A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller

Paragraph Starts for essay on Catherine's role in the tragedy

Eddie Carbone is clearly the one most to blame for his own death. He is the one who is over-protective; for example he tells Catherine, who wants a job, “I don’t like that neighbourhood over there.” Because he is over-protective, Catherine has had to lead a very sheltered life, so the first attractive man that comes along, she falls instantly in love with him. Eddie is also very possessive. For example, …………………. .………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… . Another weakness of Eddie is that he will not admit……………………………..
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…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Eddie is unwilling to compromise or “settle for half”. For example, ………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Finally, it is Eddie who produces the knife at the end which kills him: “Eddie springs a knife into his hand.” The consequence of this, obviously, is that …………………………………………………………………….


Para. 2

However, Catherine clearly plays a role in Eddie Carbone’s fate because she is the object of his desire, even though it is not her fault she is.

Para. 3

Catherine could, however, be blamed for encouraging Eddie’s feelings. Beatrice points out to her that she has been behaving like a baby: “Don’t tell me you don’t know, you’re not a baby anymore.” Beatrice is telling her to grow up, stop behaving like a child. Because she has behaved like a baby, it has allowed………..
Beatrice also talks to her about the way she has dressed around Eddie: “You still walk………………….” Beatrice is telling her some of her behaviour is inappropriate given she is ……………………
Finally, she tells Catherine she has to leave with Rodolpho: “You’re a woman………………………………………” Because she hasn’t left, Eddie………………………………..

Paragraph 4

Her initial reaction to Rodolpho is also unhelpful for Eddie. As soon as she meets Rodolpho, Catherine seems excited and interested. She notices his appearance: “he’s practically blond”. She even asks if he is married: “………”. Later she praises his singing: “………”. All this happens in the first few minutes of their meeting. Eddie is immediately unhappy and jealous of the attention she gives Rodolpho: “……….”. Later in the play, at the end of Act One, after Eddie has humiliated her by sending her off to change her shoes, Catherine deliberately rebels against………”……………………….”. She has had enough of Eddie’s over-dominance. Eddie has to watch her dance. He is frustrated and angry so……

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Aspects of her behaviour could be seen as more suitable for a wife or lover than for a niece. Just before the ‘kisses scene’ Catherine talks to Rodolpho and criticises Beatrice, She says she can tell how he feels: “………..”, she also tells Rodolpho how well she knows Eddie: “………………………………………………………..”. What this shows is that……………….





Paragraph 6

Finally in spite of Eddie’s opposition, Catherine pushes on with the relationship and her wedding. This in turn pushes Eddie to……………………..

Paragraph 7

The moment when she is initially alone with Rodolpho in the house for the first time is possibly the most important in the play. It starts when she wants to test out Eddie’s theory about the passport. Miller includes a lot of stage directions during the scene to make it very clear how he wants the actors to behave. At the start he asks for Catherine to say “(softly) Hold me”. Miller wants this to be a romantic moment, and for Catherine to show she has decided to commit herself to Rodolpho. Miller then wants to show that Rodolpho is loving and protective so the stage direction is “(clasping her to him)”. The fact that this is a major, emotional moment for Catherine is emphasised by Miller’s next direction: “(She is weeping)”. Rodolpho is then instructed…………………………
(THERE ARE 14 OTHER STAGE DIRECTIONS: MENTION AT LEAST 7 OF THEM, EMPHASISING WHAT MILLER IS TRYING TO SHOW BY INCLUDING HIS DIRECTIONS)