Eddie's Responsibility for his Own Death in J.B. Priestley's A View From the Bridge

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Eddie's Responsibility for his Own Death in J.B. Priestley's A View From the Bridge The main cause behind Eddie's liability of his own death was his stubborn and inarticulate behaviour; these were the main causes of isolation from his only family. In the opening scene of the play 'A view from the bridge', after Alfieri's speech to the audience, we are shown the strong bond between Eddie and his niece Catherine. Catherine thinks highly of Eddie, 'You like it? I fixed it different. He's here B.!', and instantly looks for his approval. The overall feelings you see between these two characters are caring, concern but also control. 'She sits on her heels beside him', this is a good example of Eddie's control, and how Eddie is a dominant character within the family during the play. Within this scene the staging should reflect the control that Eddie, has, and although he generally cares about his niece she is never in the centre of the room or lighting. Therefore Eddie should sit down on his chair in the centre of the room with the main light shining on him. This way the audience is focused on Eddie, making him the central character. Catherine at this point should be kneeling by his side to show her being inferior. Eddie's importance in Catherine's life soon fades, we can trace his isolation from when Beatrice's cousins, Marco and Rodolfo arrive. Eddie instantly takes a disliking to Rodolfo, 'he is coming more and more to address Marco only', even from the start, Eddie, without realising that any harm will come of it, is isolating himself from Rodolfo. Catherine is a naÃ¯ve young woman, who for all this time has hung on Eddie's every word, until now. Catherine is fascinated with Rodolfo, his blonde hair, his accent, the way he sings; he is not an average Italian man. This is a situation Eddie is not comfortable with, however, as he is a man who struggles to show his feelings with the use of words, he instead makes the wrong move of embarrassing

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