A View from the Bridge

Drama - Arthur Miller

 Studying Drama
Aspects of staging:
Dialogue, monologue, stage directions,
soliloquy lighting, set, music
Context and
Setting
Symbolism

Author’s Purpose Plot and Key

– Theme(s) and Scenes
Message
Structure:
exposition,
Characterisation –
climax,
Major/Minor, Key
denouement
Style and Tone Relationships, Conflicts
 Background and Context
• Find out some facts about the following:

1.The (1950s) Red Hook Community in Brooklyn,

New York, longshoremen
2.Arthur Miller – Life and Work
3.The McCarthy trials and Arthur Miller
4.The stimulus for the play and its development
5.The Greek Tragedy Form
 Arthur Miller
Worked various jobs –
Born in New York, Began to write plays
Salesman, worked in a
October 17th 1915 to as a student & after
warehouse in Brooklyn
a Jewish family graduated in 1938 –
became a journalist

Grandparents moved
Between journalist
from Poland to
and writer – 2 years in
America
Brooklyn shipyards

Father owned
All My Sons (1947), Death
successful clothing
of a Salesman (1949), The
business, family lived
Crucible (1952) –
in Harlem
confirmed as great
playwright
Failed in 1929 3 marriages – divorced
economic depression college sweetheart in 1956, Died in 2005, aged 89.
– moved to Brooklyn Marilyn Monroe (divorced Regarded as one of
1961), photographer Inge greatest 20th century
Morath dramatists
 Red Hook and Longshoremen
• In Brooklyn – slum area of New York (across Brooklyn
Bridge)
• One of 1st neighbourhoods to be settled – Dutch
Settlers 1636 named after red soil & hook-like shape
• 1850 – one of busiest ports
• Community of longshoremen & dockworkers – mostly
Italian – developed late 19th century
• Tough neighbourhood – Al Capone’s
1st home & scene of 1st crimes – got
wound which inspired nickname
‘Scarface’
 Red Hook and Longshoremen
• Miller explored & researched neighbourhood – struck
by complex Mafia power structure lurking beneath
placid surface
• Trip to Italy – marvelled at continuity of traditions,
power structures & work habits
• 1950s Golden age of longshoremen community –
21000 living in row houses (built 1936)
• Technological changes left neighbourhood
economically devastated
• Brooklyn more accessible but Red
Hook left isolated
 McCarthy Trials & Arthur Miller
• Period of political persecution during 1950s – led by senator
McCarthy
• Public officials & private citizens accused of being Communists or
Communist sympathisers
• Most of evidence fabricated but induced atmosphere of
suspicion & paranoia that destroyed many careers
• Term come to signify any reckless political persecution or witch-
hunt
• Miller asked to testify before House of Un-American Activities
Committee – heroically refused to name names (link to loyalty
within play & Eddie’s actions) – allowed him to find emotional
connection with the play & revise script
• Charged for contempt following year but later reversed by U.S
Court of Appeals
 Stimulus and Development of Play
• Most of work set in America of his day & portrays realistic
characters & events
• Deals with political & moral issues, weaving in ideas from Greek
Tragedy
• Interested in how personal relationships dictate how one leads
one’s life
• Also interested in people’s struggles to do what is right
• 1947 – researching Pete Panto (young longshoreman executed by
mob)
• Befriended Italian community – sympathised with them = poorly
paid, treated badly, exploited by people who brought them to
America – left to fend for selves after debts paid back
• Workers waited at docks for jobs – humiliating & employers had
too much control
 Stimulus and Development of Play
• Inspired by stories from docks
• Friend told of dream in which he was attracted to cousin – Miller
suggested might mean he wanted incestuous relationship but he was
horrified & refused to accept (Eddie/Alfieri)
• Story of longshoreman who betrayed own relatives by going to
Immigration – attempting to prevent marriage between one of the
brothers & niece. Scorned & ostracized by community & disappeared
(rumour one of brothers killed him) – Rodolpho/Catherine & Eddie’s
reaction to relationship
• 8 years later, in 1955 a one-act version based on this story was
presented
 Stimulus and Development of Play
• Poorly received by New York critics – only 158 performances
• So complete & shocking Miller did not wish to adorn tale but
rather lay out facts in action-orientated, objective tale
• Result = cold, un-engaging – Miller admitted it was an
experiment away from psychological realism which dominated
American theatre
• Revised script – staged in London, rave reviews
• Enlarged female characters, greater role in Eddie’s fate
• Set more realistic, eliminated use of verse & relationship
between Eddie & Catherine played
down, final scene altered
 The Greek Tragedy
“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 that 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”

