Honour and respect in “A View From the Bridge”

Quotation / How it relates to honour/respect
Alfieri’s opening speech: “You see how uneasily they nod to me? That’s because I am a lawyer…they’d rather not get too close.”
“Oh, there are many here who were justly shot by unjust men.
Justice is very important here.” P 4
Catherine to Eddie: “(She sits on her heels behind him)….“I’ll get you a beer, all right?” p5
Eddie to Catherine: “Katie, I promised your mother on her deathbed. I’m responsible for you. You’re a baby. You don’t understand these things.” P6
“Catherine, do me a favour , will you? You’re getting to be a big girl now, you gotta keep yourself more, you can’t be so friendly, kid.” P6
Eddie to Beatrice talking about the illegal immigrants: “It’s an honour B., I mean it. I was just thinking before coming home, suppose my father didn’t come to this country, and I was starvin’ like them over there…and I had people in America could keep me a couple of months? The man would be honoured to lend me a place to sleep.” P 8
Beatrice (in return): (there are tears in her eyes; she turns to Catherine) You see what he is? (She turns and grabs Eddie’s face in her hands.) Mmm! You’re an angel! God’ll bless you. (He is gratefully smiling) You’ll see. You’ll get a blessing for this!” p8
Eddie on Catherine’s new job: “That ain’t what I wanted though….I know she’ll be in the office but that ain’t what I wanted…..I want you to be with different kind of people. I want you to be in a nice office. Maybe a lawyers office someplace in New York.” P10
Beatrice on Catherine’s new job: “They picked her out of the whole class, it’s an honour for her.” P11
Eddie on Vinny Bolzano: “You’ll never see him no more, a guy do a thing like that? How’s he gonna show his face? (To Catherine, as he gets up uneasily) Just remember kid, you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away.” P14
Rodolpho on getting a motorbike: “..a man who rides on a great machine, this man is responsible, this man exists.” P20
Eddie to Alfieri: “Listen…will you listen to me a minute? My father always said you was a smart man. I want you to listen to me.”…I’m talking about the law…The guy ain’t right Mr Alfieri…Mr Alfieri. They’re laughing at him on the piers. I’m ashamed Paper Doll they call him” ...I mean it’s eating me out Mr Alfieri, because I struggled for that girl. And now he comes in my house and…” p32-3.
Eddie to Alfieri on Catherine and Rodolpho: “…because I made a promise. I took out of my own mouth to give to her…I walked hungry plenty of days n the city. (It begins to break through) And now I got to sit in my own house and look at a son-of-bitch punk like that ….I gave him my house to sleep! I take the blankets off my bed for him, and he takes and puts his filthy hands on her like a goddam thief!” p34-5
Eddie talking to Rodolpho on respect: “It ain’t so free here either, Rodolfo,…Girl don’t have to wear black dress to be strict.” P37
Rodolpho to Eddie on Catherine: “I have respect for her…I always show respect.”
Eddie unable to perform the same trick as Eddie on lifting the chair just after Eddie has publicly tried to shame Rodolpho in the “fight”: (He comes to the chair, kneels, grasps the leg, raises the chair one inch…He tries again and again but fails.) p42
Rodolpho to Eddie whe Eddie grabs Caterine:
“Stop that! Have respect for her” p47
After Eddie kisses Rodolpho Miller describes their attitude after their brawl: “They are like animals that have torn at one another.” P48
Eddie feels that nobody is listening to him anymore: (angering) Didn’t you here what I told you?” p49
Eddie to Beatrice: I don’t like the way you talk to me, Beatrice…I don’t like it! The way you talk to me and the way you look at me. This is my house. And she is my niece and I’m responsible for her.” P51
Eddie to Beatrice: “I want my respect, Beatrice, and you know what I’m talking about…A wife is supposed to believe the husband” p51-52
When Eddie is spat on by Marco: “I’ll ill you for that, you son of a bitch…You gonna apologise to me, Marco! Marco!” p57
Marco on Eddie: “I accuse that one! …That one! He killed my children! That one stole the food from my children” p58
Alfieri to Marco on not hurting Eddie: “ …Unless I have your promise. You’re an honourable man, I will believe your promise….Noboody’s going to talk to him again if he lives to a hundred. Everybody knows you spit in his face. That’s enough isn’t it?” P5-9
Marco: “ …Such a promise is dishonourable…He degraded my brother. My blood. He robbed my children, he mocks my work…where’s the law against that?” P59
Eddie: “I want my respect. Didn’t you ever hear that? From my wife?...He’s going to come here and apologise to me or nobody from this house is goin’ into that church today.” P60
Catherine to Eddie: “Who the hell do you think you are?...You got no more right to tell nobody nothing! Nobody! The rest of you life, nobody!” p61
Catherine on Eddie: “He bites people when they sleep! He comes when nobody’s lookin’ and poisons decent people. In the garbage he belongs!” p61
Eddie in response: (Eddie seems about to pick up the table and fling it at her.” P61
Eddie: “ I want my name!...Marco’s got my name…he’s gonna give it back to me in front of this neighbourhood!” p62
Marco to Eddie: “Animal! You go on your knees to me!” p63
Eddie in his final moments:
“You lied about me, Marco. Now say it. Come on now, say it!” p64
“Oh B.! …My B.! p64

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