The Role of Alfieri in the Play A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller

The Role of Alfieri in the Play A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller was a talented play-writer whose most successful plays

included the Death Of A Salesman, and A View From A Bridge. Born in

1915 in Manhattan New York, his family had plenty of money up until

the Wall Street Crash where his fathers successful business was ruined

as a consequence. He left school with no money and no qualifications

and in order to further his education had a variety of different jobs

including a lorry driver, crooner and a shipping clerk so that he was

able to afford the heavy fines of education. In 1934 he was accepted

into Michigan University and after achieving various qualifications

and degree's went on to write scripts for different radio stations. It

was here that Arthur Miller found his passion and talent for writing

and went on to produce hugely successful playwrights including The

Crucible, and All My Sons. His life is a classic example of rags to

riches, from being a teenage boy with no money and no qualifications

to a gifted playwright with plenty of money and countless successes of

plays.

Over four million Italians migrated to America between 1820 and 1920

because of Italy being unproductive and poor. Many of them came from

Sicily and the South of Italy, where the land was arid and the

exploited peasants lived in conditions of near starvation. To the

Italians America was a land of opportunity where they could easily

find work, which in return gave them prosperity that they would never

achieve in their native land. In 1921 and 1924, the American

government passed laws, which severely restricted immigration, and

made it ...

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... in the story. The description

of the people within the play and narration at the beginning of every

scene change helps to identify the short chapters of the tale. Alfieri

is fairly unimportant in the action of the play in general, but

extremely important when speaking to the audience as they are able to

identify with him, and so is also a viewer. However more importantly

Alfieri frames the play as a form of a modern fairy tale. He

admittedly cannot help Eddie Carbone, but must powerlessly watch the

tragic events unfold before him. There is no illusion of reality, he

deliberately breaks the boundaries and talks to the audience during

the re-enactment of the story. Alfieri is in many ways like Arthur

Miller, when he first heard the tale of the Longshoreman. He is the

teller of and incredible story that he cannot change.