A View From The Bridge

1253 Words3 Pages

A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE According to the Aristotelean concept of tragedy, the hero (chief protagonist) is held in high esteem by the rest of society. However, he has a fatal flaw (hamartia) or a failing in his personality. In this case, it is Eddie’s inappropriate love for his niece/adopted daughter Catherine. He then becomes aware of his ‘fatal flaw’, but however, is powerless to stop it. On this occasion, Eddie doesn’t realize how strong his feelings are for Catherine until the very end. The consequences are usually dire, and this is reflected by Eddie’s death at the end of the play. At the beginning of the play, Catherine looks up to Eddie, and thinks very highly of his opinion. She says: “I’ll get you a beer” to try and make him feel secure and comfortable. This shows that she knows Eddie well and knows what relaxes him. When she tries on a new skirt, she asks: “I just go it. You like it?” Although Eddie replies: “I think it’s too short, ain’t it?” Catherine nonetheless remains loyal to him and instead of just accepting the fact that he does not like it, she relentlessly tries to persuade and convince him that: “It’s the style now.” When the stage directions explain: “(almost in tears because he disapproves),” it shows that she wants his approval for even the smallest of things; it also shows that she admires Eddie as a father figure and values his judgement. Catherine’s adulation for Eddie as a father, inadvertently spurs Eddie on to find different feelings for her. This makes the audience feel slightly irritated at Catherine for unknowingly urging Eddie to express his feelings for her. When Catherine tells Eddie that she has got a new job at plumbing company, he overreacts. He comes up with absurd excuses... ... middle of paper ... ...tes matters. He lets the situation with Catherine spiral out of control and has to resort to increasingly drastic measures to keep Catherine under his control. It soon becomes evident that he just doesn’t want Catherine to become independent, because he wants her all for himself. Catherine’s innocent fondness for Eddie is normal for any girl and their father. Catherine looks up to Eddie and wants his recognition. However, the audience rapidly grasp on to the idea that Eddie is too attached to Catherine and has to let go, otherwise there may be severe repercussions. However, Eddie refuses to release Catherine from his firm clutch and becomes so devoted to destroying Rodolpho, he doesn’t realise who he’s really hurting. Miller tries to make it clear to the audience that Eddie will not let go of Catherine, no matter what, and his demise soon becomes inevitable.

Open Document