The Role of Alfieri and His Dramatic Significance in the Play

Explore The Role Of Alfieri And Discuss His Dramatic Significance In

The Play

The play is set in Red Hook, in Brooklyn, in New York. It is set in

the 1940's. Red Hook is a poor local community with many immigrants.

Immigrants went to America because of the depression in Europe so

people wanted work, and America was seen as a place of freedom and

opportunity, otherwise known as 'The American Dream'. The play is

mainly based on the difference between old and new, between America

and Italy. This basis is relied on and is brought up, at many points

in the play.

Alfieri's role in the play is neutral. He is a narrator, and

occasionally an actor in the play. When he plays a narrator, he gives

the audience information about what has happened, or is going to

happen. He also moves time along in-between scenes, introduces key

themes, and gives clues about what could happen in the scene.

The play starts with Alfieri talking in a soliloquy. This shows just

how Miller wants the audience to think that Alfieri is a very

important in the play. It comes across that Alfieri is the person the

audience will rely on for information at different points in the play.

Overall, miller starts the play with Alfieri because he is an honest

and well-spoken man. This affects the audience by letting them know

that they can trust Alfieri as a neutral character.

Alfieri starts the soliloquy talking about Red Hook, a very poor area

which

'swallows immigrants' By talking about this, he is setting the scene

for the audience, so that they feel more involved in the play. He then

moves on to talk on about the play, and its characters.

In the soliloquy, Alfieri talks about how Eddie's situation reminds

him of home,

'washes in wi...

... middle of paper ...

...and

then he gives his opinion on those events.

In the first line of his soliloquy, Alfieri repeats the line from

earlier on in the play, in his first soliloquy

'most of the time now, we settle for half and I like it better'

The audience are made to think that the whole play actually centres

around this quote. With the audience realising this, they now realise

that Alfieri has brought everything back to the present. Alfieri

reflects on the audience's thoughts.

Without Alfieri's soliloquy at the end, the audience would be left

hating Eddie. Miller uses Alfieri's connection with the audience to

make the audience feel sympathy for Eddie.

In the soliloquy, Alfieri ties up all the lose ends and clears up any

questions the audience might have about the play. The audience are

brought back to the present, which in turn reminds them of Alfieri's

memory.