Manliness, Hostility, and Aggression in A View From the Bridge

Alfieri is articulate a... ... middle of paper ... ...e is an element of contradiction to Alfieri’s final words because he believes that it is wise to compromise and yet he loves Eddie who refused to. This shows that it is not possible to have a fixed view on Eddie throughout the whole play. Miller uses Alfieri to constantly shift the audience’s view of Eddie by deploying Alfieri every time Eddie shows a negative trait. I think Alfieri finally does inspire sympathy for Eddie although some people may not sympathise with him but completely dislike him because of his negative behaviour. This is Miller’s intention throughout the play because of his use of Alfieri.

This hurts Eddie's ego and makes Eddie feel threatened; the only way Eddie know... ... middle of paper ... ...was selfish, and if he just settled with Catherine and him being friends, he would still be alive now. He lost everything because he was selfish. Alfieri generalises all of his other clients by saying Eddie is "not purely good, but himself purely, for he allowed himself to be wholly known and for that I will love him more than any my sensible clients". By this statement Alfieri means that Although Eddie was wrong with his views he was just being himself. Manliness, Hostility and Aggression are obvious themes though out the play and they are all very closely linked.

Iago is a deeply insecure and unhappy man, and struggles to prove his worth and masculinity through superficial characteristics such as social status and profession. His desire for respect and his jealousy of other honorable men motivate him to spread chaos throughout Cyprus, and this yearning for power forces Iago to use his innate strength—his cunning mastery of human psychology and the weaknesses of others—to boost his self-esteem and prove his power, even if only to himself. Iago’s deep-seated jealousy of nearly every man stems from his insecurities about his own status and worth, and in turn, manhood. In Shakespearean times, a strong man was characterized by action, power, honor, and respect. As a mere ensign, Iago lacks both honor and power, and has only the will to act.

Marcos strong belief in the Sicilian codes of conduct cause him to fight Eddie. Eddie’s limited understanding of what it means to be a man becomes damaged and challenged during the play, he responds terribly to these and doesn’t approve when other men do not act as he believes men should. In Alfieri’s opening speech he makes it clear that something bad is about to occur. He says ‘Sat there as powerless as I, and watched it run its bloody course. This one’s name was Eddie Carbone…’ This makes it clear that Eddie too is to follow the fate that something bad, but unstoppable is going to happen.

(I.i.1165) In other words, Iago believes he deserves the position of lieutenant, but Othello has different plans. The above passage also clearly shows Iago’s hate for Othello because he is a man of power, something Iago longs for. Iago is also jealous of the fact that Othello has made Cassio lieutenant, a man “That nev... ... middle of paper ... ...longed for, but Iago soon realizes it does not end like he had hoped for. In Othello, jealousy takes many forms, from warfare competition to sexual and emotional distrust, but each case ended in destruction. Iago used jealousy as a weapon against each character for his own narcissistic means; however, his efforts were futile.

Tension in Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge In “A View From the Bridge”, Arthur Miller explores a variety of themes in the relationships between the main characters in order to build tension for the audience. Firstly, through Eddie’s talk with Alfieri, we can see that he is jealous of Rodolfo’s relationship with Catherine, and his eventual loss of authority in his own house leads to anger and a desire to once again become the stereotypical alpha male. This creates tension because the audience knows that he will want his authority back, and as he gets more and more desperate, the audience may think that he would do anything to regain control over his household. Secondly, although early in the play Eddie appears to be overprotective of Catherine, the audience grows to see his hidden love for her, and he becomes either blind of his obsession with her, or just does not want to admit/see it. This helps to create tension because the suggestion of incest is highly tabooed in modern society, and the audience does not know if Eddie will act on his feelings.

But while he delivers them, he is at his best, being the worst. His basic behavior appears king-like, but the subtleties show his utter disregard for those who love him and his calculating mind making political estimates so that he can secure the throne.Even though Hal is an amoral huckster, he must be able to convince others of his worthiness for the play to work. Therefore, Shakespeare must spend most of Hal's speeches using a convincing tone. He will use the overtones and most of the direct meanings of what Hal says to convey a thoughtful prince; he will use the undertones and occasional slips to give insight to the reality of Hal's persona.

These two young boys, Jack and Jonas, both ignore the rules of their societies and show that there is a commonly occurring desire to oppose the rules set by society, and the moral and ethical consequences of acting against social order. Jack’s yearning to be the leader and have authority is reflected through his actions, directly `influencing the society and testing how far he is willing to push the boundaries for his own benefit before losing his own sanity. Throughout the course of the book, The Lord of the Flies, Jack’s transition to become the ringleader of a force against authority is strengthened and progressively shown through his behavior. On many occasions he attempts to solve problems irrationally through violence and rash behavior. For example in the beginning the conch, a symbol of order and organization throughout “their community”, was enforced and obeyed.

There are many themes contained in the theatrical drama of 'A view form the bridge'. There are also some ideas that add to the drama of the ... ... middle of paper ... ... it. Catherine also causes Eddie to feel threatened but in a more naive way. For example when Eddie has a go at Catherine because he thinks her skirt is "too short" and she is "walking wavy", Eddie can't tell Catherine why he doesn't want her wearing those clothes, she begins to argue and therefore threaten Eddies authority. The ideas of manliness, hostility and aggression are pivotal for the structure of the play to succeed; the three ideas are used prophetically to show the audience that the play can only end in a hostile and aggressive disaster as a result of the characters manly features.

But, they have to make critical decisions that will end up determining their fate, one of the most important being whom to make their leader. Ultimately, all the boys lean toward a character, Jack, who becomes increasingly abusive and corrupt. William Golding suggests that it is out of fear that people follow corrupt leaders similar to Jack, which he expresses through the depiction of Jack as a violent character, the abolition of any rules that he does not set himself, and his exploitation and escalation of the other boys’ fears. In Lord of the Flies, Golding depicts one of the boys, Jack, as a violent and aggressive person, getting the other boys to follow him, even though he is corrupt. Jack physically abuses the boys, until driven by fear, they subject to his dictatorship.