To What Extent Can Eddie Be Described as a Tragic Hero in a View from the Bridge' by Arthur Miller?
In writing A View from the Bridge', Arthur Miller wanted to create a modern Greek tragedy. An Ancient Greek tragedy was a play where fate brings about the downfall of the characters involved. It has many other generic features which Miller has incorporated into his modern version. The character of Alfieri is used in the traditional chorus role, and Eddie is often likened to a tragic hero, the main character who contributes to their own downfall through a flawed personality, typically described as their "tragic flaw". The traditional Greek tragedies would have been performed in amphitheatres, in which the audience would look down on the actors. Not only is this similar to the way Alfieri looks down from the bridge, it is also similar to the way that Greek tragedies involved a strong sense of destiny controlled by the Gods, symbolised by the looking down. Miller uses the idea of destiny to great effect in A View from the Bridge'.
Miller has used the idea of inevitability about the plot to great effect in A View from the Bridge'. It is the fate of Eddie that Miller concentrates on, in keeping with Greek tragedy where the fate of the tragic hero is unavoidable. Alfieri is used to enforce the idea of destiny, as he is an onlooker in the play. Indeed the whole play is set in the past, with Alfieri's monologues saying what has passed, and the scenes involving the other characters shown as flashbacks. This adds to the sense of inevitability about the fate of Eddie, as the audience know what is going to happen as soon as Alfieri says This one's name was Eddie Carbone', the was clearly indicating that he is dead. Alfieri also refers to fate's bloody course', which immediately introduces us to the idea of destiny. It is an ominous statement as it suggests that from the outset there will be no fairytale ending to the play, and it gives the sense that unavoidable tragedy will occur. Alfieri's speech clearly shows how helpless outsiders such as himself are; he refers to
Miller has used the idea of inevitability about the plot to great effect in A View from the Bridge'. It is the fate of Eddie that Miller concentrates on, in keeping with Greek tragedy where the fate of the tragic hero is unavoidable. Alfieri is used to enforce the idea of destiny, as he is an onlooker in the play. Indeed the whole play is set in the past, with Alfieri's monologues saying what has passed, and the scenes involving the other characters shown as flashbacks. This adds to the sense of inevitability about the fate of Eddie, as the audience know what is going to happen as soon as Alfieri says This one's name was Eddie Carbone', the was clearly indicating that he is dead. Alfieri also refers to fate's bloody course', which immediately introduces us to the idea of destiny. It is an ominous statement as it suggests that from the outset there will be no fairytale ending to the play, and it gives the sense that unavoidable tragedy will occur. Alfieri's speech clearly shows how helpless outsiders such as himself are; he refers to