Tennessee Williams wrote in a letter that It (Streetcar) is a tragedy with the classic aim of producing a catharsis of pity and terror and in order to do that, Blanche must finally have the understanding and compass

Tennessee Williams wrote in a letter that "It ('Streetcar') is a tragedy with the classic aim of producing a catharsis of pity and terror and in order to do that, Blanche must finally have the understanding and compassion of the audience. This without creating a black-dyed villain in Stanley. It is a thing (misunderstanding) not a person (Stanley) that destroys her in the end." In your opinion, to what extent has Williams succeeded in his aims. Although there are many different viewpoints on a conventional tragic heroine, Aristotle made his views clear that a hero must fall from fortune and power, due to a tragic flaw, allowing an audience to feel catharsis at the end of the play. It can be argued that Stanley causes Blanche's downfall, however, it is clear that Blanche had brought this upon herself by creating a conflict between them and ensures her own downfall by other means such as her promiscuity and flux into fantasies. Williams makes it clear that a misunderstanding destroys Blanche in the end. This misjudgement can be seen in her aggressive teasing of Stanley and her uncomfortable belonging in multi-cultural New Orleans. From the beginning of the play, Williams makes it clear that 'the Kowalski and the DuBois have different notions' with Blanche withholding the Southern Belle attitude of 'Belle Reve'. However, it is clear that Blanche cannot cope with the stark

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How does Tennessee Williams suggest that Stanley is an animalistic character in the play A streetcar named desire ?

How does Tennessee Williams suggest that Stanley is an animalistic character in the play "A streetcar named desire" ? Stanley Kowalski is Stella Kowalski nee Dubois' polish husband. He works as an engineer and has acquired many rowdy friends from his place of work. Stanley does not seem to function without Stella. When Stella's sister Blanche comes to stay all of Stanley's most horrible animalistic traits seem to come to the surface. The first act of animal like behaviour we see in the play is in the very first scene where Stanley chucks some meat which is still bloody at Stella who is up at the window. This symbolises Stanley to be the provider in the family just like in a wolf pack when the male wolf goes out and hunts for meat for his family. That fact that the meat is still bloody also brings Stanley bring meat Stella and a wolf bringing meat to his family closer. The second time we see Stanley is when Blanche has arrived and Stella has left the room because Blanche has upset her. Even though Stanley has never met Blanche before he doesn't care at all about taking his top off in front of her and making himself more comfortable. This could imply that Stanley is quite territorial and wants to show Blanche that it is his home and he can do whatever he likes and be dressed however he likes in his own home. Being territorial is a very animalistic trait. Furthermore

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TO WHAT EXTENT CAN A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE BE CALLED A TRAGEDY?

TO WHAT EXTENT CAN 'A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE' BE CALLED A TRAGEDY? 'A Streetcar Named Desire' was written by Tennessee Williams in 1947, eliciting the most critical commentary of any of his works, as well as being highly divisive: upon its release, one reviewer defined it as the product of an "almost desperately morbid turn of mind"1; George Jean Nathan criticised the "unpleasant"2 nature of the play, calling it "'The Glands Menagerie'"3. Williams' focus on realism, and the subsequent omission of clear-cut protagonists and antagonists in 'Streetcar', also drew glowing reviews, from the pre-eminent theatre critic Brook Atkinson, for example, who called Williams "a genuinely poetic playwright whose knowledge of people is honest and thorough"4. This difference in opinion does not stop at subjective criticism of the play, but even the specific genre which 'Streetcar' falls into. Many assume it to be a tragedy of some type, and there is indeed much to commend this view. However, the ambiguous nature of many aspects of the play and Williams' inclusion of alternate dramatic devices has led many to believe that 'Streetcar' should not be classified as a tragedy, but as a melodrama. In any tragedy, the tragic protagonist is of vital importance: everything is centred on the protagonist, their flaw and subsequent downfall. However, in 'Streetcar', there is large uncertainty as to who

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How does Williams use dramatic devices in A Streetcar Named Desire to heighten the tragic aspects of the play?