Arthur Miller on the Dramatic Nature of the play.

 Important Features of the Greek Tragedy
• Takes place in single location
• Tragic Hero (Eddie) – A character of noble stature & greatness, readily
evident in play, occupies a ‘high’ status position, ALSO must embody
nobility & virtue as part of innate character
• Not perfect – we must be able to identify – must see as essentially like
us
• Downfall partially his/her own fault = free choice. Triggered by error
of judgement or character flaw: Hamartia = Tragic Flaw (Eddie’s self-
interest & denial)
• Punishment not wholly deserved – exceeds crime
• Fall not pure loss = some increase in awareness, gain in self-
knowledge, discovery (Eddie’s final lines)
• Arouses solemn emotion but offer catharsis
- cleanse us of ‘unhealthy’ emotions
(contribute to good health of community)
 Greek Chorus
• Originally a group (up to 50 members) – several techniques: singing,
dancing, narrating, acting
• Provide background and summary information to help audience
follow performance – comment on themes
• Often express what the main characters cannot say – hidden fears,
secrets
• Alfieri (the Lawyer) performs role of Greek chorus – commentator
• Tells the story in flashbacks focussing on key scenes/moments
• Tells us what is going to happen, teller of incredible story that he is
powerless to change – reminds us of inevitability of ending
• Arouses solemn emotion but offer catharsis
- cleanse us of ‘unhealthy’ emotions
(contribute to good health of community)
What is the symbolism of the title?
A view from the bridge = an elevated position of moral superiority in this case.
Alfieri’s view from the bridge: Sees the imminent danger but is powerless to stop
it.

A view from a bridge would also give a wider view of an area; therefore, he is
able to quickly interpret the reasons behind Eddie’s behaviour rightly as
improper feelings for his niece; it takes Beatrice, who lives with him, longer. She
is too close to the action and can’t see the truth in front of her; he is removed
and able to view the conflict as it arises. Eddie also refuses to acknowledge the
truth even when it is pointed out.

Most of the action is set in the Carbones’ home but it is also important that we
see their position as part of the community, especially towards the end of the
play, when their private tragedy is played out in public.
What is the symbolism of the title – Brooklyn Bridge?
• Symbolic of pathway of opportunity to Manhattan
• Linkage between American & Italian cultures – important as Eddie has to
battle between his Italian community values (loyalty & honour) and American
Law & Order
• Close to Red Hook – constant reminder of American opportunity & industry –
what Rodolpho craves
• Can view entire community below – seek greater abstract meaning from
viewpoint
• Alfieri symbolic of person on bridge looking upon community OR perhaps
bridge himself – allowing people to cross into Manhattan & modern,
intellectual American culture
• Attempts to unite American law with Italian cultural practices – negotiate
place between two
• Narrates from present into past – same vantage point as one looking from
bridge
• As time passes – process events & see greater societal & moral implications it
has for community as a whole
• WE MUST BALANCE OUR OWN PERSONAL/INDIVIDUAL NEEDS & DESIRES
WITH THOSE OF PEOPLE AROUND US - WIDER COMMUNITY
Structure
•= a well structured play with uncomplicated shape
•Two Acts but within these, there are a number of easily defined divisions
which are controlled by Alfieri’s commentary/musings/reflections.
•Alfieri = essential to structure: he opens and closes the play and moves the
action quickly onwards through commenting on Eddie’s moral transgression.

