Since Eddie still won’t listen, Beatrice finally says what she, Alfieri and the audience have known for a long time, but remained unspoken for fear of Eddie’s reaction; that he loves Catherine more than he should, “You want somethin’ else, Eddie, and you can’t have her!” These are the words that Eddie didn’t want to hear, as we can see from his reaction, “[Shocked, horrified, his fists clenching]” We notice that again, since Eddie doesn’t have the intellect to know what to do, so he reacts physically. Catherine’s also shocked, “[In horror]”. What Beatrice said certainly stopped Eddie, but also created tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. From the fact that Eddie and Catherine only say one word, and are both horrified, shows just how serious what was just said was. You can imagine the stage, with everyone transfixed and unable to speak or move.
Then, as if things weren’t bad enough, along comes Marco, “[Marco appears outside, walking towards the door from a distant point]”. The fact that he comes from a “distant point” only adds to the tension/anticipation building up, because it lasts longer, and keeps the audience waiting on the edge of our seats. Unaware of Marco, Eddie finally loses it completely. He can’t believe what his wife just said. For him, he has lost everything, which makes a violent confrontation with Marco almost certain, [Crying out in agony] […] [His fists clench his head as though it will burst]”. The word “agony” is an extremely powerful one, and serves to demonstrate just how painful it is to him. Then it says, “as though it will burst”. This helps show how much is going on inside Eddie’s head, and doesn’t know how to deal with it all. He must be very confused and in pain, which usually makes people/animals very violent.
Marco calls, challenging Eddie, breaking off his insanity. The tension rises as we wait to see what Eddie does, “Eddie Carbone, [Eddie swerves about; all stand transfixed for an instant. People appear outside]”. The fact that Marco says Eddie’s name is very dramatic. It’s like God calling Eddie to his final judgement. The way everything stops when he shouts it creates a lot of suspense. In response, Eddie shouts out his name, as though proud of it, which makes the fight practically sealed. Rodolpho and Beatrice try desperately to stop it from happening,”[Rodolpho]: No, Marco, please! Eddie, please, he has children! You will kill a family!” We don’t know to whom he is speaking this last section, as it could apply to both of them, but this line just helps to show that if they fight, whoever wins will have destroyed a family, which, for Sicilians is the most important thing in the world.
It doesn’t work, and Eddie tries to engage in repartee with Marco, “[He gradually comes to address the people] Maybe he come to apologize to me. Heh Marco? For what you said about me in front of the neighbourhood? [He is incensing himself and little bits of laughter even escape him as his eyes are murderous and he cracks his knuckles in his hands with a strange sort of relaxation] He knows that ain’t right” He is doing two things here. One, he is taunting Marco, and trying to provoke him to give him an excuse to fight, and two, he is trying to convince the neighbourhood to take his side.
The way he “gradually comes to address the people” and says, “He knows that ain’t right” makes it sound as though he’s a lawyer presenting his case to the jury. Again, we see the way in which in their minds, justice and law aren’t always the same thing. There, the people make the law, and the punishment is exclusion from the community. We also see that Eddie is getting slightly hysterical (” little bits of laughter even escape him”). This is no surprise seeing what just happened, but it means that he is in no fit state to fight. We also see his intention (” his eyes are murderous and he cracks his knuckles with a strange sort of relaxation”). The word relaxation shows that he is finally in his element. Throughout the play, he has been confronted with issues that he had to think about, which isn’t what he’s good at. Now he finally has a chance to do what he does best, react with violence. He would also b a bit more relaxed, because it takes his mind off what Beatrice just said.
He also uses strong imagery to show how hurt he is, ” Wipin’ the neighbourhood with my name like a dirty rag”. This helps us see why he’s so mad. To him, his name is very important, as it represents his place in society, and people respect it. But Marco is just treating it as tough it was filth. To him, this is the worst possible insult, and it tells us that he’s not going to back down. The playwright creates a lot of drama by showing the two men sizing up to each other while they’re talking, “[He has his arms spread and Marco is spreading his]” The way they spread their arms makes them seem like animals trying to scare off the other. It shows how ready they are to fight, but also how animal-like they’re being; obeying primal feelings and fighting, instead of suppressing them and talking it through, as humans should.
During the fight, Beatrice is “keening”. The word is a good one to create drama, as it’s what women do when they’re mourning their dead loved ones. Marco, knowing how much honour means to Eddie, tries to get rid of whatever scraps he has left, “Animal! You go on your knees to me!” He wants Eddie to not only kneel down before him, but also in doing so to admit he’s an animal; unworthy of respect. He is bullying Eddie.
Eddie shows how angry and crazy he has become by drawing a knife, and turning not only on his enemy, but also his friend, “[Louis rushes in towards Eddie][…][Eddie raises the knife and Louis halts and steps back]” Eddie is so crazy that he raises his knife over an old friend. He is so blinded by anger that anyone who gets in his way should be killed. He has turned into the animal that Marco said he was.
Marco then sums up Eddie in one climatic word, “Anima-a-a-l”. The way he drags the word out shows that he is taunting Eddie, trying to get him so mad he’ll make a mistake. The word animal is a good one, as it sums up Eddie perfectly; He used to be the leader of the pack and the dominant male, but then a new one came and challenged his authority, so he had to fight to defend his power and honour. Eddie is an animal in the way he thinks and acts. We feel as though all the tension that has been building up in the last couple of scenes is finally released in this one word.
The way in which Eddie falls when he’s stabbed is also very significant, “falls to his knees before Marco”. It shows that he has lost, and has submitted to Marco. T’s a device used by Miller to tell us that it’s finally over; that Marco has won and Eddie has lost. Finally, to add to the drama, and so as not to end on a climax, Miller redeems Eddie by reconciling him with Beatrice, ” My B.! [He dies in her arms, and Beatrice covers him with her body]. Miller does this to show how tragic the situation is and to redeem Eddie. The fact that Beatrice covers him with her body shows how much she loves him. She’s using her own body to prevent people from desecrating the corpse. It is a very emotional and dramatic way to end.
In conclusion, the playwright Arthur Miller uses many different techniques to create drama. He uses the contrast between people’s thoughts, as they grow older; he builds up tension using stage direction and speech until it reaches melting point, then releases it in a terrible climax. He also uses imagery a lot, to help us see what characters are thinking, and lets us predict what they’re going to do. There is also the way in which he builds up relationships, and then takes them apart. All of these things he does, often very subtly so as to work with our subconscious, to successfully create scenes full of drama, yet which seem almost real.
