A Steercar Named Desire - Blanche's Psychological Breakdown.
A Steercar Named Desire - Blanche's Psychological Breakdown In Tennesse Williams' play, "A Streetcar Named Desire" the readers are introduced to a character named Blanche DuBois. In the plot, Blanche is Stella's younger sister who has come to visit Stella and her husband Stanley in New Orleans. After their first meeting Stanley develops a strong dislike for Blanche and everything associated with her. Among the things Stanley dislikes about Blanche are her "spoiled-girl" manners and her indirect and quizzical way of conversing. Stanley also believes that Blanche has conned him and his wife out of the family mansion. In his opinion, she is a good-for-nothing "leech" that has attached itself to his household, and is just living off him. Blanche's lifelong habit of avoiding unpleasant realities leads to her breakdown as seen in her irrational response to death, her dependency, and her inability to defend herself from Stanley's attacks. Blanche's situation with her husband is the key to her later behavior. She married rather early at the age of sixteen to whom a boy she believed was a perfect gentleman. He was sensitive, understanding, and civilized much like herself coming from an aristocratic background. She was truly in love with Allen whom she considered perfect in every way. Unfortunately for her he was a homosexual. As she caught him one evening in their house with an
A streetcar named desire - Exploration notes context/structure/language/plot&subplot/visual aural spatial.
A Streetcar Named Desire Exploration Notes: Context The play Streetcar Named Desire (hereafter SND) was written in 1947 at a very unstable time in American society. A time of 'American Realism', which was about the corruption of the American dream. The events of the time clearly had a big influence on Williams' work and inspired a lot of his writing. * Part of context of the play is the concept of the civil war and the North- South divide on the issue of slavery, with Blanche representing the southern states of America, and Stanley representing the North. Before the civil war, the south of America was incredibly rich, in comparison with the North, due in the greater part to cotton production. The North was poor at this time and struggling economically. However, after the war, with the abolition of slavery the economic balance power shifted, as the prosperity had depended on slave labour. Production fell and with it the wealth of the South. * The parallels between the above and the relationship between Blanche and Stanley are very clear. Initially Blanche, as a guest in the house, has the power. Her behaviour reflects this and earns her some respect from Stanley. A further parallel can be drawn between the wealth of the North as opposed to the South and the way in which, at the beginning of the play it is implied that Blanche has some money and this has a great
A Streetcar Named Desire - scenes 2 and 3 reviewed.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. Scene 2 * Blanche is not in this scene but we are constantly reminded of her through her singing.- this scene has a lot to do with the loss of Belle Reve. * 'Blanche is bathing' i.e. she is washing off her dirtiness/ her sins from the past. * 'Stella jumps up and kisses him which he accepts with lordly composure. Stanley is the great lord. He is king of the territory. * Stella; 'I'm taking Blanche is Galatoires'- This is French and refined. * Stanley; 'How about my supper, huh? I'm not going to no Galatoire's for supper!' This line shows that Stanley is not used to Stella going out. * Stella; 'I put you a cold plate on ice' - salad's and meat, i.e. basic foods. * Stella; 'you better give me some money'- Stella is dependant on him. This is another thing stacking up against Blanche. She needs him in materialistic stage , he needs her in emotional. There is a difference. * Stella; 'Oh it had to be-sacrificed or something.' This shows that Blanche does not interest her. * Stella; 'be sure to say something nice about her appearance. And, oh! Don't mention the baby.' From this we can see that Stella is aware of Blanche's fragility. However Stanley ignores the advice about the baby and uses it as a weapon. Stella wanted to tell her sister about the baby in her own time for she is barren old alone and single. * Here the role changes and Blanche is
Streetcar named Desire: dramatic tension
How does Tennessee Williams build dramatic tension in scenes 3 and 4 of A Streetcar Named Desire? A Streetcar Named Desire is the story of Blanche Dubois, a fragile, neurotic woman, in desperate search for a place where she can belong. Circumstances lead to her arriving at her sister Stella's home in New Orleans. Unfortunately Blanche does not get on at all well with Stella's husband, Stanley, and the difference between them provides a lot of the dramatic tension overall in the play. Whilst Blanche and Stanley are the two major opposing sides, Stella is stuck in the middle. The story is about which person will win; who is the stronger element, Blanche or Stanley? The winner gets Stella, but whoever loses will have to leave. The play covers many themes, including love, violence, death, vanity, mental instability, sense of social status, racism, sexism and snobbery. There is also the topic of illusion versus reality, which is widely covered throughout the play. The main culprit of this is Blanche, who is unsuccessfully trying to build a new life, but ends up building herself a shield of fantasy so strongly that even she begins to believe it. She lies about her age, the reason she had to leave her job and move, and gives a general air of superiority that is out of place, given her own situation in life: Blanche: "..... Where I'm not wanted and where I'm ashamed to be...."
