a view from the bridge essay example

A View from the Bridge

Here you will find all revision notes, homework activities and essay help on Arthur Miller’s ‘A View from the Bridge’.

Practice Textual Analysis using opening monologue (studied in class): Textual Analysis Questions Alfieri’s Monologue

Homework Questions: Act 1 questions and Act 2 questions

Revision Notes: (essay structural advice at end of PPT); A View from the Bridge Combined ; A View from the Bridge Quotation Bank ; Quotation Bank

Essay Help and Exemplars: N6 Practice Critical Essay Questions ; A View Obsessive Behaviour essay guidance ; A View From the Bridge essay guidance ; A View Exemplar

Essay Questions: Essay Tasks , N6 Practice Critical Essay Questions

Group Revision: Revision Guide 2018 (Revision Guide) A View from the Bridge Quotation Bank 2018

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A View from the Bridge by Miler Essay

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In the history of American theater in the second half of the 20th century, one of the leading places belongs to the playwright, writer, essayist, drama theorist Arthur Miller. A View from the Bridge is one of the best plays by Miller, the playwright who is rightfully called the American Shakespeare. The play is based on a real story that took place in one of the Italian quarters of Brooklyn (New York) in the fifties of the last century. This is a tragic story about love and jealousy, friendship and betrayal.

The play was first staged in 1955 at the Coronet Theater on Broadway as part of a two-act performance. The play was not a success; Miller rewrote it into a two-act play, and namely this version became popular among the audience. The premiere took place in London at the New Watergate Theater Club on October 11, 1956, directed by Peter Brook (Bhatia, 1985). The main character of the play, a simple port loader Eddie Carbone, agrees to give shelter to Marco and Rodolfo, his wife’s brothers, who came to the country illegally in the hope of breaking out of poverty. However, with their appearance, a quiet and measured family life is cracking. Even the danger of being convicted of breaking the law does not worry Eddie as much as the fear of losing his favorite, niece Catherine.

The feelings that arose between Rodolfo and Catherine become a test for the whole family, revealing the most secret desires and fears, and very soon Eddie and his loved ones will have to find out into what abysses forbidden love can drag. A mutual feeling develops between Rodolfo and Catherine, however Eddie is overprotective of his niece, which develops into insanity. The tragic story of forbidden love could not end with a happy ending. To some extent, this play is a social drama; moreover, Arthur Miller even wrote an essay about social plays (1955), where he noted that a drama written for public performance must be social, that its dramatic purpose is to portray a person as a social animal rather than to show the individual (Bhatia, 1985). The ancient Greek tragedy, in which events influenced the state of the entire state, in Miller narrows down to the framework of the American family, which does not at all change the significance of what is happening on the stage.

In addition, in this play, Miller clearly showed himself as the father of American analytical drama and in this regard, a direct follower of such European playwrights as Henrik Ibsen and George Bernard Shaw. At the end of the 19th century, Shaw announced that the only correct form of modern drama is discussion-drama, in which the event serves as an occasion for discussion of various urgent problems in society, questions of politics, philosophy and morality. There is a fairly clear point of view, which the playwright affirms throughout the course of the action and summarizes in the speech of the reasoners (Bhatia, 1985). The analytical drama of the 20th century also clashes different views and opinions, it is all built on ideological contradictions.

The second piece of the dilogy View from the Bridge is extremely dynamic. The playwright is rapidly developing only one, the main line of action: he shows how the hero of the play, the loader Eddie, came to betrayal. After the arrival of the immigrants Rodolfo and Marco (this is the beginning of the play), the action is steadily moving towards disaster. The method of depicting characters corresponds to the dynamics of the plot development. Miller completely moves away from detailed psychological analysis of his characters. The characters in the play are revealed only in action, each of them is the embodiment of only one passion. The play has one act, but it breaks up into separate scenes or pictures. Alfieri’s monologues represent the connecting links between them, which serves as a choir. Compositionally, these monologues carry out that decrease of tension, which is usually achieved by side episodes and the development of parallel plot lines. Alfieri’s monologues – and in this, apparently, their purpose – give the events taking place on the stage the character of epic predetermination, fatality. For example, at the junction of the fourth and fifth pictures, after Eddie came to Alfieri, a voice of rock is heard in the mouth of the lawyer, foreshadowing the fate of his client. It is obvious that the strict unity of the dramatic action in combination with Alfieri’s monologues-commentaries comes from the techniques of classical Greek tragedy.