How does Williams use dramatic devices in A Streetcar Named Desire to heighten the tragic aspects of the play? Williams uses many dramatic devices to develop the play as a tragedy including: symbolism, stage directions and sounds. A Streetcar Named Desire can be seen as a modern domestic tragedy as the characters are not of noble birth and the play has specific focus on a female protagonist and anti-heroine, in this case Blanche. Blanche is often difficult to have an affinity with as she can come across as snobbish and over dramatising however, her fragility leads her to be a truly tragic figure much like that of Ophelia in Hamlet. Both characters are destroyed by the death of their loved ones and both suffer deaths themselves; albeit, in different ways. Williams uses symbolism to great effect within the play. In scene 1 the stage directions describe Blanche as “a moth”. William’s uses stage directions as a crucial dramatic device, making them highly detailed so when performed on stage it could be exactly as described; they became a signature of his. Instantly, a scene of tragedy is set as a moth is fragile however essentially a creature of self destruction, in its quest towards light it often ends up destroying itself. This sense of foreshadowing intensifies the tragedy from the very beginning, suggesting no matter what Blanche does, or how hopeful things are the

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Explore how Tennessee Williams uses symbols and expressionistic stage devices in the play.

Explore how Tennessee Williams uses symbols and expressionistic stage devices in the play. The play is rich in symbols, which serve as foreshadowing; hinting of things to come. These hints can be recognized from the beginning of the drama. The most obvious symbol used in A Streetcar Named Desire is its title and the actual reference, in the play, to the streetcars named Desire and Cemeteries. They are the means by which Blanche was brought to the home of Stanley and Stella and, as the play unfolds, we realize the names of the streetcars have a greater significance. Blanche's instructions were to "take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries." When Blanche first arrives she is possessed by a desire for love and understanding, but always in the background lurks the fear of death and destruction. If the one cannot be obtained, a transfer to the other will be the inevitable alternative. Blanche indicates this in her speech to Mitch in scene nine: "Death - I used to sit here and she used to sit over there and death was as close as you are ... We didn't dare even admit we had ever heard of it. The opposite is desire." A subtle use of this symbol makes scene six very poignant: Mitch and Blanche have just returned from the amusement park and she asks how he will get home - she says, "Is that streetcar named Desire still grinding along the tracks at this

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Blanche is depicted as unstable from the beginning of the play. Discuss

Blanche is depicted as unstable from the beginning of the play. Discuss "A Streetcar Named Desire" was written by Tennessee Williams. The play is set in New Orleans were 'you are practically always just around the corner'. This means that it is a close knitted community and a cosmopolitan city 'where there is a relatively warm and easy intermingling of races'. Blanche is Stella's sister and she takes a Streetcar Named 'Desire' to one called 'Cemeteries' and 'ride six blocks and get off at Elysian Fields!'. This already gives us a foreshadowing of later events as she has been led by desire to her destruction or mental death. Blanche arrives and stays with her young sister, Stella. When we are first introduced to Blanche, she appears to be lost and out of place with the surroundings. She portrays vulnerability and people help her without her asking for help. On a first impression, she would appear innocent looking but as time goes on, we see that all is not as it is portrayed to be. She appears to be jumpy, nervous and fragile to small unnoticed sounds like when 'cat screeches'. We also get a glimpse of her true personality when she is alone, 'she pours a half tumbler of whiskey and tosses it down. She carefully replaces the bottle and washes out the tumbler at the sink'. The way she handles the drink gives us the impression that she is not new to the idea of drinking. When

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To what extent can Blanche Dubois be considered a tragic hero?

Blanche DuBois is often referred to as a 'tragic figure.' How does Williams' presentation of this character allow her to be seen in this way? Aristotle defined 'Tragedy' around 330BC: "Tragedy, then, is an imitation of a noble and complete action; . . . and achieves, through the representation of pitiable and fearful incidents, the catharsis of such incidents." In a tragedy, the tragic hero is tested by suffering; as a result they're forced to face the consequences. Some will be crushed by their misfortune and may even die; others will somehow overcome their difficulties. Aristotle also states that the character must be of noble character - defined not by birth but rather by moral choice. This does not mean that they're perfect. There would be a sense of outrage if the individual were not marred in some way and yet still suffered. Conversely, a tragic hero can not be completely heinous. Aristotle felt the best type of tragic hero will fall somewhere between the two extremes - ". . . a person who is neither perfect in virtue and justice, nor one who falls into misfortune through vice and depravity, but rather, one who succumbs through some miscalculation." When the character is presented to the audience, there is empathy as their flaw (Hamartia) humanises them; a sense that it could happen to anyone because of this Hamartia, which while contributing to the character's lack

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In What ways is Sexuality portrayed as central to the conflicts of the individual-v-society in Ken Kesey's 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest' and Tennessee Williams 'A street car named desire'?

