Dánisa​ ​Garderes Introduction​ ​to​ ​Literature October​ ​6th.

,​ ​2017 
IFD​ ​de​ ​la​ ​Costa 

Eddie​ ​Carbone:​ ​a​ ​tragic​ ​hero?

1. Up​ ​to​ ​what​ ​extent​ ​do​ ​you​ ​agree​ ​with​ ​the​ ​writer​ ​of​ ​the
article?​ ​Explain​ ​your​ ​reasons.

I​ ​fully​ ​agree​ ​with​ ​the​ ​author​ ​of​ ​the​ ​article,​ ​who​ ​states​ ​that​ ​Eddie​ ​Carbone​ ​“epitomises​ ​the
tragic​ ​hero​ ​in​ ​all​ ​but​ ​rank”​ ​(Freyamorel).​ ​As​ ​the​ ​author​ ​says,​ ​the​ ​traditional​ ​characteristics​ ​of
Tragedy,​ ​as​ ​explained​ ​by​ ​Aristotle​ ​in​ ​his​ ​“Poetics”,​ ​are​ ​based​ ​on​ ​the​ ​Greek​ ​tragedies​ ​which
he​ ​studied.

In​ ​this​ ​sense,​ ​Abrams​ ​details​ ​that

“In​ ​the​ ​subsequent​ ​two​ ​thousand​ ​years​ ​and​ ​more,​ ​many​ ​new​ ​and​ ​artistically
effective​ ​types​ ​of​ ​serious​ ​plots​ ​ending​ ​in​ ​a​ ​catastrophe​ ​have​ ​been​ ​developed
-types​ ​that​ ​Aristotle​ ​had​ ​no​ ​way​ ​of​ ​foreseeing.​ ​The​ ​many​ ​attempts​ ​to​ ​stretch
Aristotle's​ ​analysis​ ​to​ ​apply​ ​to​ ​later​ ​tragic​ ​forms​ ​serve​ ​merely​ ​to​ ​blur​ ​his
critical​ ​categories​ ​and​ ​to​ ​obscure​ ​important​ ​differences​ ​among​ ​diverse​ ​types
of​ ​plays,​ ​all​ ​of​ ​which​ ​have​ ​proved​ ​to​ ​be​ ​dramatically​ ​effective.​ ​When​ ​flexibly
managed,​ ​however,​ ​Aristotle’s​ ​discussions​ ​apply​ ​in​ ​some​ ​part​ ​to​ ​many​ ​tragic
plots,​ ​and​ ​his​ ​analytic​ ​concepts​ ​serve​ ​as​ ​a​ ​suggestive​ ​starting​ ​point​ ​for
identifying​ ​the​ ​differentiae​ ​of​ ​various​ ​non-Aristotelian​ ​modes​ ​of​ ​tragic
construction​”.​ ​(Abrams,​ ​1999:​ ​p.​ ​322)

Further​ ​in​ ​this​ ​entry​ ​-Tragedy-,​ ​Abrams​ ​sustains​ ​that​ ​it​ ​is​ ​key​ ​that​ ​the​ ​tragic​ ​hero​ ​inspires
both​ ​pity​ ​and​ ​terror​ ​in​ ​the​ ​audience;​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​achieve​ ​this,​ ​the​ ​character​ ​must​ ​have
goodness​ ​inside,​ ​but​ ​at​ ​the​ ​same​ ​time​ ​he​ ​must​ ​not​ ​be​ ​entirely​ ​good.​ ​In​ ​addition,​ ​he​ ​must​ ​be
“better​ ​than​ ​we​ ​are,​ ​in​ ​the​ ​sense​ ​that​ ​he​ ​is​ ​of​ ​higher​ ​than​ ​ordinary​ ​moral​ ​worth”​ ​(199,​ ​p.​ ​322).