What dramatic techniques and devices does Williams deploy in order to depict the different worlds/ backgrounds/ personalities of Blanche Dubois and Stanley Kowalski?
What dramatic techniques and devices does Williams deploy in order to depict the different worlds/ backgrounds/ personalities of Blanche Dubois and Stanley Kowalski? A Streetcar Named Desire is a play written by the great author Tennessee Williams. There are many themes that run through out the play such as death, passion, the past etc. The play was written in the 1950's and set in New Orleans. In many ways the characters in the play reflect Williams' family. Williams himself was isolated due to his sexual identity. I think Stanley Kowalski represents Williams's father who was an alcoholic, "tempered, coarse man". We can also say that Blanche represents Rose, Williams's sister who drove herself to madness just as Blanche does towards the end. The two main characters in the play are Stanley and Blanche. We already learn about Blanche Dubois through her name, Dubois means 'from the woods' and Blanche means 'white'. So her name means 'the white one from the woods'. Blanche tries to live up to her name which in away means innocent and pure. However she is the complete opposite. Having a meaning behind Blanches name depicts her fake personality as in reality she does not live up to her name. I have noticed that Stanley and the other men in the play have no imagery related to them because they are mundane and mediocre. The play is rich in symbols, contains vivid imagery and
Tennessee Williams once said that Streetcar was ‘a plea for the understanding of delicate people’. Consider this statement in the light of your own interpretation of the presentation of the central characters and relationships in the play.
Tennessee Williams once said that Streetcar was 'a plea for the understanding of delicate people'. Consider this statement in the light of your own interpretation of the presentation of the central characters and relationships in the play. Williams's statement suggests that in 'Streetcar' he is urgently, perhaps desperately asking the audience to appreciate and sympathise with problems and situations that delicate people are confronted with. By using the word 'delicate' Williams means those who are weak minded, physically weak, sensitive or frowned upon by society. It is important to pinpoint the characters in 'Streetcar' that could be considered as delicate, for example the central character of the play, Blanche Dubois, who this undoubtedly applies to most. However the relationships between Stanley and Stella, Stanley and Blanche plus Mitch and Blanche also need to be addressed, as they all play key roles in Williams's attempt to evoke sympathy for the 'delicate people'. It is important first of all to understand why Williams may have made 'Streetcar' a plea for the understanding of the delicate people. To find this out the delicate characters in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' need to be compared to people in his own life. The character Williams would particularly have liked people to understand when he first wrote the play is Allan Grey because he relates to Williams
How successfully has Williams introduced the main characters and ideas of "A Streetcar named Desire" in the first two scenes
How successfully has Williams introduced the main characters and ideas of "A Streetcar named Desire" in the first two scenes? The plot of "A Streetcar Named Desire" alone does not captivate audiences, but its strengths lie with the characterisation and the relationships that form between these characters. Some of the characters, such as that of Blanche Dubois, the main protagonist, are complex, and our feelings change towards her throughout the play, often completely reversing, while others, such as what we feel towards her sister, Stella, are fairly simple, and the extent of her character and the feelings the writer wishes to evoke in the reader are established early on and remain somewhat static. In a way the main characters are caricatures that are intended to symbolise severe contrast with each other. The title refers to the tramline in New Orleans, where the play is set, that runs from Desire to Cemeteries. The title could be seen to be a metaphor for the whole play. Indeed, Desire, though a real place, is one of the main themes of the play, and is one of the few things Blanche appears to have in abundance. This eventually leads to her downfall. It is fitting that the tramline runs from Desire to Cemeteries, as Blanche says in the play that she views desire as the opposite of death. The idea of Blanche travelling from death (Cemeteries) to Desire is symbolic of her
Assess the view that Tennessee Williams use of symbolism in A Streetcar Named Desire enhances the audiences understanding of the characters and themes in the play.