In What ways is Sexuality portrayed as central to the conflicts of the individual-v-society in Ken Kesey's 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest' and Tennessee Williams 'A street car named desire'? The capacity of sexual feelings within the individual is central to both the development and fundamental basis of any significant character. As observed in both 'One flew over the cuckoos nest' (AKA Cuckoo's nest) and 'A Street car named desire' (AKA. St. car) sexuality emerges as a principal device used in defining a character to the audience. By the reliance on and close association of the text with the stereotypical characters found within society, the characters presented to the audience can be made more identifiable with. The physical description of a character can therefore be said to be symbolic of its sexuality, "Broad across the jaw...shoulders and chest"1 and in likening a description to a stereotype "I fight and fuh..too much"2 this can be greater reinforced. As you can see the physical description of McMurphy is twinned with boastful memoirs of his masculinity via his sexual prowess. This also being evident in St. car with the introduction of the character Stanley Kowalski, "blood stained package"3 is symbolic of the instinctive masculine act of the hunter-gatherer, this in collaboration with the description that precedes it "Roughly dressed in blue denim work clothes"4

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A Modern Domestic Tragedy Is Tragic Because The Protagonist Is Working Against A Tide Of Unstoppable Changes Discuss This In Relation To A Streetcar Named Desire

'A Modern Domestic Tragedy Is Tragic Because The Protagonist Is Working Against A Tide Of Unstoppable Changes' Discuss This In Relation To 'A Streetcar Named Desire' In Tennessee Williams' 'Streetcar Named Desire', the character of the protagonist Blanche is created by Williams to be facing great change, and is facing the pull between her internal flaws and the external forces pushing this change .By showing this change in accordance within the confines of a modern domestic tragedy, it becomes inherently clear that in the context of this play, what makes it truly tragic is this unstoppable external change that the protagonist is a victim of. The continual emphasis by Williams on Blanche's weaknesses in this time of continual change adds to the tragic portrayal of the character. As early on as the first scene Blanche's refusal to face reality is shown, and begins this irrefutable burden of reality in contrast to the illusory world she has become to indulge herself within. It is symbolised by her inability to face the light. Blanche cries out in scene one to Stella to 'turn that over-light off...I won't be looked at in this merciless glare'. This loaded sentence suggests many connotations towards the character of Blanche. As on one hand this light reflects her inability to face the truth, as the light represents the purity of truth, and shows a possible domestic tragedy

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Many definitions of tragedy claim that at the end of the play positives have emerged. Is it possible to see anything positive in the ending of A Streetcar Named Desire?

Many definitions of tragedy claim that at the end of the play positives have emerged. Is it possible to see anything positive in the ending of A Streetcar Named Desire? Many definitions of a tragedy claim that by the end of the play positives have emerged, I'm going to investigate whether this can be said for A Streetcar named Desire. I want to look at the outcome of the play for each of the main characters and see who, if anyone came out on top. A Streetcar Named Desire is considered by many to be a modern tragedy, this genre differs from a Greek or Shakespearian tragedy in that it's protagonists are not usually great people from noble backgrounds who suffer an epic downfall that has drastic consequences but ordinary people, in domestic settings who's downfall although tragic for them has no real impact on anyone other than themselves and those close to them. Streetcar centres around three main characters Blanche, an aging southern belle, her sister Stella who has shook off her gentile, southern upbringing and settled into a simple life in run down New Orleans and Stanley Kowalski, Stella's husband, a man of Polish decent that seems to represent the 'new America'. Blanche disrupts the lives of the Kaplowski's by turning up to stay with them claiming she's been given leave from her teaching job in Laurel, where the sisters grew up. We later learn however this is not

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