All the action revolves around Eddie Carbone whose character is central focus
of the drama. When he is calm and friendly, the atmosphere is relaxed. When
he is tense and hostile, the atmosphere again mirrors this and becomes
uncomfortable/strained with Beatrice and Catherine frequently trying to
placate him.

There are a number of tense moments within the two Acts which echo one
another. The controlled hostility at the end of Act I where Eddie teaches
Rodolpho to box and Marco responds by warning Eddie under the guise of the
chair lift/show of strength. This progresses into the unpleasant hostility at the
beginning of Act II when Eddie kisses Catherine and Rodolpho. The final
inevitable explosive ending is justified when we consider the chain of events
leading up to it.
As you read the play, it is important to imagine yourself watching and
listening to the action. It is a drama, not a novel. The stage directions are
important in helping us to imagine exactly what is going on: they can help us
picture each character's actions and reactions.

During the course of A View from the Bridge the Carbone family change from
a poor but loving family into one torn apart by mistrust, jealousy and
violence. Ask yourself what happens to create such a dramatic contrast. How
is the tension maintained and the audience involved?
 Overview
• Carbone family = Eddie (tragic hero), Beatrice (his wife), Catherine
(Beatrice’s sister’s daughter)
• At start, family are content, close . Eddie is dominant male, loving, well
respected and overly protective
• They are going to take in Beatrice’s cousins who are illegal immigrants
looking for work
• Rodolpho and Catherine begin to form a relationship which Eddie is
jealous of
• He tries to prevent the relationship and seeks advice from Alfieri (the
lawyer)
• When he does not get the advice he wants to hear, and is not
successful in splitting the two up, he commits the ultimate betrayal
• This leads to his family and the community turning against him
• Marco seeks his revenge which leads to the inevitable tragic conclusion
Act I Part a p1-7
 Act 1 – Part a: pg1-7
Alfieri sets the scene and introduces Eddie’s story; Eddie arrives
home with news of cousins’ arrival.

QUESTIONS:

1.What is revealed through Alfieri’s opening speech about the

setting, situation and themes of the play? What function do you
think Alfieri will have in the drama?

2.How are the Carbone family presented at the start of the play?
Consider them as individuals and as a family unit.

3.Why is Beatrice so nervous and worried about the arrival of

the cousins? How does Eddie ease her worries and what does
this suggest about Eddie’s character at this point in the play?
Alfieri is established immediately as the commentator. He introduces the play,
narrates the story in flashback, focussing on key scenes, then closes the play. He
is in control and we trust him. He is like the Chorus in a Greek tragedy, explaining
the events on stage to the audience without actually participating in them.

He is reflective/pensive and admits sadly that he tends to ‘notice the ruins in

things’ (p2)

Although he does play some part in the action, it is clear that he was ‘powerless’
(p2) and that nothing he could have done would have altered the ‘bloody course’
(p2.) 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: ‘ could see every step coming, step after step, like a
dark figure walking down a hall towards a certain door.’ p38 Thus conveying the
power of Eddie’s feelings for Catherine – he is powerless to contain/overcome
them; likewise, Alfieri can not prevent something so intense/powerful from
occurring despite his best efforts to advise Eddie to turn away from her: ‘The
child has to grow up and go away, and the man has to learn to forget. Let her
go.’ (p36)
 Act 1 – Part b: pg7-15
Catherine tells Eddie about her job opportunity; Eddie reminds
Catherine & Beatrice not to speak about cousins and tells the
story of Vinny Bolzano.

