To What Extent Do You Think Arthur Miller Has Been Influenced by the Classical Heritage of Drama When Writing "a View from the Bridge?

To what extent do you think Arthur Miller has been influenced by the classical heritage of drama when writing "a View from the Bridge?"

It is clear from Alfieri's opening lines that Arthur Miller is making a conscious link between his 20th century setting and the classical heritage of traditional Greek tragedy. These classical dramatic concepts are exemplified not only through the characters words and actions, but also through Miller's uses of stage directions and settings. They are also evident in the commonly held values of the characters in the play.

One of the devices most commonly seen in classical Greek tragedies is that of the chorus. This role was one of the central features of Greek drama, though it was usually a group affair. Miller's use of Alfieri himself in the role of the chorus is a direct link back to classical tragedies. As the chorus, he provides commentary on the action in the play, raises important, usually unanswered questions and explains significant background information, such as their loyalty to community law rather than to American law. This illustrates that they have a code, their own code, not the official law. "Oh, there were many here who were justly shot by unjust men. Justice is very important here."(Act1, pg12). Alfieri is the symbolic link between modern American law and ancient tribal laws, referring back to the many different states of ancient Greece, each with their own rules. The play is set in an Italian--American area of Red Hook, that is also know as "little Sicily". This is a direct link back to Alfieri's opening lines as Syracuse was a Greek colony founded on Sicily, linking back to the play's classical heritage. Red Hook can be seen as an enclave where ancient traditions, such as the code, meet relatively modern day problems, such as the legal power of the immigration office. Whilst being true to his ethnic identity, shown by his understanding of the code, he also has a healthy respect for American values. "The narrator's view is the view from the bridge. He's looking at it all from both the American civilisation and the ancient one that is really down there." This is shown in his dialogue with Eddie, when he tells him that the only way to solve the problem is through official means, not by taking the law into his own hands. "Eddie, look - I have my own children. I understand you. But the law is very specific." (Act 1, pg47). Miller includes this to show that whilst he empathises, he still wishes to act within the law. This is in keeping with the role of a traditional Greek chorus trying to show the protagonist what the right course of action would be.

Alfieri also articulates the greater moral and social implications of the drama. This is evident when Alfieri warns Eddie Carbone of the consequences of turning Marco and Rodolpho, two illegal immigrants who Eddie is hosting, over to the immigration office. This is an example of him making it blatantly obvious to the audience that Eddie's present course of action will end in disaster. Miller convinces the audience of the veracity of Alfieri's words as he establishes Alfieri as the voice of reason in the play, an example being when he tries to convince Eddie not to tell immigration. Miller successfully manages to incorporate Alfieri into the play as a lawyer to the characters and as the chorus the audience. He breaks down the fourth wall, and forms a bridge between the audience and the characters, similar to the bridge he forms between the modern and the ancient.

As the chorus, Alfieri narrates the entire play from his point of view. Considering the fact that Alfieri himself is an Italian immigrant, it may be that Miller intended Alfieri to be the bridge in the title, the bridge between modern America and ancient times, who's views are those that we see in the play. The fact that he is well educated and often makes classical references, " the greatest Carthaginian of them all" and "in some Caesar's year in Calabria perhaps, or on a cliff at Syracuse" (Act 1, pg 12), reaffirms this link, consciously reminding the audience of the classical genre . Indeed, the metaphor of the bridge could be seen as the rich, those who can afford to drive over the bridge, looking down on those who are socially below them, those who live and work in the slums at it's base. "People going out to nice neighbourhoods somewhere, passing over this area, where this Greek drama was taking place." This is consistent with Miller's links to traditional tragedy as those of the higher classes would sit in the stands of the Greek amphitheatres, watching those of a lower social class act out the play.

Another clear link with traditional Greek tragedy is the portrayal of Eddie Carbone as the tragic hero. At the beginning of Act 1, we learn that he appears to have it all, a family who loves and respects him, a job he does not hate and neighbours who think he is a good man, yet as the play progresses we see how he is actually helpless in the face of his own terrible fate. Miller's emphasis on the positive aspects of Eddie's character at the beginning of the play highlights the repugnance of his later betrayals, and subsequent fall from grace. This is in accordance with the traditional concept of peripeteia, which literally means the reversal of fortunes, usually of