Tension in Eddie's Relationship with Catherine in Arthur Miller's a View from the Bridge
"A View from the Bridge" reflects Miller's background in terms of its setting, plot and context. Miller was born in New York City in 1915.
The son of two immigrants, he lived in prosperity until the American
Economic Crash, in which his father's business collapsed, causing deprivation to the whole family. They lived in Brooklyn, the setting of "A View From the Bridge" and Miller found himself interested in the work of longshoremen in the harbour, many of whom were exploited by their bosses, underpaid and had only recently immigrated to the United
States. This, combined with Miller's upbringing and experiences on a recent trip to Sicily, provided the background to what would become "A
View from the Bridge."
However, the first version of the play, which was a modernised Greek tragedy, received a very cold reception, and lacked the emphasis and tension that made the final version of "A View From the Bridge" so successful. After reworking the original, Miller proved that he had the ability to arouse the passion of audiences world-wide, with his sympathetic portrayal of Sicilian family life, emphasis on the incestuous relationship between Eddie and Catherine, and successful use of tension throughout.
In the scene that closes Act one, Miller effectively creates tension.
Eddie, the protagonist, is an unsophisticated longshoreman. His language and that of Catherine and Beatrice has a powerful colloquialism about it, which seems to hide more than it actually reveals. The stage directions throughout this scene quite often say a lot more about the characters than the actual script itself and also greatly contribute to the heightening of tension throughout. Not only do they describe the positions of the characters on the set; they help the reader to identify with their feelings.
Miller begins the scene begins with a simple conversation about a recent trip to Africa which Marco and Rodolfo had undergone through
The son of two immigrants, he lived in prosperity until the American
Economic Crash, in which his father's business collapsed, causing deprivation to the whole family. They lived in Brooklyn, the setting of "A View From the Bridge" and Miller found himself interested in the work of longshoremen in the harbour, many of whom were exploited by their bosses, underpaid and had only recently immigrated to the United
States. This, combined with Miller's upbringing and experiences on a recent trip to Sicily, provided the background to what would become "A
View from the Bridge."
However, the first version of the play, which was a modernised Greek tragedy, received a very cold reception, and lacked the emphasis and tension that made the final version of "A View From the Bridge" so successful. After reworking the original, Miller proved that he had the ability to arouse the passion of audiences world-wide, with his sympathetic portrayal of Sicilian family life, emphasis on the incestuous relationship between Eddie and Catherine, and successful use of tension throughout.
In the scene that closes Act one, Miller effectively creates tension.
Eddie, the protagonist, is an unsophisticated longshoreman. His language and that of Catherine and Beatrice has a powerful colloquialism about it, which seems to hide more than it actually reveals. The stage directions throughout this scene quite often say a lot more about the characters than the actual script itself and also greatly contribute to the heightening of tension throughout. Not only do they describe the positions of the characters on the set; they help the reader to identify with their feelings.
Miller begins the scene begins with a simple conversation about a recent trip to Africa which Marco and Rodolfo had undergone through