The Character of Marco in A View from the Bridge

832 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays about italian immigration

The Character of Marco in A View from the Bridge

After reading Arthur Miller's play "A view from the bridge," I am convinced that the most striking character is Marco. He is an Italian immigrant that moved illegally to the United States with his brother Rodolpho to work as longshoremen, since at the time (the play was written in 1955) his country of origin, Italy, was going through a major economic depression because of the outcome of World War II. In the play, we are told that Marco's plan is to make enough money to survive and be able to send some of that money to his wife and his three kids back in Italy, who are starving. Marco physically resembles the Sicilian stereotype, with dark skin and dark hair. He is also very strong and he could easily "load the whole ship by himself."(pg.541) In this play, the author uses plot, dialog, actions and symbolism to emphasize Marco's honor which, in my opinion, is his prominent characteristic.

Throughout the play, we can clearly see that the plot helps us develop Marco's character in our imagination. For example, he is an illegal alien, and this might give the reader a less honorable view of him, and it might justify Eddie's action. But the fact that Marco left his family to give them support and to save his oldest son who is "sick in the chest," (pg. 535) makes the reader forget about his illegal stay and makes his status rise to the one of a hero.

In this play, Marco's actions lead us to the discovery of a violent side which he uses to defend his honor in a number of occasions. For example, when he challenges Eddie to lift...

... middle of paper ...

...e for mocking Rodolpho. But only in the second act his character is fully exposed and we see his image transform into a round character. In this play, Marco is portrayed as the victim, since he hasn't done anything to Eddie but he still gets arrested. In addition, although his brother Rodolpho gets away with it by marrying Catherine, he has no other choice but to go back to his hungry wife and sick children in Italy. This thoughts, and knowing that Eddie has no regrets for what he has done makes him furious, and at the end of the play he seeks revenge.

I belive this play would not be complete without this character. If Marco would have not existed, it would have left Eddie unpunished and alive, and this would be in conflict with the very conception of drama which drives this works.

Show More
Related

  • Foreshadowing the Breakdown of Catherine and Eddie's Relationship

    1902 Words  | 4 Pages

    The end of the play is not expected. Eddie runs at Marco with a knife

    Read More

  • How far do you agree with the view that the tragedies in ‘Ethan Frome’ and ‘A View from the Bridge’ are brought about by individual characters rather

    2096 Words  | 5 Pages

    ... lives incapacitated. Whereas it is Eddie's own chracter traits that are exposed by the characters and circumstances. His active role in his downfall caused "the situation slid inescapably toward disaster"₈ Both protagonists are victims of tragedy brought about by the individual characters themselves as well as external elements.

    Read More

  • Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Oates

    1237 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ert explanation of the character, the audience would be able to see that Arnold meant exactly what she intended him to mean, and then could move onto the next aspect of the story. This would have cleared up the audience disconnect that currently remains present in her painfully dense story. Her choice to veil her main antagonist with so much symbolism hindered the reader’s ability to understand her story, thereby hurting any intended effect the story was to have.

    Read More

  • Understanding Arthur Miller's Play "A View From The Bridge"

    1331 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the play ‘A View from the Bridge’, an Italian-American family take in two illegal immigrants. The youngest of them, Rudolpho, falls in love with the niece of Beatrice, Catherine. Eddie Carbone, the main character, is driven by desire and lust, which eventually brings upon his own downfall. He calls the Immigration Bureau to arrest the two immigrants in an attempt to get his niece back, and so the scheme fails, and the play ends when Marco murders Eddie in a mere act of self-defence. Miller uses the character of Alfieri to increase dramatic tension throughout the play, doing so by introducing the idea of inevitability in the play. He establishes the character as a chorus, a component of early Greek theatre and tragedies. Alfieri basically expresses to the audience what the main character, Eddie Carbone, could not say, such as his fears or secrets. By knowing what will happen, and knowing how the play would end, whether a happy ending or sad, the principle of certainty and inevitability is revealed. Alfieri isn’t even capable of changing anything, altering the future, which also increases dramatic tension in the play. Throughout, Alfieri’s roles are obvious; he’s both the family lawyer and also the narrator of the play.

    Read More

  • Antibiotic Resistance Case Study

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    Explanation would include that antibiotics are only appropriate in bacterial infections and that viral illnesses do not respond to antibiotic treatment. Viral illnesses include runny nose, colds, bronchitis, flu, sore throats, and fluid in the middle ear. Bacterial illnesses include whooping cough, strep throat, and urinary tract infections (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014c). Explain that antibiotic overuse, which is estimated that 50% of antibiotics prescribed are not necessary, leads to development of drug-resistant germs and that antibiotics are important in combating life-threatening bacterial infections. By abusing antibiotics for ineffective viral treatments, it increases the likelihood for an individual to become infected with an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection in the future (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014a). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov have wonderful handouts that can be given to patients and their families to better understand the implications and proper use of antibiotics and the consequences of abuse.

