The opening scene of Act Two marks the dramatic turning point of the play A View from the Bridge Essay Example For Students

The opening scene of Act Two marks the dramatic turning point of the play A View from the Bridge Essay The opening scene of Act Two marks the dramatic turning point of the play. In this scene, Catherine confronts Rodolfo over Eddies allegation that Rodolfo only wants to marry Catherine to be an American. However it is soon revealed that Rodolfo truly loves her. The two characters sleep together for the first time, a fact that Eddie finds out when he returns home drunk, which results in a devastating confrontation between the central characters. The seriousness and the intense emotions displayed in this scene, plus Arthur Millers use of dramatic devices, make this scene very dramatically effective. It is a turning point in the play because it is the first time Catherine and Rodolfo sleep together, symbolising Catherines transformation from a little girl to a grown woman; and Catherines ties with Eddie have finally cut as she chooses Rodolfo over Eddie. In this scene, Eddie also confronts his feelings towards Catherine as he kisses her in a fit of rage, passion and desire. This scene opens up with Alfieris narration. He tells the audience that Catherine and Rodolfo are alone in the apartment for the first time. The fact that they are alone suggests something is going to happen and sets the scene and create tension because the two characters are alone in a cramped flat without anyone to interfere and no other witnesses except the audience. The cramped apartment is dramatic device which is more obvious on stage à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the dining room is the focus of the actions, the small, claustrophobic space increases tension between the characters. The character of Alfieri serves two functions. In the play, Alfieri is the narrator, who tells the audience the story of Eddie Carbone in flashbacks, and therefore constantly reminds the readers of the tragedy that is yet to come. However he also acts as an actual character in the play à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the role of the wise lawyer, whom Eddie seeks advice from. A narrator is a typical dramatic device used often in plays, dating back to Greek tragedy, which is the style this play is written in. Catherine asks Rodolfo is he is hungry, instead he replies not for anything to eat. This suggests Rodolfos desire for Catherine and further emphasis what might happen now they are alone together. This makes the audience wonder and curious, about Rodolfo and Catherine, and also about Eddies reaction when he finds out. Catherine starts to ask Rodolfo a series of questions about the options of the two of them living in Italy. At first Rodolfo thinks Catherine is joking as he is smiling, as he does not know the real question Catherine is asking him. However, we as the audience understand she is testing him to see if he only wants to marry her to be an American. This is an example of dramatic irony which Miller uses to create tension and suspense as the audience wonder how Rodolfo is going to react and whether he will figure out Catherines true intention. We are  also kept in suspense as we wait to see if Rodolfo really loves Catherine. As Rodolfo realises Catherines seriousness, stage directions describes that his smile vanishes and he is astonished at Catherines request and he walks to her slowly. From here, it is clear that Rodolfo recognizes something is wrong and the tension is heightened as his previous joking mood has gone and is moving onto a more unpleasant topic. Rodolfo tries to persuade Catherine by commenting Italy as having no money, no business and nothing and though Italy is beautiful, you cant cook the view. This quote shows Rodolfos maturity and his understanding of reality and that he is not blinded by a mere pretty surface. As Catherine continues to pursue the idea of living in Italy, Rodolfo becomes increasingly frustrated: Theres nothing! Nothing, nothing, nothing. We see the characters are more emotionally charged as the argument continues; Rodolfo becomes more angry and irritable as the tension builds up, and the audience tense up as the calmer atmosphere is now disturbed by something more exciting. Finally, Catherine confesses she is afraid of Eddie here. This is the first time she admits her fear of Eddie and his actions to the audience, which marks another turning point of the play à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" she no longer sees Eddie as a non-threatening, kind man she thought he is. There is a slight pause after Catherines admission. This creates tension and allows time for Catherines confession and is a hint to the impending tragedy sink in. However, even after this, Catherine persists with her questioning, which eventually leads to Rodolfos realisation: This is your question or his question? Therefore the penny drops as the truth comes