Many plays use the balance of power as a theme to advance the plot and define their characters. In Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge, the patriarchal figure of Eddie becomes a tragic hero through his loss of power and his reaction to it. The character of Baroka in Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel displays a similar level of power at first, but humorously feigns weakness in what is ultimately a display of strength. For both characters, the extent of their control is demonstrated by younger female characters: for Eddie this is his niece, Catherine, and for Baroka it is Sidi, the village belle and ultimately his wife. These characters and their interactions are defined by power, and its shifting balance is central to both works. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As the head of the family in A View from the Bridge, Eddie has a character defined by the power he holds. This is initially emphasized by Miller by the fact that he is the only man in the family; the women, Caterina and Beatrice, are very submissive, even if only in their faces. Eddie is essentially waited on by the two women, with Catherine lighting his matches and offering to "get him a beer". Although he does not openly demand anything from them, his dominance is very clear, especially when he forbids Catherine from getting a job that would allow her greater independence from him, with her "almost in tears because he disapproves". Eddie's necessary downfall as a tragic character is therefore centered entirely on his loss of power and how it affects him. When Marco and Rodolpho, the Italian submariners, arrive at the house, Eddie is no longer the only male figure. This alone is enough to challenge his authority, and the perceived threat leads him to increasingly assert his dominance, ordering Catherine to change her attire with the simple command, "Do me a favor, will you?" However, the more he does this, the more power he loses. Becoming overly disrespectful towards Rodolpho, he goads Marco into displaying his power by threateningly raising a chair over Eddie's head "like a weapon", and his exaggerated control over Catherine causes her to rebel against him and ultimately drives her away . While no weakness is necessarily highlighted at this point in the play, a clear lack of power is demonstrated through the other characters' displays of dominance. This culminates in the play's final display of control: Eddie denounces the two submarines, who are powerless against the law. By resorting to this Eddie goes against the values ​​of his entire community, exposing his true weakness in his dependence on power and need for control. Baroka's character in The Lion and the Jewel is comparable to Eddie's in that both men have a patriarchal attitude. roles. This is exaggerated in Baroka as he is the head of the village and owns many wives. Soyinka demonstrates the subservience of wives (and thus the dominance of Baroka) through the favorite wife, who performs tasks deemed degrading by Western culture, such as “removing hair from her armpit.” Unlike Eddie, Baroka clearly asserts her control, ordering villagers and wives as she pleases. However, the biggest difference between the two is Baroka's willingness to expose his weakness, even if he does so falsely; he is not afraid to temporarily weaken his position as he is confident that his power will be restored. The act of intentionally emasculating himself has the exact opposite effect of Eddie denouncing the submarines: while Eddie.