Tony Alfieri is an Italian-American lawyer who immigrated to America after his family had been killed by the totalitarian regime of Benito Mussolini. Though Alfieri was only present in several scenes of Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge", he is the guiding force of the play. According to Miller, Eddie Carbone was a tragic hero, resonant of the ancient Greek tragedies. In this case, Alfieri must be seen as the wise, old mentor, comparable to the character of Tiresias in Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex."

In all respects, Tony Alfieri is an intelligent man. This is evident in his choice of words, his profession, and his quick ability to understand Eddie's rather hard-to-grasp problem. However, Alfieri's intelligence is at times a hindrance. When talking to Eddie, Alfieri tends to speak down to him, considering Eddie's problems to be unimportant, and becoming increasingly irritated by Eddie's inability to comprehend legal...