How are The Characters Presented at the start of A View From The Bridge Essay

The play opens with the incoming of Alfieri. He is take the standn to have the role of a chorus a bridging citation between the audience and the characters. The chorus tends to exist almost outside the play, as they know the outcome of the play, and is rarely part of the main action their mark in a play is to address the audience and help them to examine action and they are a common feature in tragedy. The meaning of Alfieri is that he whollyudes to the title and is the one giving us the View From the couplet. Alfieri is described as being a portly lawyer in his fifties.Since he is a lawyer it is safe to assume that he is somewhat wealthy, as shown by the detail that he is portly, however it excessively hints towards the outcome of the play. As stated by Alfieri to see a lawyer is unlucky. Were only thought of in connection with disasters foreshadowing the rising eventidets of the play. This idea is furthered when Alfieri says that he was impotent to stop it (Eddies tal e). The word powerless implies that the events Alfieri is describing are fated to happen and are inevitable, a nonher trope of tragedy. additionally Alfieri states that many hoi polloi were justly shot by unjust workforce referring to the traditional Italian justice system which focussed heavily on honour and revenge. Unlike a conventional justice system this was compel by the community and the phrase Alfieri says is a comment on how people were being rightfully punished by others just as disobedient as them.As Eddie enters the house he is greeted by Catherine and they begin to operate a conversation about her new clothes. As the conversation progresses Eddie begins to show his dislike for Catherines new appearance by telling her shes travel wavy and mentioning her gamyer(prenominal) heels. The fact that Catherine is described as walking wavy shows that she is maturing as a woman, also shown by her possession of high heels, and Eddies discomfort at this can be chalked up to parental cin one casern. unless it could also be said that Eddie is uncomfortable with the idea of Catherine growing up, as shown by the fact that he makes her gradually younger in his headman starting at Catherine and ending at baby, and that he is green-eyed towards the other men and that he is unsure how he feels about her.The parental concern idea is added onto later on when Eddie says that he is responsible for you (Catherine) display that he feels as though he is obligated to protect her and throw her from harm. Additionally when Catherine tells Eddie of her new job he tells her that it aint what I wanted. While this can once again be chalked up to Eddies parental concern for Catherine and his desire for her to finish school it seems as if the underlying message is that Eddie wants to control Catherine into doing things that he deems as acceptable instead than giving her the freedom to choose her own life. Eddies wish for Catherine to non pursue the job offer she had b een given competency be explained by the fact that he sees her as the Madonna fictional character.At the snip the play was set to be the Madonna type was to be morally and sexually pure, in reference to the Virgin Mary. The fact that Eddie says that she is the Madonna type shows that he is idealising her to an extreme and is also idolising her he sees her at an impossibly high standard which she has no hope of actually being. Now it could be seen once again as a sort of parental pride for their nipper to be the Madonna type or it could be interpreted at Eddie seeing her as pure for him, further hinting to the romantic undertones in their blood.From the twinkling Beatrice enters the stage it is clear what her role is and where her importance lies. She is seen entering wiping her hands with a towel, it is clear from this point on that Beatrice will have a very domestic role and that within the story she plays the part of a housewife. Additionally what is also made clear is that the relationship between Beatrice and Eddie is not quite perfect. When the news is broken to her that her cousins have arrived in the country Beatrice, quite understandable, is moved to tears.Eddie responds to this by asking her what you cryin about? a very unsympathetic response. The question that Eddie poses might imply that on some level he is unable to understand Beatrices feelings and that there might be some dysfunction in their relationship. This is demonstrated when she asks Eddie if hes gonna keep her (Catherine) in the house all her life. This remark from Beatrice shows that she sees the unfair way that Eddie is memory Catherine in the house and brings to light Eddies controlling manner alone it could also imply that Beatrice is feeling jealousy towards Catherine, as she is getting all the attention from Eddie, and wants her out of the house.When Catherine returns later on she brings Eddie his cigar and exit to light it for him. In the period this play was set, to li ghting a mans cigar was seen as a romantic gesture done between two lovers. This gesture could be interpreted in a sexual manner is the cigar is seen as representing a phallic object. This whole scene serves to hammer in the fact that there is more to Eddie and Catherines relationship than there appears to be on the surface. Just after Catherine leaves Eddie asks Beatrice why shes mad at him, she proceeds to say, whos mad? Im not mad youre the one is mad. clearly implying that she is in fact mad. This shows the dysfunction in their relationship caused by Catherine, who is oblivious to the whole thing.The fight was caused by the fact that Catherine went to hark back Eddies cigars which is traditionally a wifes role. Beatrices resentment to this shows the jealousy she feels and her frustration due to the fact that Eddie and Catherine do not even realise what is going on. However Catherine might have some wind as to how shes making Beatrice feel when she is described as speech a lmost guilty conscienceily after light the cigar. While her guilt might be due to the fact that she hadnt helped Beatrice clean up the dishes, guilt would be a rather strong emotion to feel for such a small act. What is more likely is that Catherine has realised that she had come in the way of an act that Beatrice shouldve done and is trying to atone for that by back up to clean the dishes.