QUESTIONS:

1.What are Eddie’s concerns about Catherine getting a job as a

stenographer?
2.What does Beatrice suggest is behind Eddie’s reluctance and how does
Eddie react to this?
3.Why does Eddie again warn the two women not to talk about the cousins
outside of the house?
4.What is the significance of Vinny Bolzano’s story being told? What is
surprising about the story and how do the family react to the story? What
does it tell us about the Red Hook, Italian community?
5.What signs are there in this section of the closeness between Eddie &
Catherine? Is there anything unusual about their relationship?
Act I
Part c
(p15-23)
 Act 1 – Part c: pg15-23
The cousins arrive and the characters of Marco and Rodolpho
are introduced as they settle in; initial signs of conflict emerging
between Eddie and Rodolpho

QUESTIONS:

1.What differences are there between the two brothers, Marco and
Rodolpho?
2.How are the conditions back in their hometown in Italy contrasted
with the conditions in America?
3.What seems to attract Catherine to Rodolpho and what signs are
there of this attraction?
4.What indications are there that Eddie has taken a dislike to
Rodolpho? Why do you think this is?
5.Why do you think Eddie tells Catherine to take off her heels? How
do Beatrice and Catherine react to this?
 Act 1 – Part d: pg23-33
A few weeks have passed, Catherine & Rodolpho have fallen in
love and return from the cinema; Beatrice hopes they will marry
but Eddie does not approve
QUESTIONS:

1.What meaning does Alfieri’s opening comment have? What ‘might be

discovered’ and what could the ‘trouble that would not go away’ be?

2.What reasons does Eddie give to Beatrice for not wanting Rodolpho to
court & marry Catherine? What does he try to suggest about him?

3.What does Beatrice say she is more worried about and how does Eddie
react to this?

4.How does Eddie try to put Catherine off marrying Rodolpho and how does
Catherine react to this?

5.What advice does Beatrice give to Catherine?

Act I Part e (p33-46)
 Act 1 – Part e: pg33-46
Eddie goes to Alfieri to see if the law can stop the marriage;
tension increases at home and Eddie teaches Rodolpho to box.

QUESTIONS:

1.What does Alfieri’s description of Eddie tell us about the character’s mood
at this stage?
2.How does Eddie progress his argument about his case against Rodolpho in
this section and what does he want Alfieri to do? How does Miller convey
Eddie’s desperation at this point?
3.What legal & personal advice does Alfieri give to Eddie? What is perhaps
surprising about Alfieri’s position regarding the illegal immigration?
4.What does Alfieri mean by ‘I could have finished the whole story that
afternoon’? What effect does this closing section have?
5.What signs are there of the increasing tension in the house?
6.What is the significance of the boxing at the end of the Act and Marco’s
challenge to Eddie to lift the chair?
Act I Part e:
(Eddie tries to
prove Rodolpho
is ‘a weird.’
Marco warns
Eddie he will
intervene if
needed.)
The trial of strength between Marco and Eddie is full of tension and pathos.
While Eddie pretends he wants to teach Rodolpho, but in fact wishes to show
how feminine he is and how macho he himself is, the tension is shown through
the reactions of the other characters:

•Beatrice, although initially concerned, sees only good spirited camaraderie.

•Catherine is afraid for Rodolpho’s safety and realises that Eddie wishes to cause
him harm under the disguise of teaching him to box. She also makes it clear here
that she has chosen her side: Rodolpho (she rushes to his side in stage directions
-p45.)

•Marco stands back and watches initially analysing Eddie’s behaviour before
deciding how to respond. He realises Eddie’s actions are hostile and so
challenges him to a trial of strength.

The contest is important as it foreshadows what will happen later in the play:
Marco will always be loyal to Rodolpho and defend him. It also conveys that
Marco is stronger and if Eddie continues to be aggressive, Marco will intervene,
and he will win. This is a clear warning to Eddie and he understands this (‘the
chair raised like a weapon.’ ‘Eddie’s grin vanishes as he absorbs [Marco’s]
look’p46)
 Act 2 – Part a: pg47-59
Nearly Christmas, Catherine & Rodolpho are alone in the house
together; Eddie returns home drunk & challenges Rodolpho;
Eddie returns to Alfieri then phone the Immigration Bureau
QUESTIONS:

1.What evidence is there that Catherine has been affected by Eddie’s accusations and
how does Rodolpho respond to her worries? What does Catherine reveal about her
feelings towards Eddie?
2.What provokes Eddie to throw Rodolpho out and why do you think Eddie kisses
both Catherine and Rodolpho?
3.How does Alfieri make more direct references to Eddie’s improper love of his niece
and the consequences of Eddie remaining on his current course? How is Alfieri’s
powerlessness again shown?
4.What do you think motivates Eddie to call the Immigration Bureau at this point in
the play? Why is this a significant shift in his character?
5.Why do you think Eddie keeps speaking about respect to Beatrice in the next
section?
6.How does Beatrice try to mediate between Catherine & Eddie and what does Eddie
try to persuade Catherine to do?
 Act 2 – Part b: pg59-67
The Immigration Officers turn up to arrest Marco & Rodolpho;
Eddie is suspected of being the informant and Marco spits in
Eddie’s face; Alfieri gets bail for M&R on condition Marco will
not kill Eddie

QUESTIONS:

1.Why does news of Lipari’s two other boarders concern Eddie?

2.What is the significance of the timing of the Immigration Officers’ arrival?
3.Why is it important that the drama of the men being arrested happens in
front of the community? What is most important to both Marco & Eddie in
this scene?
4.Why does Marco find it so difficult to promise not to hurt Eddie? How does
Marco prove himself to be a better man than Eddie?
5.How do the other characters convince Marco to make the promise to
secure bail?
Act II Part c (p67-72)
 Act 2 – Part c: pg67-72
Day of the wedding, Eddie still refuses to go; Marco turns up at
the house & neither man will back down so they fight and Eddie
dies on blade of own knife; Alfieri closes play commenting on
how senseless Eddie’s death was.

QUESTIONS:

1.How does Catherine finally assert her independence from Eddie in this final section
and why do you think Beatrice tries to mediate, even now?
2.What is Eddie seeking at the end of the play? Why will he not accept Rodolpho’s
apology?
3.Why does Beatrice say that seeking revenge with Marco will not satisfy Eddie or
mean anything to him? How does Eddie react to this?
4.Why do you think Miller makes Eddie die on his own knife? Marco comes to the
house despite giving his word to Alfieri. Does this make him dishonourable? Who
appears the most dishonourable at the end & how is this conveyed?
5.Why does Eddie die in the arms of Beatrice, not Catherine? What is the significance
of his final words?
6.What is the significance of Alfieri’s closing words to the play as a whole?
Playwright’s purpose
In pairs, discuss what you think the playwright's purpose is (what key
themes/message does Miller wish to teach us? What does he want us to
learn? How does he wish us to use this information in our own day to day
lives?)

•Teaches us the importance of honour, loyalty and respect in life. If we don’t

adhere to our morals and live a decent, measured life, there will be
consequences.

•Teaches us to follow laws, rules that society etc. sets and if we break these,
again lives can be ruined and justice will be served.

•Teaches us to show restraint and control in our everyday lives and think
carefully about our behaviour/thoughts/desires prior to acting so that we are
aware that there will be adverse consequences if we fail to do this/act
immorally.

•Teaches us that we can not enforce justice; we must rely on the legal
system/God to do this; it is not up to us to judge, condemn and punish.
 Symbolism

For each of these Symbols,

analyse how they are used
within the play and what they
represent. Illustrate with
quotations where relevant. How
do they contribute to wider
themes and ideas?
 Motifs
Homosexuality Community

For each of these Motifs, analyse

how they are used within the
play and what they represents.
Illustrate with quotations where
relevant. How do they
contribute to wider themes and
ideas?

Womanhood
 Important Quotations
Just remember, kid, you can quicker get back
a million dollars that was stole than a word
that you gave away. (Act 1, p13)

CONTEXT: Eddie says this to Catherine after they have

been talking about Vinny Bolzano. This section relates
to the themes of family/community loyalty and
American law.
 Analysis
• Reveals/exposes irony and madness of Eddie’s character
• Lectures Catherine about how they must not tell anyone of cousins &
warns of consequences
• Story and comment foreshadows Eddie’s fate
• Spends rest of play ‘giving away words’ – contrasts with Marco’s silence
• Tragedy fore-grounded – Eddie is aware of consequences/own fate but
cannot control his own self-interest – cannot escape fate
• Remains powerless (like Alfieri) or too mad to stop it
• Miller sets up Eddie so vehemently against betrayal that his transition to
betrayer seems illogical
• Set-up requires him to undergo a drastic change/complete breakdown
• Force of transition reinforces his self-destructive madness & deepness of
unspoken love of niece
 Important Quotations
His eyes were like tunnels; my first thought
was that he had committed a crime, but soon I
saw it was only a passion that had moved into
his body, like a stranger. (Act 1, p33)

