| You are currently viewing a revision titled "A View From the Bridge- Josue Ramos Carpio", saved on April 10, 2022 at 8:28 pm by Josue Ramos Carpio (he/him/his) | |
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| Title | A View From the Bridge- Josue Ramos Carpio |
| Content | A View From the Bridge
Arthur Miller, one of America’s well-renowned playwrights shaped mid-century American theater through his representation of everyday life. Without the influence of the glitz and glamor of the Golden age, he wrote about corruption and sorrow, and his work was prevalent in social criticism of society. His influence taken from Greek tragedies and controversial themes enticed audience members who were unaware of the drastic measures his plays went. Truly his most notable works include The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, All My Sons, and Pulitzer Prize-winning Death of a Salesman.
Miller came from a Polish and Jewish family who were immigrants in the early New York scene of the 1900s. From his experience of his childhood with his parents who moved from Harlem to Brooklyn due to the recession, it influenced a lot of his work and how he portrayed life in the city. A true representation of his own life searching for something more with the standards of society surrounding him and who he was. Especially after his marriage to Marilyn Monroe, a renowned actress of her time and still crucial to American culture today.
A View From the Bridge was written based on his experiences of Brooklyn specifically the Red Hook piers and how immigrants both fresh off the boat and established ones assimilated into American culture. Even though it was set in the early years of the 1900s, one of its main messages regarding immigration and life still is prevalent in our society today as America. Its many themes of immigration, love, honor, law, and more impact every character differently and supply each with its own motive that is present within the scenes. There is also the use of the Greek tragic hero complex and how Eddie Carbone is an example of ambition and preserving honor leading to one’s own destruction. Another usage of Greek theater is the chorus which as a replacement is Aflarari who is a lawyer and represents the justice aspect of the play. Moral reasoning if it can be placed that way and the struggle that Eddie has to accept his moral responsibility instead of falling into his own tragic death caused by an ambition field through love and honor.
Before choosing scenes, the group decided to choose first a character that they connected with and from their view what scenes really embody these characters. Each of us decided on our characters and I felt that scenes such as the start of Act 2 and the last part of Act 2 allowed each of us to be prominent in the scenes. Miller’s work allows us as the audience and performer to join in at any scene and be caught up with what is occurring. That is why the start of Act 2 presents tension among all characters and displays how each is coming into play with their internal conflicts and main conflict on the outside. From presenting the rising conflict to the climax and the ending within these scenes, it allows the audience to view how it all works out without having to struggle with understanding any minor plot lines. Including the end of the play allows three themes of the entire play to come together, especially how each character views love, honor, and more differently after tragedy has struck.
Our set design will follow a pattern similar to these two images below to allow us as the characters to stand out more and be present in the scenes. Personal experiences with multiple props onstage have led to a bit of disorganization and more portrayal of when props are being used or become the center of attention. The only exception in this play is the chair that is lifted up and a portal of honor and dominance between Eddie and Marco. Other than that, only some chairs and for Beatrice to have a rag of some sort. Including costumes that represent the current era that they are in which was the ’50s. Costumes that portrayed more blue-collar attire for men and for women printed dresses along with aprons are those that are simple but allow for each character to stand out in their own way.
Truly, this work embodies more than just a series of twisted plots and deaths mixed with familial conflict but is more than forbidden love. Each person in the play struggles with who they are and are immigrants to a country they are unaware of. Similar to life, we struggle living in a world that we are unsure of and have internal conflicts that if let out can lead to our tragedy Miller truly emphasizes this in A View from the Bridge, including the journey that each character comes to terms with and how bigger concepts can involve minor aspects of life. |
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