Assess the view that Tennessee Williams' use of symbolism in A Streetcar Named Desire enhances the audiences understanding of the characters and themes in the play. Tennessee Williams' uses many literary techniques in A Streetcar Named Desire but the most valuable in constructing the plot and evoking understanding into the audience would be the technique of symbolism. The use of symbolism is effective in the due to the fact that it generates thoughts in the readers mind through a non-verbal narrative. The thoughts produced make it easier for the interpreter to form imagery and relate to the story. Williams use of symbolism help the audience to comprehend the themes and characters. One way in which symbolism is used is through the medium of light. In the beginning of the play when we learn more about the protagonist, Blanche DeBois, we find that she is not keen on the glare of a "naked light". Some may interpret this as Blanches' vain nature present as she fears people will see her faded looks. Her faded looks suggest that she is growing old and maybe the fear is less based on her vanity and in fact that she fears of being forgotten, like her ancestors and Belle Reeve which are both lost. This is further supported by her grasping for attention throughout the play and through conversations, for example when Blanche speaks to Stella she explains that men "...don't even admit
Explore the methods Williams uses to create dramatic tension for an audience in "A Streetcar Named Desire".
Explore the methods Williams uses to create dramatic tension for an audience in "A Streetcar Named Desire" "Desire", life, love, lust and beauty. The depicted idea of the eminent and radiating title induces and consumes the audience with evocative and tense ideas for sexual innuendoes, capitalising the prerequisite performance for the play to involve dramatic sexual tensions. However, in contrast to the title, the melancholy and hoary surroundings of the old corner building emanates an 'atmosphere of decay', betrayal, self-embrace, ugliness and death. This contrast creates a poignant conflict between the ideal standards that the audience prepare themselves to see. Whilst the synchronization between ethnic groups and the humbling sounds of the "blue piano" which meander across the town, they act as a façade when a less than animated 'antique porcelain' figure arrives, anaesthetizing the "cosmopolitan" peoples perceptions and masquerading the disastrous fragility of the character, who secretes a blinding pseudo sense of self-awareness, satisfaction and harmonious characterisation. Here we meet the "moth", an incarnation of a once heavenly, cherished, inspirited woman, who now fears the intense illumination of truth. The sheer oddity of recognising an appearance incongruous to the setting and the tension that the delicate woman endures, supplements the dramatic tension in
The themes of death and desire are central in the play A Streetcar Named Desire.
Desire, unreined, leads to death Speaking to a reporter in 1963 Tennessee Williams said, "Death is my best theme, don't you think? The pain of dying is what worries me, not the act. After all, nobody gets out of life alive. "1 The themes of death and desire are central in the play A Streetcar Named Desire. When the play was released in 1948 it caused a storm, its sexual content was controversial to say the least, but also it was, "virtually unique as a stage piece that is both personal and social and wholly a product of our life today." 2 The play tells of the visit of the main character, Blanche, a supposedly typical to Southern Belle, to her long estranged sister Stella, who she finds living in modesty in New Orleans. Williams brutally rips away the skin of conventionality to reveal the true motivations of the characters, focusing on Blanches apparent fall to madness, and culminating in her eventual rape by her brother-in-law Stanley. It is important to understand what Williams means when he talks of death to the reporter. For Williams the fact of being dead or the act of death is not important, but it is the pain that precedes it. This has metaphorical significance which resonates throughout the play. Though the characters do not physically die it is in their inevitable downfall that we see the symbolic pain of death. In all the characters it is clear that their
