How Miller Uses Alfieri in A View From the Bridge
In 'A View From the Bridge' Miller uses Alfieri in a great number of
ways, sometimes to support the action, to narrate and to add to the
literary conventions of the play. For example, to act as the chorus
would have throughout a Greek tragedy, which would have been to
comment on the action and to fill in minor parts of the play. Alfieri
is used for both of these things. He delivers the prologue at the
beginning and also appears in the action as the lawyer who observes
the events and is therefore able to tell us the story afterwards.
The story line relates to this idea of a Greek tragedy, Eddie is seen
as the protagonist hero, an essential role in traditional Greek
tragedy. This character would undergo an ordeal that would give some
kind of religious message to the audience, in this case, the message
we receive is not religious but it does convey the social realism of
the 'laws' of society that Miller was keen to get across.
Miller was extremely interested in the theme of people as social
beings, and the decline of one man in a society of law, justice,
honour, and love, all of which eventually contribute to Eddie's
downfall. The laws and rules of society are clearly set out and what
Miller is trying to show, is that when just one person breaks one of
the unwritten laws, it can result in devastating consequences. His
interest in this goes beyond 'A View from the Bridge'. The downfall of
an entire society is shown in another play by Miller 'The Crucible',
in which he shows how a society crumbles under suspicion and distrust
when just a few people lie to each other.
The fact that...
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...o darkness, we never hear of
him leaving and so he is always close by. This combined with his act
of narrator and chorus contribute towards him being almost our
companion whilst we move through the play, especially as he addresses
us, as the audience, directly.
In conclusion, Miller uses Alfieri in a number of different ways. As
chorus, narrator, character in action, dramatic device, and to uphold
many of the plays themes. Alfieri is a key character and without his
input, it is impossible to identify with the themes and to appreciate
the relevance of the play and the fate of its protagonist. It is
through this, that we understand and judge the play correctly,
empathise with the characters and gain the intended emotions from
witnessing the struggle and pain caused when someone breaks the
unwritten laws of society.
He went from optimistic to remorseful though his dialogue, stage directions, and how other’s perceived him and as he tried to fix his mistakes by trying to save those he put in jail, he was able to gather sympathy from the readers. Arthur Miller is able to represent a larger idea through Reverend Hale in retrospect to Communism and society in general. After World War II, the American government spread mass hysteria of Communism which led to innocent people being accused and hanged all thought America. Miller commented on how people did not speak up on how unfair it was and let innocent people’s lives be ruined. This can also be applied to today’s society in which innocent peoples are attacked and barely anyone helps them or stand up for them. People still struggle to speak up because they may be putting something at risk if they do so, but society should get past that in order to make life fair for
Cosi uses a wide range of Dramatic elements, all through-out the play. This play particularly highlights The Tension, the Role and the way the characters portray their selves on stage. The use of these techniques allows the audience to accept more readily the intent of the play. It draws everyone into a world, that in many ways is foreign to us, but the human interaction, with the characters, makes it seem more real.
Miller presents the character of John Proctor in an important way to show two sides to his character. These qualities make him have the most important role in ‘The Crucible.’ The key events that show him in this way is when the audience find out about the affair, how he tries to defend his wife, his confession in court and his hanging for the sake of others. Through the events in The Crucible, Miller then portrays John Proctor’s character with tension and suspense. This then makes the audience question whether or not he is a good man.
Sometimes, cuts in a play obey to reasons regarding the stage capacity, or your budget. In the essay, we will choose our cuts based on the play only, as we consider it an interesting exercise that will surely help us understanding the play. We decided to read the play a couple of times, highlighting the elements we could cut, and after thinking carefully, these are the parts we would cut. We intended to keep it short, as not to alter the meaning of the play, or hinder any part of the plot, we focused on trimming parts that would not necessarily add up to the plot, but instead, are there to show the human parts of the play, these parts are important in their own right, of course, but in our cut, we focused on the plot, excuse us beforehand if we are too severe, and cut some parts we should have
This whole play by Arthur Miller shows how our community will turn on each other to save ourselves no matter if it’s right or wrong and it’s true in our society today. It also shows how a good man regained his happiness and holiness by standing up for what’s right against the lies and sacrificed himself for the truth.
...ter his internal switch flips and he stops believing everything he hears. Miller used Hale and the rest of the court- important religious and political figures- as a symbol of ignorance residing not only in the lower parts of a community but also in those who run it.
cant seem to - keep my mind to it". This gives us the first indication
Everyone Eddie met in heaven taught him something about his life. They were all connected to him in different ways, whether it was someone close to him once, or a complete stranger. Somehow, all of their lives had crossed Eddie’s and helped make him the person that he had become. When you think about this lesson, you truly understand. One decision causes an effect, maybe on your life or maybe on someone else’s life. That effect will cause something else. It’s what I think of as a ripple effect. Everything happens for a reason, and all of the events that lead up to our “now” makes us who we are.
Through the use of dialogue, stage directions which enable us to envisage the scene on stage and characterisation we can see how dramatic tension is created by Miller. These aspects are to be explored for each act.
It shouldn't be forgotten that in the body of the play those who are masters of a language of extraordinary wit and polish - language that seems to guarantee rationality and good judgement - get things almost completely wrong. The resolution of the play comes via the agency of the people whose discourse is an assault on language, who are dismissed - by Leonato - as 'tedious' when they should be patiently listened to. But, as Borachio says 'what your wisdoms could not discover, these shallow fools have brought to light' (V.1.221-222). And even more disturbing, that resolution comes by mere accident: by the chance overhearing of a conversation.
Writers may use literature as a vehicle of social criticism. In which ways does Arthur Miller criticize society?
The nearly three-hour drama is told from the viewpoint of Salieri, who frequently comes to the front of the stage to explain himself in lengthy and passionate detail. It takes a dedicated performer to memorize the lines and a skilled actor to keep them interesting.
doesn't want her to grow up and as she develops into a woman he wants
Arthur Miller himself was charged with contempt by a U.S Court and was faced with the dilemma of choosing to abide by the law, or accept community justice and not "rat" on his friends and family. A View from the Bridge criticizes those during the McCarthy trials (ones Arthur Miller was involved) who had "ratted" out innocent people. Arthur Miller chose to write about a community that accepted and protected unlawful people because of their own beliefs in justice and fairness, which is, in essence, what the law attempts to be based on but ultimately cannot because "All the law is not in a book". When Marco is betrayed by Eddie, he cannot accept the laws stated in America and although Alfieri states "there is no other law" outside the "law", the community has set "justices" that tell them NOT to rat on immigrants. This shows how justice and law go against each other.
the role of a narrator. One role he takes on in the play is the voice