Eddie Carbone Essay

Eddie Carbone is a complicated character, some say he is a villain due to the actions that he takes, others sympathise with him, saying that he is a victim. You can view him in different lights, although he acts, some may say, in a villainous manner, he is a victim of his feelings, confused and unsure of the right thing to do. Eddie has very strong feelings that he finds very difficult to cope with, this leads the audience to feel sympathy towards him. He loves Catherine and feels very responsible for her well being. He shows this when he say’s â€Å"I promised your mother on her deathbed. Eddie feels he has a sense of duty that he needs to protect her from the outside world. He is at conflict with himself as he feels responsible for Catherine but also knows that he needs to let her go. He is also jealous and disgusted by Rodolfo. When Eddie kisses Rodolfo, he implied that Rodolfo was â€Å"queer†. This was a desperate act to get rid of Rodolfo and therefore keep Catherine close to home. Eddie has mixed feelings about this because he wants Catherine to stay at home but also he wants to keep his name in the community. Eddie also has very strong principles which influence his judgement; this allows the audience to empathise with him. Eddie has strong loyalties and a sense of family with Beatrice and Catherine. He shows that family should stick together when he says to Beatrice â€Å"you will be on my side or theirs, that’s all. † This shows how important he values a close knit family who stick together no matter what. It also shows that to be strong he thinks he needs a family around him to support him and back him up. Eddie has strong values in regard to the importance of community. When he warns Catherine of the Vinnie Bolzano story, it shows that he values the importance of community. That no one can live without their reputation and loyalty of wife and neighbours. This also shows that he is willing to fight to get it back. This portrays how much his emotions have overpowered his values as he goes against the community when he betrays Marco and Rodolfo later in the scene. Eddie takes quite daring actions in the later parts of the play, this causes the audience and other characters to judge him. Eddie is desperate to prove that Rodolfo is not worthy of Catherine. When he kisses Rodolfo it implies that Rodolfo is â€Å"queer†. Catherine is quite disgusted by what Eddie is implying and shocked that he would treat people in that way. The audience is shocked and again disgusted with the lengths that Eddie would go to in order to get what he wants. Eddie was desperate to get rid of Rodolfo when reports him and his brother to the immigration office. Eddies betrayal of Rodolfo and Marco showed his true colours and how he really felt about Catherine. This shocked the audience and made them judge him as disloyal and hypercritical. Making them judge him as a villain. Eddie has very strong feelings of pride which cause him to act in a villainous manner. Eddie finds criticism difficult to deal with and is very aware of people judging him. He refuses Beatrice when she asks â€Å"when will I be a wife again Eddie? † This causes problems in his relationship with Beatrice as he lets his pride get in the way. He never compromises but instead lets his views be coloured by his principles. Eddie has unusual feelings towards Catherine, this makes the audience feel uncomfortable and make them feel that he is acting inappropriately. When he kisses Catherine, he is under the influence of alcohol, this causes the worst elements of his character to emerge. It shows how he is really feeling about her and also that he is hoping for her to feel the same way. In conclusion I think that Eddie Carbone is a victim more than a villain as the way he is feeling makes him act the way that some may describe villainous. He dies a tragic hero as he is just standing up for what he believes in and trying to make what he thinks right, reality.