I​ ​believe​ ​that​ ​Eddie​ ​Carbone​ ​is​ ​shown​ ​as​ ​a​ ​high​ ​moral​ ​character​ ​in​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​play,
first​ ​of​ ​all​ ​by​ ​Eddie’s​ ​own​ ​words​ ​on​ ​having​ ​immigrants​ ​to​ ​live​ ​in​ ​his​ ​house:​ ​“I​ t’s​ ​an​ ​honor​,​ ​B.​ ​I
mean​ ​it​.​ ​(...)​ ​suppose​ ​my​ ​father​ ​didn’t​ ​come​ ​to​ ​this​ ​country(...​ ​)and​ ​I​ ​had​ ​people​ ​in​ ​America
could​ ​keep​ ​me​ ​a​ ​couple​ ​of​ ​months?​ ​The​ ​man​ ​would​ ​be​ h ​ onored​ ​to​ ​lend​ ​me​ ​a​ ​place​ ​to
sleep​.”​ ​It​ ​is​ ​no​ ​coincidence​ ​that​ ​Eddie​ ​speaks​ ​about​ ​his​ ​honor,​ ​since​ ​it​ ​is​ ​one​ ​of​ ​his​ ​most
important​ ​moral​ ​values.​ ​In​ ​his​ ​community,​ ​honor​ ​goes​ ​hand​ ​in​ ​hand​ ​with​ ​respect​ ​and
reputation,​ ​which​ ​are​ ​central​ ​to​ ​Eddie’s​ ​identity.

We​ ​also​ ​know​ ​that​ ​Eddie​ ​is​ ​good​ ​from​ ​Alfieri’s​ ​words:​ ​“​He​ ​was​ ​as​ ​good​ ​a​ ​man​ ​as​ ​he​ ​had​ ​to
be​ ​in​ ​a​ ​life​ ​that​ ​was​ ​hard​ ​and​ ​even.​ ​He​ ​worked​ ​on​ ​the​ ​piers​ ​when​ ​there​ ​was​ ​work,​ ​he
brought​ ​home​ ​his​ ​pay,​ ​and​ ​he​ ​lived​.”​ ​The​ ​lawyer​ ​gives​ ​us​ ​a​ ​different​ ​perspective​ ​on​ ​Eddie’s
goodness:​ ​he​ ​is​ ​“as​ ​good​ ​a​ ​man​ ​as​ ​he​ ​had​ ​to​ ​be”,​ ​so​ ​there​ ​are​ ​limits​ ​to​ ​his​ ​goodness.​ ​This
allows​ ​Eddie​ ​as​ ​a​ ​tragic​ ​hero​ ​not​ ​completely​ ​good​ ​nor​ ​completely​ ​bad.
 Dánisa​ ​Garderes Introduction​ ​to​ ​Literature October​ ​6th.,​ ​2017 
IFD​ ​de​ ​la​ ​Costa 

Eddie​ ​Carbone​ ​also​ ​commits​ ​a​ ​“hamartia”,​ ​a​ ​tragic​ ​flaw,​ ​by​ ​having​ ​incestuous​ ​feelings​ ​for​ ​his
niece,​ ​Catherine,​ ​and​ ​yet​ ​deny​ ​them,​ ​even​ ​to​ ​himself.​ ​This​ ​denial​ ​is​ ​also​ ​an​ ​act​ ​of​ ​“hubris”,
excessive​ ​pride,​ ​which​ ​leads​ ​Eddie​ ​to​ ​disregard​ ​both​ ​Alfieri’s​ ​and​ ​Beatrice’s​ ​advice.

Carbone​ ​also​ ​suffers​ ​“a​ ​reversal​ ​of​ ​fortune​ ​(peripeteia)​ ​brought​ ​about​ ​because​ ​of​ ​the​ ​hero's
error​ ​in​ ​judgment.”​(Bainbridge​ ​Island​ ​School​ ​District,​ ​n.d.)​​ ​Eddie’s​ ​peripeteia​ ​happens​ ​in​ ​the
scene​ ​when​ ​he​ ​calls​ ​the​ ​Immigration​ ​Bureau,​ ​which​ ​sets​ ​the​ ​following​ ​actions.​ ​He
determines​ ​his​ ​own​ ​downfall.

The​ ​only​ ​other​ ​characteristic​ ​of​ ​a​ ​tragic​ ​hero​ ​that​ ​Eddie​ ​may​ ​lack​ ​-other​ ​than​ ​nobility​ ​-​ ​is​ ​“the
discovery​ ​or​ ​recognition​ ​of​ ​the​ ​truth​ ​(anagnorisis)”,​ ​although​ ​it​ ​may​ ​be​ ​suspected​ ​to​ ​happen
seconds​ ​before​ ​his​ ​death,​ ​when​ ​he​ ​calls​ ​his​ ​wife.

