Examine the role of Alfieri in A view from the bridge. Comment on

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Examine the role of Alfieri in A view from the bridge. Comment on

his dramatic function in the play and his role as both character and

commentator.

This essay will explore the different roles that Alfieri takes on in

'A view from the bridge. I will comment on how he uses his role as

both commentator and character to create dramatic tension in the play.

A view from the bridge is a play set in the late 1940s and is based in

the rural streets of Brooklyn harbour, New York. Eddie Carbone is an

Italian longshoreman working on the New York docks and lives with his

wife Beatrice and her niece Catherine. Eddie's wife accepts to refuge

her cousins from Sicily as illegal immigrants until they could get

their paperwork sorted. Catherine becomes attracted to one of the

brothers and that's when the troubles start. Eddies becomes rapt in

jealousy and wants to get rid of the two brothers in any possible way.

Alfieri is a lawyer and is Eddie's friend as well. He tries to

convince Eddie not to do something which he will regret later on and

which will affect his life in the society. Eddie decides not to listen

to Alfieri and goes on top break the Italian code.

Alfieri is a lawyer who also lives in the same area as Eddie Carbone.

In the play he takes on the role of a character as well as taking on

the role of a narrator. One role he takes on in the play is the voice

of the law. He brings this up in a conversation with Eddie where he

says, "Eddie, I'm a lawyer…Can you prove that?" This clearly shows

that Alfieri uses his knowledge to bring in the voice of the law into

Eddie's situation. Due to him being a lawyer, he knows that if Eddie

wants to take legal actions against Rodolfo, then he will need to get

proof for the law to believe him. Due to him being a lawyer, he has

got all the legal knowledge needed to deal with every day uses.

As well as being the voice of the law, Alfieri is also an advisor to

Eddie. He warns Eddie that he "won't have a friend in the world" if he

carries on the way he is going. This shows that Alfieri knows that a

tragedy is inevitable if Eddie doesn't stop. Therefore he uses his

role as an advisor to advise Eddie to stop himself. In advising Eddie

in doing so, Alfieri is trying to stop Eddie from doing what he knows

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