CONTEXT: Alfieri describes his first impressions of

Eddie on his first visit to the lawyer. Eddie seeks to
have Catherine and Rodolpho’s relationship stopped
by American law on the grounds that Rodolpho is ‘not
right’ and that he wishes only to marry her for a
passport.
 Analysis
• Alfieri seems to fear Eddie as a paranormal beast (remnant of
Greek/Roman tragedy
• Eddie seems almost possessed, emphasising Alfieri’s feelings of
powerlessness to control him
• Passion = passion for niece
• Unreleased & suppressed in his subconscious – stranger to Eddie’s
conscious self
• Actively denies thoughts of incest (why he is unable to take responsibility
for actions later
• Self-interest and self-denial is his tragic flaw
• Style of Alfieri as chorus – dramatic & literary descriptions (repeated in
later descriptions) – tale of Eddie becomes almost legendary
• Creates significance for audience – learn lessons from story/tragedy
 Important Quotations
You want somethin' else, Eddie, and you can
never have her! (Act 2, p70)

CONTEXT: Beatrice’s final, most direct reference to

Eddie’s feelings for Catherine. It is her final plea out of
desperation before Marco arrives at the house.
 Analysis
• First time Eddie seems to realise his true feelings and recognise his own
madness
• Up to this point, only referred to indirectly – no one has dared actually tell
Eddie what is wrong with him
• When Eddie realises his demon he is powerless to stop it
• Lunging forward in attempt to kill Marco – feeling of inevitability
• Sicilian revenge – cannot pull back or regain sense of reason – gone too
far
• Recognition of sexual taboo & what it drove him to makes more
determined to seek revenge or success/honour in his death
• No power to deny claims but instead follows destructive path
• Once he has recognised his sinful love he seems able to find himself again,
come out of madness & reconcile his relationship with Beatrice
 Important Quotations
Eddie: Then why—Oh, B.!
Beatrice: Yes, yes!
Eddie: My B.! (Act 2, p72)

CONTEXT: The final exchange between Eddie and

Beatrice before Eddie dies in her arms.
 Analysis
• In end the couple find some sort of reconciliation & repair in
broken relationship
• Beatrice, despite everything, remains loyal to Eddie
throughout & is able to forgive him
• Throughout, Eddie constantly dominates Beatrice
• In this tiny moment, Eddie needs B more than she needs him
• B’s increased presence & downscaling of E&C’s relationship,
Eddie must die in her arms
• Only female who needs him
• Drawn to B to seek forgiveness & love
• Greater sense of loss & wastage created at end of tragedy
 Important Quotations
Most of the time we settle for half and I like it better. Even as I know
how wrong he was, and his death useless, I tremble, for I confess that
something perversely pure calls to me from his memory—not purely
good, but himself purely And yet, it is better to settle for half, it must
be! And so I mourn him—I admit it—with a certain alarm. (Act 2, p72)

