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This is because in the Italian culture, that act is considered as an extreme
expression of anger toward a person, and it is rarely left without punishment.
In addition, the action of going to the church before facing Eddie shows us that
he is very religious and cares about his soul. Marco is a very honorable man and
believes in his tradition, and the author shows us that through a number of
symbols. For example, spitting on Eddie's face once he realizes that Eddie
turned him and his brother to the police is a symbol of disgust and revolt for
Eddie's actions. In addition, at the end of the play, we are told that Marco
went to church before going to talk to Eddie. This action tells us that Marco is
ready to give up his life and commit a mortal sin to defend his honor, because
what Eddie has done, the breaking of the omerta', the breaking of trust, is
something that in his culture must never be left unpunished. Throughout the
first act of the play, Marco is only referred as a flat character and the only
time we are really aware his persona and his strength is at the end of the first
act, when he lifts a chair over his head and makes it seem like a challenge to
Eddie, as a response for mocking Rodolpho. But only in the second act his
character is fully exposed and we see his image transform into a round
character. In this play, Marco is portrayed as the victim, since he hasn't done
anything to Eddie but he still gets arrested. In addition, although his brother
Rodolpho gets away with it by marrying Catherine, he has no other choice but to
go back to his hungry wife and sick children in Italy. This thoughts, and
knowing that Eddie has no regrets for what he has done makes him furious, and at
the end of the play he seeks revenge. I belive this play would not be complete
without this character. If Marco would have not existed, it would have left
Eddie unpunished and alive, and this would be in conflict with the very
conception of drama which drives this works.
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