What is the role of Alfieri in Arthur Miller's 'A View from the Bridge'?

Alfieri is the narrator, and the form of this narration is modelled on the chorus in a Greek tragedy. In Greek tragedy, the chorus was a group of performers who commented on the thoughts and actions of the play's characters. They provide an outsider's perspective on events, functioning to let the audience know how they should be interpreting each scene. This can be used to create a sense of inevitability to events, in keeping with Greek tragedy's preoccupation with fate. In 'A View from the Bridge', Miller is also interested in fate, and from the play's opening, Alfieri is used to depict this. The outsider's perspective Alfieri possesses is what is referred to by the play's title; a view from the bridge is a view from outside the action itself. However, Alfieri is also a character in the action, as the lawyer that Edie consults. This adds a personal dimension to the inevitability and lack of control that characterises the play as a tragedy.