The central theme of View from the Bridge is the theme of betrayal. This theme – in a broad sense – sounded in the play All My Sons , it was the leading one in The Severe Trial . The question arises: how did it happen that Eddie Carbon, a simple loader, became an informer? The reason, apparently, should be sought not only in Eddie’s love for his niece, not only in his alertness towards strangers who are trying to take his dear creature from him. Obviously, the very spirit of the times pushed Eddie to an act that has no forgiveness. “I want my name!… Marco’s got my name!” – Eddie shouts in desperation (Miller, 2010, Act 2). In the tragedy of a man who has learned the bitterness of split-off, there is that echo with today’s American reality, which gives the play a realistic force.

Yet, in this play, the theme of betrayal is interpreted by Miller differently than in The Severe Trial , where it unfolds against a certain historical background, grows out of the conditions of social life. In general, Miller’s previous plays are more firmly “tied” to America and constitute a kind of dramatic chronicle of its post-war history. In the play View from the Bridge, the theme of betrayal acquires an apparent autonomy, which does not seem to require social motivation. The playwright is primarily interested in the plot development of the problem of honor in its universal human aspect. This is confirmed in the central position of Miller’s concept of social drama: the drama becomes more sublime and more intense in proportion to how well it suits the most diverse people.

Bhatia, S. (1985). Arthur Miller: Social Drama As Tragedy . Prometheus Books.

Miller, A. (2010). A view from the bridge . Penguin Books.

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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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Essay Samples on A View From The Bridge

Theme of conflict in 'a view from the bridge'.

Conflict is a theme which has quite a large role in this play because all the characters have a little bit of conflict between each other. In 1930s Brooklyn, there was conflict between two cultures due to Italians moving over to America. This caused conflict...

A View From The Bridge
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Analysis of Naturalism in Arthur Miller's Play "A View From the Bridge"

Introduction Naturalism in theater is a movement that emerged in the late 19th century, influenced by the scientific and philosophical ideas of the time. It aims to depict life as it is, devoid of idealization or romanticization. Naturalistic plays present characters from the lower strata...

The Theme of Conflict in Miller's "A View From The Bridge"

Arthur Miller’s ‘A View From The Bridge’ uses the medium of a tragic drama to address the theme of conflict. This is principally expressed through the conflict between the protagonist, Eddie Carbone and the various characters in the play as well as Eddie’s internal conflicts...

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How is Conflict Presented in the Play 'A View from the Bridge' by Arthur Miller

Conflict is a clashing strain. Some find conflict with outsiders, where uprooting their existence, would mean everything. Some find dissent within themselves, desires, hidden deep in the fabric of their entity, holding power to tear their lives away. Some find discord with beloved ones, squabbling...

The Theme of Betrayal in Arthur Miller's Play A View from the Bridge

‘A View from the Bridge’ is written by American playwright; Arthur Miller and was first staged on the 29th of September in 1955. It is set in 1950s America and is revolved around an American Italian family whom live in Brooklyn and dominate the central...

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1. Theme of Conflict In ‘A View From The Bridge’

2. Analysis of Naturalism in Arthur Miller’s Play “A View From the Bridge”

3. The Theme of Conflict in Miller’s “A View From The Bridge”

4. How is Conflict Presented in the Play ‘A View from the Bridge’ by Arthur Miller

5. The Theme of Betrayal in Arthur Miller’s Play A View from the Bridge

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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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A View from the Bridge: Dramatic Conflict in Play

Category: Literature
Topic: A View From The Bridge , Arthur Miller

Pages: 3 (1256 words)

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