    Read More

  • Mitch Albom’s, The Five People You Meet in Heaven

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyone Eddie met in heaven taught him something about his life. They were all connected to him in different ways, whether it was someone close to him once, or a complete stranger. Somehow, all of their lives had crossed Eddie’s and helped make him the person that he had become. When you think about this lesson, you truly understand. One decision causes an effect, maybe on your life or maybe on someone else’s life. That effect will cause something else. It’s what I think of as a ripple effect. Everything happens for a reason, and all of the events that lead up to our “now” makes us who we are.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of David Hume And Kant On Morality

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    David Hume sought out to express his opinion in which sentiment is seen as the grounding basis for morality. This sentiment is acting as the causal reasoning for why we have morality or act in a moral way. David Hume, as well as Kant, believe that causal necessity governs humans lives and actions. In this essay, I will show how Hume, provides an argument in favor of sentiment being the foundation of our morality, rather than his predecessors who favored reason. To do this, I will begin to outline Hume’s theories, highlighting his main ideas for grounding morality on sentiment and bring up some possible counterarguments one of which being Immanuel Kant's theories and how that might potentially weaken his argument and how the roots of morality

    Read More

  • Reason Vs Hume Essay

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    Whilst discussing the basics of moral philosophy, every philosopher will undoubtedly come across the works of Immanuel Kant and David Hume. As they progress into the thoughts of these two famous philosophers they will notice the stark contrast between the pair. Quite simply put, Kant’s works emphasizes that reason is the main source of human being’s morality, while Hume’s work depicts human desire as the driving source of morality. Obviously these two points of view are very different, but it is difficult to say which of these philosophers are more correct than the other.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of David Hume On Morality

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    A piece of evidence that he gives is that reason cannot be the motive to moral action; if reason doesn't have the ability to motivate any sort of action, it ultimately cannot motivate moral

    Read More

  • Immanuel Kant's Analysis

    1486 Words  | 3 Pages

    After all, Kant’s theories rely on his depiction of humans as being rational beings that possess a will and are both influenced by emotions and inclinations. With reason, one is able to discover the principles provided by necessary, obligatory, and universal moral laws “a priori,” with which it is one’s duty to act out of reverence for. Yet, while reason determines the will, or the “power of determining oneself to action,” the inclinations may lead one to falter. Thus, it is when a person acts from their duty as a result of a good will, as my mother does when she donates to charity, that they perform moral acts. When one fails to have the proper action or motivation, like when my roommates stole silverware, one’s will has been influenced by another inclination besides duty. Consequently, all humans possess the same rational capacity and principles of law and duty, but it is simply the effect of inclinations and emotions on the will that creates

    Read More

  • Malvolio As A Villain In Twelfth Night Essay

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the early scenes of the play, before Malvolio believes that Olivia is in love with him, he appears to be a prudish person and uses his actions to subvert the enjoyment of others . While Toby a...

    Read More

  • Why Does Eddie Give Dominguez's Wife

    154 Words  | 1 Pages

    When Eddie gives Dominguez money, this shows that he’s a generous person. Even though this little action is barely even a paragraph long, it tells many things. It shows Eddie thought about Dominguez’s wife, which may mean he is still is affected by his own wife’s death and caused him to give Dominguez money to get something for his wife. So Eddie may want him to get all the time he can get with his wife before their time is gone. This thought process showed that Eddie is an understanding person that will help others that get a chance to make another person happy, even if he never will benefit from it. In the book Eddie never even says a word about it when Dominguez asks if he’s sure, he just pushes it into his palm once more and walks

    Read More

  • Isabella's Accusations in Measure for Measure by Shakespeare

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    This passage emphasizes the major theme of the play, justice. The whole passage is about Isabella trying to create justice. Angelo did something wrong, and therefore should be punished for it.

    Read More

  • Workplace Bullying in Adulthood and in the Workplace

    1979 Words  | 4 Pages

    The phenomenon of workplace bullying refers to a gradually evolving process, whereby an individual ends up in an inferior position and becomes the target of systematic negative social acts by one or more perpetrators (Brodsky, 1976). Workplace bullying consists of repeated and prolonged exposure to predominantly psychological mistreatment, directed at a target who is typically teased, badgered and insulted, and who perceives himself or herself as not having the opportunity to retaliate in kind (Einarsen, Hoel, Zapf, & Copper 2003). After investigating three research studies related to workplace bullying, it is quite evident that bullying can have serious consequences on employees; therefore, it is important for employees and employers to know how to recognize it within their working environment. According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions (2013), “bullying presents a threat to the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of a worker and is dealt with under t...

    Read More

  • Social And Cultural Anthropology: A. R. Radcliffe Brown

    1119 Words  | 3 Pages

    In discussing the different views of social organization, Radcliffe-Brown is mentioned as an anthropologist who focused on how groups formed and what rules held them together. Monaghan and Just define Radcliffe-Brown as a functionalist. They quote his definition of a joking relationship as “one where one party ‘is permitted, and sometimes required to tease or make fun of the other, who in turn is required to take no offense’” (Monaghan and Just 57). An avoidance relationship, on the other hand “are characterized by extreme mutual respect and a limitation of direct personal contact” (Monaghan and Just 57). The authors then go on to describe Radcliffe-Brown’s analysis of these relationships and showcase his conclusions that they are “standardized social relationships” used to regulate two potentially awkward or conflict-prone situations such as with a sister-in-law, generally normalized through joking, or a mother-in-law, typically normalized through avoidance (Monaghan and Just 57-59). These customary relationships give people a way to navigate tricky social waters.

    Read More

More about The Character of Marco in A View from the Bridge

Open Document