Eddie​ ​is​ ​indisputable​ ​not​ ​a​ ​nobleman​ ​nor​ ​a​ ​king.​ ​However,​ ​at​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​play,
Eddie​ ​is​ ​an​ ​important​ ​member​ ​of​ ​the​ ​community,​ ​enough​ ​to​ ​keeps​ ​the​ ​men​ ​of​ ​the​ ​piers​ ​from
laughing​ ​at​ ​Rodolfo​ ​in​ ​Eddie’s​ ​presence​ ​-as​ ​Eddie​ ​says,​ ​“Paper​ ​Doll​ ​they​ ​call​ ​him.​ ​Blondie
now.​ ​(...)​ ​Which​ ​they’re​ ​not​ ​goin’​ ​to​ ​come​ ​out​ ​with​ ​it​ ​because​ ​they​ ​know​ ​he’s​ ​my​ ​relative,
which​ ​they​ ​have​ ​to​ ​see​ ​me​ ​if​ ​they​ ​make​ ​a​ ​crack,​ ​y’know​?”.​ ​He​ ​is​ ​loved​ ​and​ ​respected​ ​by​ ​his
family,​ ​too.​ ​On​ ​the​ ​contrary,​ ​in​ ​the​ ​last​ ​scenes,​ ​he​ ​is​ ​an​ ​outcast,​ ​he​ ​has​ ​lost​ ​his​ ​identity,​ ​both
as​ ​a​ ​member​ ​of​ ​his​ ​society​ ​and​ ​as​ ​a​ ​fatherly​ ​figure​ ​inside​ ​his​ ​family.

To​ ​sum​ ​up,​ ​I​ ​agree​ ​with​ ​the​ ​author​ ​of​ ​the​ ​article​ ​that​ ​Eddie​ ​Carbone​ ​can​ ​be​ ​seen​ ​as​ ​a
modern​ ​tragic​ ​hero,​ ​who​ ​despite​ ​of​ ​not​ ​being​ ​from​ ​aristocracy,​ ​falls​ ​from​ ​a​ ​respected​ ​position
both​ ​in​ ​his​ ​community​ ​and​ ​family,​ ​to​ ​being​ ​despised​ ​and​ ​abandoned​ ​by​ ​almost​ ​all​ ​of​ ​them.

2. Analyse​ ​the​ ​fact​ ​that​ ​Eddie​ ​dies​ ​by​ ​his​ ​own​ ​hand.​ ​Explain
the​ ​role​ ​of​ ​the​ ​knife​ ​in​ ​the​ ​scene.

At​ ​the​ ​end​ ​of​ ​the​ ​play,​ ​Eddie​ ​dies​ ​stabbed​ ​in​ ​a​ ​fight​ ​with​ ​Marco,​ ​but​ ​it​ ​is​ ​his​ ​own​ ​knife​ ​that
kills​ ​him.​ ​Observing​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​play,​ ​in​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​first​ ​scenes​ ​Eddie​ ​is​ ​seen​ ​with​ ​a​ ​“pocket
knife”​ ​peeling​ ​an​ ​apple,​ ​when​ ​he​ ​talks​ ​about​ ​the​ ​arrival​ ​of​ ​Marco​ ​and​ ​Rodolfo.​ ​In​ ​the​ ​last
scene,​ ​Eddie​ ​“​springs​ ​a​ ​knife​ ​into​ ​his​ ​hand​”​ ​and​ ​“​lunges​”​ ​with​ ​it.​ ​Then​​ ​“Marco​ ​grabs​ ​his​ ​arm,
turning​ ​the​ ​blade​ ​inward​ ​and​ ​pressing​ ​it​ ​home​ ​(...)​ ​and​ ​Eddie,​ ​the​ ​knife​ ​still​ ​in​ ​his​ ​hand,​ ​falls
to​ ​his​ ​knees​ ​before​ ​Marco​”.
If​ ​we​ ​look​ ​up​ ​the​ ​knife​ ​as​ ​a​ ​symbol,​ ​we​ ​find​ ​that​ ​“like​ ​the​ ​scissors,​ ​the​ ​knife,​ ​as​ ​a​ ​sharp
cutting​ ​instrument,​ ​is​ ​a​ ​symbol​ ​of​ ​the​ ​masculine,​ ​active​ ​principle,​ ​which​ ​works​ ​feminine,
passive​ ​matter”​ ​(Becker,​ ​2000,​ ​p.​ ​166)​ ​In​ ​this​ ​sense,​ ​the​ ​knife​ ​may​ ​represent​ ​Eddie’s​ ​desire
to​ ​be​ ​regarded​ ​once​ ​more​ ​as​ ​the​ ​Alpha​ ​male​ ​of​ ​his​ ​family,​ ​over​ ​Marco​ ​-​ ​and​ ​specially​ ​over
Rodolfo,​ ​represented​ ​by​ ​his​ ​brother.​ ​Furthermore,​ ​Cirlot​ ​views​ ​the​ ​knife​ ​as​ ​a​ ​symbol​ ​of
vengeance,​ ​death​ ​and​ ​sacrifice;​ ​“The​ ​short​ ​blade​ ​represents,​ ​by​ ​analogy,​ ​the​ ​primacy​ ​of​ ​the
instinctive​ ​forces​ ​in​ ​the​ ​man​ ​wielding​ ​it”​ ​(Cirlot,​ ​2003,​ ​p.​ ​163).​ ​Once​ ​again,​ ​we​ ​are​ ​reminded
of​ ​Eddie’s​ ​tragic​ ​flaw:​ ​his​ ​passion​ ​for​ ​Catherine,​ ​related​ ​to​ ​manly​ ​instincts,​ ​distanced​ ​from
any​ ​rational​ ​thought,​ ​and​ ​even​ ​away​ ​from​ ​spiritual​ ​love.
 Dánisa​ ​Garderes Introduction​ ​to​ ​Literature October​ ​6th.,​ ​2017 
IFD​ ​de​ ​la​ ​Costa 

