Protagonist and a Chorus Essay Example for Free

Protagonist and a Chorus Essay Aurthor Miller the author of A View from the Bridge shows an interest in his writing across the variety of novels he has written has been about the average person. The play was set in the 1950s. The key elements of a Greek tragedy are that it has a Protagonist and a Chorus.  The play starts with the chorus speaking to us, announcing the scene and sets a happy feeling. Marco and Rodolfo, immigrants in America, cause friction within the family located on the docks. Throughout the play Eddies Character goes through the tragic arc. At the end of the play this friction develops into Eddie getting killed. We would see a hero being brave when things start getting tough, helping people who need that aid, just like how Eddies character followed at the start of the play. Unfortunately we see Eddie following the role of a tragic hero a hero that tries to be a stereotypical hero but fails miserably. Eddie, Protagonist of the play, is presented as being a stereotypical Hero. I promised your Mother on her deathbed. Im responsible for you. A side of Eddie being heroic as he brings up Catherine as her Mother has passed away. The audience look up to Eddie as being a role model as he is seen to be a generally caring person gaining the readers respect. You aint all the girls. Eddies speech when he is replying to Catherine as she talks about how her clothes are suitable. It shows us how Eddie is looking out for her which is a hero aspect but we also see a side of him that he is being too over protective and perverted which can seem to be quite disturbing. Beatrices cousins Marco and Rodolfo come over from Italy to visit. When are you going to stop fancying her Beatrice addresses to Eddie that she knows how he feels towards Catherine, also saying how it is wrong as he is looking at other women rather than his wife which could be quite upsetting to Beatrice. When am I gonna be a wife again this is another sentence that Beatrice uses to show us as the audience how annoyed she is about the situation of Eddie and Catherine. We understand this quote to basically say when he is going to forget about Catherine and show more time with Beatrice. Eddie makes a dramatic fall within the tragic arc when he kisses Catherine to spite Rodolfo. As she strives to free herself he kisses her on the mouth. Eddie having a Wife and also being a Uncle to the girl he just kissed as we already know at this part of the novel Eddie wants to be more than just her uncle, the audience would find this very vulgar and disturbing. Eddie did this almost to brand her to show Rodolfo that Catherine is Eddies property and not his. Rodolfos character reacts to the kiss as he lunges towards Eddie with anger, pins his arms, laughing and suddenly kisses him. Eddie does this purely to humiliate Rodolfo; we can see this from the work used laughing as Rodolfo could not fight back. The kiss that Eddie gave to Rodolfo was a message to tell Rodolfo that he is physically stronger than him and also to embarrass him in front of Catherine. The audience of the 1940s may find it inappropriate as homosexuality was discouraged so the kiss would of brought a shocking impact upon the audience as they thought Eddie was a hero that people to look up to but instead he is turning out to be the villain that nobody likes. Miller makes the moments very dramatic by using effective stage craft, when Eddie calls the immigration burro. The phone is glowing in light now. Light is out on Alfieri. Eddie has at the same time appeared beside the phone. Being in a spotlight the audience focuses on Eddie, the audience knows what he has to say at that moment will be dramatic. The lightings emphasis on how important this scene is so the audience needs to engage. Miller uses Eddies action to create an effect on the other characters. Look, im sick and tired of it; im sick and tired of it! Beatrice has reacted very aggravated towards Eddie because of the trouble he has caused that has built up throughout the novel, she explodes with anger. Repeating the phrase shows how Eddie has pushed other close characters towards him to limit. The audience now look at him to be the opposite of a stereotypical hero; instead he is a tragic hero. Eddie tries to redeem himself by allowing Catherine freedom however he does not offer he full freedom as he still tries to prevent her from being with Rodolpho. I mean now you got a new job, you might meet some new fellas.Eddie by saying this, we see him at least trying to be the person we saw at the start of the play, but after Eddies previous actions it is too later and there is no hope for him. Eddie has never given Catherine a choice ever since she was growing up, he decides to at this time to reform himself and be the hero as the audience used to know him as at the beginning of the play. Miller follows the idea of a tragic arc which is the layout of a Greek tragedy. We see this happening when after causing his own family to turn against him, when he thought his actions were acceptable he now tries to redeem himself so we see as a hero again. Characters close to Eddie are disgraced with his actions after failing to redeem himself, so all eyes are set on Eddie as he is the one to blame for the immigration officer knocking on the door. Hes a rat. He belongs in the sewer Catherine expresses her feelings towards Eddie as she sees the man she loves being taken away. The connotations of rat are, unwanted, vermin, and horrible she says the hurtful things to him to express how angry she was towards him. Eddie is seen again to be the villain of the play, as all he has caused it upset between him and the other characters. Just before we see the end of the play, Macro gives us hints as to how it might end Hes praying in the church? Marcos last rights before he faces Eddie he does this to confess that he may die. Marco knew at this time that the only hope for this feud to end between them is if they battle it out like men. The audience at this time feel tense and anxious to what will come next knowing that something could end terribly wrong. The play ends with Eddie being stabbed by his own knife. Oh, B! hes last words as Beatrice holds him in her arms as he falls. Like almost every tragic hero conceived by man, Eddies own actions are the cause of his destruction. The knife took Marco by surprise, but throughout the play Macro is a character that is quite wise in the way he can pick up a chair with one hand using his own body weight but Eddie couldnt. When Eddie went for the lunge with the knife towards Marco, Marco deflected that lunge back towards Eddie, ending by him killing himself due to brutal strength. The audience might predict that he would die with Catherine holding him; since she was the one he was obsessing over the whole time.