out. From this point on, the characters confront their true feelings and give the audience further insight into the characters inner emotions. This quote also shows that Rodolfo is not the naÃÆ' ¯ve, innocent boy portrayed and seen by other earlier in the play à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" he is quite witty and intelligent and knows when something is going on. What role do competing political interests play in EssayThere is a pause as Eddie let the revelation to sink in. the pause creates suspense as the audience wait for his catastrophic reaction. Instead, however, Eddie just tells Rodolfo to get outa here. A simple, short command without any explanation or discussion. This amplify the uneasiness in the atmosphere as his reaction seems strangely still to the awful knowledge he just learned, the audience are surprised by this and wonder what will happen next. Eddie grabs her arm as Catherine starts to go. This is the start and a hint to the conflict that is yet to come. Catherine starts to go. Catherine is trembling with fright, shows that she is really scared. She frees her arm, suggests that she is standing up to Eddie finally. She speaks in short sentences, creating a fast pace and urgency atmosphere. Eddie tries to regain the control of the situation by commanding Catherine: You aint going anywheres. He desperately tries to make Catherine stay by use the last bit of his power to control her. When Catherine disobeys, he draws her to him and kisses her on the mouth as Eddie finally confronts his desire and feeling for Catherine. The kiss suggests there is something of a sexual desire in Eddies feelings, not just the simple possessiveness some fathers have of their daughters. Eddie asks Rodolfo what he is gonna be, thus challenging him, with Catherine as the winners price. Rodolfo squares up to Eddie and accept the challenge with tears of rage, suggesting his ego has been bruised badly. He flies at him in attack, which shows Rodolfos extreme rage at the fact Eddie has just kissed Catherine and his challenge of his manliness. However, Eddie humiliates him further as he pins his arms, laughing, and suddenly kisses him. This kiss is very sudden and unpredicted, so it is very shocking for the audience and we are incredulous at Eddies actions. This kiss is a very extreme action and we slowly realise that it is used to humiliate Rodolfo, questioning his manliness and an attempt Eddie makes to confirm his suspicion of Rodolfos sexuality. Catherine tears at Eddies face, while Eddie stands there with tears rolling. This is the point where Eddie realises he has lost  and this is the point where he realises Catherine is gone from him. The audience sympathises with him because we know he truly loves Catherine and he has just lost everything he holds dear. However, he still tries to gain the control of the situation and he and Rodolfo are almost frozen with anger: They are like animals that have torn at one another and broken up without a decision, each other waiting for others mood This description compare Rodolfo and Eddie as animals, suggest something dark, terrifying and primal in the situation, which makes the audience feel uneasy and uncomfortable. When Eddie breaks the silence, he tells Rodolfo to get out and tells him to watch your step, submarine. Submarine is slang for an illegal immigrant. This is a warning to Rodolfo and a hint to what is going to happen. From this point on, it is clear to the audience that tragedy is inevitable because it seems that Eddie will go as far as to betray his family and report the brothers to the Immigration Bureau. We also know that if Eddie does do that, the consequence will be devastating, as foreshadowed by the Vinny Bolzano story from the very earlier on of the play. Eddie ends this act with a dreadful warning, which create suspense as to what he is going to do and grabs the audiences attention as we wait to see his next actions even though we already suspect what he is going to do. In conclusion, the opening scene of Act Two is one of the most important and dramatic points of the play. Throughout the first act, Arthur Miller tells us of Rodolfo and Marcos arrival and sets up the steps leading to the plays climax ending. In Act One, the audience see the growth of Eddies paranoia and jealousy, slowly accumulating to his final outburst. The incident in this scene: Rodolfo and Catherine sleeping together is the final push that sends Eddie over the edge and promote him to report the cousin to the Immigration Bureau. It is in this scene Eddies patience runs out and in this scene he realises he has lost Catherine to Rodolfo. He confronts his feelings by kissing Catherine and humiliates Rodolfo with the shocking kiss. This scene is full of emotions which are displayed vividly to the audience through the characters actions and speech. The emotions grab the audience attention because we care about the characters and curious about what is going to happen.