Eddie​ ​dying​ ​by​ ​his​ ​own​ ​hand,​ ​wielding​ ​his​ ​knife,​ ​therefore​ ​symbolizes​ ​his​ ​error​ ​of​ ​judgement
as​ ​the​ ​cause​ ​of​ ​his​ ​fatal​ ​ending,​ ​diminishing​ ​Marco’s​ ​responsibility​ ​on​ ​it.​ ​Having​ ​seen​ ​a​ ​knife
in​ ​Eddie’s​ ​hand​ ​at​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​play,​ ​before​ ​the​ ​audience​ ​is​ ​aware​ ​of​ ​Eddie’s​ ​flaws,
points​ ​at​ ​how​ ​this​ ​instinct​ ​was​ ​already​ ​a​ ​part​ ​of​ ​him,​ ​growing​ ​darkly​ ​around​ ​an​ ​apple,​ ​symbol
of​ ​“earthly​ ​desires,​ ​or​ ​of​ ​indulgence​ ​in​ ​such​ ​desires”​ ​(Cirlot​ ​2003,​ ​p.​ ​305).​ ​Eddie’s​ ​desire,
along​ ​with​ ​his​ ​instincts​ ​of​ ​passion​ ​and,​ ​later,​ ​revenge,​ ​determine​ ​his​ ​ruin​ ​and​ ​the​ ​end​ ​of​ ​his
life.

Bibliography

Abrams,​ ​M.​ ​H.​ ​(1999).​ ​A​ ​Glossary​ ​of​ ​Literary​ ​Terms.​ ​Massachusetts:​ ​Heinle​ ​&​ ​Heinle.

Bainbridge​ ​Island​ ​School​ ​District​ ​(n.d.).​ ​Definition​ ​of​ ​Tragic​ ​Hero.​ ​Retrieved​ ​October​ ​6,​ ​2017,
from​ ​https://www.bisd303.org/cms/lib3/WA01001636/Centricity/Domain/593/10th​ ​english
Fall/C​ ​-​ ​The​ ​Tragic​ ​Play/Antigone.Medea/Definition​ ​of​ ​Tragic​ ​Hero.pdf

Becker,​ ​U.​ ​(2000).​ ​The​ ​Continuum​ ​Encyclopedia​ ​of​ ​Symbols.​ ​A&C​ ​Black.

Cirlot,​ ​J.​ ​E.​ ​(2003).​ ​Diccionario​ ​de​ ​Símbolos.​ ​Barcelona:​ ​Ediciones​ ​Siruela.

freyamorel.​ ​(n.d.).​ ​A​ ​View​ ​from​ ​the​ ​Bridge​ ​|​ ​freyamorel.​ ​Retrieved​ ​October​ ​6,​ ​2017,​ ​from
https://freyamorel.wordpress.com/tag/a-view-from-the-bridge/

Miller,​ ​A.​ ​(2015).​ ​Miller​ ​Plays:​ ​1:​ ​All​ ​My​ ​Sons;​ ​Death​ ​of​ ​a​ ​Salesman;​ ​The​ ​Crucible;​ ​A​ ​Memory
of​ ​Two​ ​Mondays;​ ​A​ ​View​ ​from​ ​the​ ​Bridge.​ ​Bloomsbury​ ​Publishing.