Discuss how Tennessee Williams explores the theme of appearance versus reality in his play "A Streetcar Named Desire"
A Streetcar Named Desire Chloé Magee 4O Miss Davies A Streetcar Named Desire by playwright Tennessee Williams tells the story of Blanche DuBois, the dichotomist female lead who comes to Elysian Fields in search of a sanctuary away from the deaths and loss of her home, Belle Reve, but also to run away from her past. Her plans of inner-peace are interrupted, however, by Stanley Kowalski, her sister Stella’s husband as he tries to show everyone the truth that lies behind the facade of magnificence and sophistication that Blanche keeps constantly on guard, showing her that she can never run away from her past and sending her fragile mind on a downward spiral into the realms of fantasy. It is mainly through the characterisation of Blanche, but also through key scene and conflict that Williams explores the theme of appearance versus reality. The audience immediately forms an impression of Blanche as she enters stage. As she is “incongruous” to the setting of the Quarter with the jazzy music in every bar and sleazy notoriety, she gives an appearance of sophistication which contrasts with the informal appearance of the mixed population of the New Orleans: She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and
How does William convey Blanches anxiety in Scene 1?
How does William convey Blanche’s anxiety in Scene 1? When Blanche arrives in New Orleans, she is already in “shocked disbelief” by looking “at a slip of paper, then at a building, then again at the slip and again at the building”. The use of the adjective “shocked” suggests how surprised Blanche is to see her sister live her, in contrast to where both of them lived before. Blanche has to come New Orleans as her family fortune and estate are gone; she lost her young husband to suicide years earlier, and from early on the play, we notice she has bad drinking problem by drinking in Stella’s house when she first arrives, which she covers up poorly by saying to herself “I’ve got to keep hold of myself.” Blanche “washes out” her glass to hide her evidence. From this point, the reader realises she has a drinking problem. William’s uses a lot of different actions used to show Blanche’s anxiety. She is a dislocated individual from the loss of her husband and family as described her “shoulder slightly hunched and her legs pressed together… and her hands tightly clutching her purse” implies she is in complete dislocation and is shocked at where she is since Blanche comes from a high society and is not used to seeing this lower class society. Furthermore, more actions are used to show Blanche’s unease to this location. He describes her
"A Streetcar Named Desire". The opening of the scene set the tone of the play. Discuss
The opening of the scene set the tone of the play. Discuss William introduces his protagonists in the opening scene through their real faces. A streetcar named desire was published in 1994. With the help of symbolism William has described the opening in such a way that it helps the reader to know the hints of what is going to be next. "Stanley [bellowing] : hey, there ! Stella, baby! Stella [mildly]: don't holler at me like that..." This shows the difference between husband and wife has been clearly shown. Stanley is uncivilized while Stella is polite and she seems civilized. "Stanley: catch! Stella: what? Stanley: Meat! [He heaves the package at her. She cries out in protest but manages to catch it. Then she laughs breathless...]" Here William used the meat as a symbol which describes the sexual connection that Stella and Stanley have for each other. It also means that Stella accepts Stanley the way he is. Later she confesses to Blanche her sister that she cries when Stanley is not around which shows she is crazy about him. The protagonist Blanche Dubois enters the play. She arrives in Elysian Field to stay with her sister Stella. She looks out of the place as the play says "her appearance is incongruous to this setting she is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and ear rings of pearls, white gloves and hat, looking as if she was arriving
How does Williams portray the character of Stanley and his attitudes? (A Streetcar Named Desire)
A Streetcar Named Desire How does Williams portray the character of Stanley and his attitudes? In your answer you should consider: . William’s language choices 2. Dramatic techniques In the play, Stanley is portrayed as a very masculine, aggressive character, with chauvinistic attitudes to both Stella and Blanche. However, despite his thuggishness, he is also portrayed as attractive- Stella can’t live without him – and he is sometimes seen to have a more naive vulnerable side to his character. One of the first dramatic techniques Williams uses to introduce us to Stanley in Scene 1 is that of stage directions. In these, Williams describes Stanley as having `the power and pride of a richly male bird among hens`, and this metaphor conveys his masculine sense of superiority and chauvinistic attitude. It is also one of many animal references associated with Stanley. Williams uses many dynamic verbs in the stage directions for Stanley, such as `throws the screen door of the kitchen open`, also reflected later on when he `snatches` the radio and `tosses` it out of the window. These dynamic verbs give us a strong sense of his physical presence. Williams also uses an asyndetic list - `his heartiness with men, his appreciation of rough-humour, his love of good drink and food and games, his car, his radio, everything that is his, that bears his emblem of the gaudy
Discuss the role of music and other sound effects in A Streetcar Named Desire
Chiara Croserio Discuss the role of music and other sound effects in Streetcar Named Desire. Tennessee Williams uses many types of music and sound as a way to communicate emotions of characters that can’t be expressed in words. A few examples of these are the blue piano, the Varsouviana polka, Its Only A Paper Moon and the other sound effects that magnify the dramatic situations in the play. In the very beginning of scene one, Williams tells us that the blue piano expresses the spirit of the life that goes on in Elysian Fields. It is noticed when Stanley tells Blanche that Stella is pregnant towards the end of scene two. When he tells her, the blue piano becomes louder. When Stanley is shouting Stella’s name after the poker night disaster, the blue piano is played again, showing Stanley’s raw emotion as he called for her. The blue piano is mostly played during moments of loneliness, hope and passion. Some of these emotions are shown when Blanche talks about the loss of Belle Reve and her family. The hope is expressed candidly when she gets the idea of contacting Shep Huntleigh who she thinks can help her and Stella escape the ‘desperate situation’ they are in. Desire and passion is conveyed when Stanley and Stella come back to each other in scene three and when Stanley sexually abuses Blanche. The Varsouviana was the song that Blanche and her young husband,
To what extent is Stanley the villain of A Streetcar Named Desire?
Grace Turner Friday 25th November ‘To what extent is Stanley the villain of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire?’ Within literature a villain is traditionally malicious in character and inflicts pain both emotionally and physically; someone who becomes an obstacle the protagonist must struggle to overcome and who takes pleasure in bringing about their demise. ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is the famous story of Blanche du Bois and Stanley Kowalski’s passionate power struggle; written by Tennessee Williams in 1947, the Play is set in New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 1940s. To judge what extent Stanley is a villain it is necessary to first assess which criteria of a typical villain he fits. Throughout the play Stanley proves that he inflicts emotional pain on Blanche, and by not letting her forget her past and by destroying any possibility of love in her life Stanley becomes an obstacle she must attempt to overcome. It is Stanley who brings about the protagonists demise. However, although it appears that Stanley is vindictive and only bringing Blanche down for his own personal gain, one could argue that he is doing it for his relationship with Stella as Stanley would like things to return to the way they were before Blanche arrived. Stanley talks about how he wants their relationship to
