 'erhaps one of the reasons "hy Eddie finds it impossible to admit his loe for

Catherine is because he no"s ho" dishonourable it is.

• Alfieri "arns Eddie that he "ill lose the respect of the nei!hbourhood if he betrays the

brothers. "%ou won't have a friend in the world, $ddie&" It is si!nificant that a la"yer &"hom

"e "ould e$pect to uphold the la"* is encoura!in! Eddie to do somethin! ille!al by

continuin! to eep the brothers hidden.

• 3arco beliees the only honourable course is to punish Eddie "hen Eddie betrayed

the brothers. Alfieri tries to persuade him other"ise( "*o promise not to kill is not

dishonourable" - but 3arco#s sense of honour it too stron!. &It is interestin! that 3arco had

!ien Alfieri his "ord that he "ould not harm Eddie, yet then does so( clearly, 3arco#s need

for reen!e is stron!er than any fear about breain! a promise.

• Eddie, ho"eer, blindly refuses to beliee that he has done anythin! "ron!. He

desperately "ants to !et bac his !ood name after 3arco#s accusations caused the

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nei!hbourhood to turn a"ay from him. "arco's got my name + and you run tell him, kid,

that he's gonna give it back to me in front of this neighbourhood, or we have it out."

;o you thin that Eddie dies an #honourable# death) He does not try to escape his fate - in

fact, he encoura!es it - perhaps because he realised that he had no option.

Conte"t

o nderstand the conte"t of Arthr 'iller$s play yo need to !now a bit abot 'iller

himself, and some bac!grond facts abot migration from Italy to the 67 dring the

89:s%

Arthr 'iller

Arthur 3iller "as born to a De"ish family in 6e" 7or in ?. His !randparents had cometo America from 'oland. =hen the family business failed, they moed to Broolyn, "here

iew from the (ridge is set. +here, Arthur "ored in a "arehouse to earn money for his

uniersity fees.

He be!an to "rite plays "hile he "as a student at the 2niersity of 3ichi!an and continued

to do so after he !raduated in FG and became a journalist . He receied much acclaim from

ll y )ons in 45

Documents

A View From a Bridge BBC Bitesize Notes