CONTEXT: Alfieri’s closing speech in which he talks

directly to the audience, reflecting on the story and
reinforcing the main themes of the play.
 Analysis
• Deals with central conflict of play
• The self will versus the will of the community
• The ‘whole man’ that Alfieri describes in Eddie is the self-interested man
• Actions completely motivated by own desires at expense of others
• Thus, humans must act halfway to preserve rules of community & lives of
others
• Eddie acted as whole person, unrestrained & uninhabited – at expense of
others & himself
• Escaped restraint because he escaped consideration of others &
community at large
• Wholeness is whole interest in his own life
• TRAGIC FLAW = self-interest – flaw seems both admirable & alarming to
Alfieri
 Creating a Quotation Bank
• Each person must find, analyse and submit
(electronically) one key quotation to me by
Thursday 16th December
• Once submitted, I will collate (along with
previous slides) and post on eboard
• You will only receive the password if and
when you have contributed
 Include
• The quotation written in full, with an Act and
page reference
• The context of the quotation (who says it and
when/why)
• In depth analysis of the significance of the
quotation within the play as a whole (consider
any techniques illustrated by the quotation,
what the quotation reveals about
characterisation, situation, theme etc.)
 Allocations
• part aa –– pg1-7
Act 1, part Heather, Emma
• Act 1, part
part bb –pg7-15
– Jess, Emilia
• Act 1, part
part cc –pg15-23
– Findlay, Catherine, Georgia
• Act 1, part
part dd –– pg23-33
Milly, Cora, Lauren
• Act 1, part
part ee –– pg33-46
Sumita, Katie, Calum
• Act 2, part
part aa –– pg47-59
Jack, Imogen, Iain
•• Act 2, part
part bb –– pg59-67
Elliot, Hannah, Ruairidh
•• Act
Act 2,
2, part
part cc –– pg67-72
Ryan-Lee, Billie
Choose a play in which a central character
behaves in an obsessive manner.

Describe the nature of the character’s

obsessive behaviour and discuss the influence
this behaviour has on your understanding of
the play as a whole.
 3 Parts to Question - Argument
• Nature of Eddie’s obsessive behaviour

• How is Eddie’s obsessive behaviour demonstrated –

Dramatic Techniques

• Influence behaviour has on understanding of the play

as a whole
Nature of Eddie’s obsessive behaviour
• Possessiveness of Catherine – patriarchal role,
escalates into obsession, driven on by tragic
flaw (incestuous desire, acting selfishly)
• Becomes fixated on preventing Rodolpho &
Catherine’s relationship/marriage
• Goes against own ideals – betraying own
family
• Tragic ending – Obsessed with reclaiming
respect, focus shifts to Marco, culminates in
death when obsession subsides
 How is Eddie’s obsessive behaviour
demonstrated
• Through Alfieri’s narrative – chorus role, warnings &
powerless, imagery & language, foreshadowing &
dramatic irony
• Relationship with Catherine – pipe & slip, restricting
freedom & denial, broken marriage
• Reaction to Rodolpho – stage directions, boxing and
chair, the kiss
• Turning point – phoning immigration (significant
change in ideals, foreshadowed earlier)
• Ending – fight with Marco, knife, obsession subsiding
with return to B at the end
 Influence behaviour has on
understanding of the play as a whole
• Highlights themes of respect/loyalty/betrayal
• Acting wholly as self (self-interest) –
community vs individual
• Eddie’s obsessive behaviour is motivated by
his self-interest (tragic flaw) – results in his
betrayal and loss of respect/position –
outlines wider message about community and
individual (idea of compromise) ‘better to
settle for half’
Key Critical Essay Structural
Advice
 INTRODUCTIONS
• Need to include:
- Title of text (in ‘inverted commas’)
- Author/poet/dramatist’s name – full
name at 1st – surname thereafter
- Type of text
- LINK TO TASK – use key words from
the task
- Mention of the theme/purpose of the
text (understanding/appreciation of text as a
whole)
 Sample Introduction
The thought-provoking play ‘A View from the Bridge’
by Arthur Miller follows the tragic life of an
American-Italian longshoreman called Eddie
Carbone in the 1950s, whose infatuation for his
niece ultimately destroys him. Miller shows how
Eddie’s obsessive behaviour grows and evolves as
he is driven by his own self-interest. This leads him
to selfishly betray those around him as well as his
own values and this is used by Miller to effectively
illustrate the notion that we must compromise our
own interests with those of others within the
societies in which we live.
 Topic Sentences
• Function:
- To introduce the feature of the text which
is to be analysed in that paragraph
- Must clearly link to the task and the rest
of the argument
- Should focus on what the writer does and
why – how does the technique help
convey theme/purpose
- Should contain evaluative language

