Arthur Miller was born in Manhattan, New York in 1915. In 1956 he wrote a play called " A view from the bridge" which was very successful. "A view from the bridge" was set in Brooklyn, New York. Arthur miller intended for the play to be a Greek tragedy. The play is about a central character named Eddie Carbone who is living in Brooklyn, New York with his wife Beatrice Carbone and their niece Catherine. Catherine's parents died when she was an infant her mother's sister Beatrice has raised her ever since. Eddie and Beatrice are both Italian people who immigrated to America to live a better life. They decided to let Beatrice's cousins Marco and Rodolfo come and stay at their house when they come over from Italy. The arrival of the illegal immigrants creates a number of problems, which results in tragedy at the end of the play.
In the play "A view from the bridge" Alfieri plays a lawyer who shows the right and wrong within the play. Alfieri is also from Italy, and also plays a friend and adviser to Eddie Carbone. In the beginning of the play the prologue has Alfieri speaking a soliloquy giving the audience an insight as to what the play will be about and almost prepares the audience for a bloody ending. Alfieri also says.
"Now we settle for half and I like it better.".
By this quote he means in Sicily where he comes from people take the law into their own hands. They prefer violence and power, but in New York people have to live by the rules. Alfieri prefers the American way. Much of the discord in the play is because there is a conflict between Italian and American values. .
In the beginning of the play the three main characters are bought into the play. They are Eddie, Catherine and Beatrice. .
When Beatrice, Catherine and Eddie are introduced they appear to the audience as a perfect family. Eddie is seen as a loving, caring uncle who takes his family responsibilities seriously. Beatrice is seen as a dutiful wife who cares about her family.