SHOULD NOT FOCUS ON PLOT OR A

RE-TELLING OF THE STORY!
 Sample Topic Sentence

Signs of Eddie’s obsessive nature are

clearly indicated by Miller in the
opening scenes when we see how he
tries to control and manipulate
Catherine.
 Sub-Conclusions
• Function:
- Bring together the main points of the
paragraph – focussing on the technique that
has been discussed
- Must clearly link to the task and the rest
of the argument
- Try to make reference to theme/writer’s
purpose – why the writer is writing
- Should contain evaluative language
 Sample Sub-Conclusion

Through Alfieri’s privileged perspective,

Miller allows us to clearly see the powerful
influence of Eddie’s obsession with
Catherine and the devastating
consequences it has when he is not able
to suppress its influence and think of the
consequences for those around him.
 Conclusions
• Function:
- To conclude the argument, pulling
together the main points
- Must clearly link to the task and the rest
of the argument
- Should restate the title of the text, author
and what the writer is trying to achieve –
purpose/theme
- Should contain evaluative language
 Sample Conclusion
Overall, ‘A View from the Bridge’ is a play in
which we see the central character, Eddie
Carbone, act in an obsessive manner.
Throughout the play, Arthur Miller effectively
demonstrates the devastating consequences
of Eddie’s obsessive behaviour which
causes him to transform from a loving, caring
family man into someone who betrays his
own values in order to satisfy his own
desires.
 General Advice
• Avoid using ‘you’ or ‘I’ or ‘the reader’ as in, for
example, the following:

At the end of the novel you feel the death of the

father has affected every single character.

At the end of the novel I feel the death of the father

has affected every single character.

At the end of the novel the reader feels the death

of the father has affected every single character.
• The first is too conversational, the second is too
personal, and the third is too formal.
 General Advice
• Use ‘we’ instead:

At the end of the novel we feel the death of the father has
affected every single character.

• Or leave it out:

At the end of the novel the death of the father has

affected every single character.
 Quotations
• Don’t say ‘the writer quotes’. Writers don’t quote their own words,
they write them. It’s you who quotes. The word ‘quote’ or
‘quotation’ should never appear in your essay.

• There are only two ways to handle quotations. You either:

– introduce a long one (which must make complete sense

on its own) by putting it in the middle of your page and
introducing it with a colon

or

– include a short one as part of your own sentence

 Quotations
• All other ways are clumsy and wrong. So if, for example, you are quoting
from the first verse of the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill, you might say
something like this:

In the opening verse we are told what the two children did:
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water

or

In the opening verse we are told how the two children ‘went up the
hill’ in order to get some water.

Anything else is wrong. For example:

In the opening verse we are told what the children did ‘went up the
hill’.

In the opening verse we are told what the children did:

To fetch a pail of water
 Variations for ‘This shows…’
• Here, the writer [name] highlights…
• reveals/ing
• indicates/ing
• suggests/ing
• implies/ing
• portrays/ing
• connotes/ing or this has connotations
of…
• … is employed/utilised by the writer to…
 Evaluative Language
• Cleverly • Evocatively
• Effectively • Creatively
• Successfully • Emphatically
• Poignantly • Dramatically
• Realistically • Convincingly
• Vividly • Significantly
• Emotionally • Strikingly

Reordering the sentence can help to vary how your evaluation is

expressed e.g. ‘The writer makes effective use of…’ or ‘A striking example
of…’
 Second Essay (Friday 8 Jan) th

Choose a play which underlines how one

person’s flaw(s) can have a significant
impact on other people as well as on
himself or herself.

Explain briefly the nature of the flaw(s) and

then, in detail, assess how much the
character and others are affected.
Timed Essay Prep. (Friday 8 Jan) th

Choose a play in which an important theme is

effectively highlighted by one specific scene of
incident.

Explain how the theme is explored in the play

as a whole and then show in detail how the
chosen scene or incident effectively highlights
it.