Classic Note on A Streetcar Named Desire.
Classic Note on A Streetcar Named Desire Main Themes: Fantasy/Illusion: Blanche dwells in illusion; fantasy is her primary means of self-defence. Her deceits do not carry any trace of malice; rather, they come from her weakness and inability to confront the truth head-on. She tells things not as they are, but as they ought to be. For her, fantasy has a liberating magic that protects her from the tragedies she has had to endure. Unfortunately, this defence is frail and will be shattered by Stanley. In the end, Stanley and Stella will also resort to a kind of illusion: Stella will force herself to believe that Blanche's accusations against Stanley are false. The Old South and the New South: Stella and Blanche come from a world that is rapidly dying. Belle Reve, their family's ancestral plantation, has been lost. The two sisters, symbolically, are the last living members of their family. Stella will mingle her blood with a man of blue-collar stock, and Blanche will enter the world of madness. Stanley represents the new order of the South: chivalry is dead, replaced by a "rat race," to which Stanley makes several proud illusions. Cruelty: The only unforgivable crime, according to Blanche, is deliberate cruelty. This sin is Stanley's specialty. His final assault against Blanche is a merciless attack against an already-beaten foe. On the other hand, though Blanche is
Equus Performance Commentary. On paper, Peter Shaffers Equus is extraordinarily vivid piece of literature. Onstage, it is a visually engaging masterpiece
On paper, Peter Shaffer's Equus is extraordinarily vivid piece of literature. Onstage, it is a visually engaging masterpiece, where the complexity of breathing life into characters and settings by the perfected interplay between actors and the stage is an enthralling and emotional experience for all those involved. Like all theatric successes, Equus has endured various convoluted productions of the magnificent original, sometimes succeeding, and sometimes failing, to poke and prod the audience into thinking-questioning- imagining. A handful of directors have fallen prey to the vicious desire present within all of us: to turn a play into real life; to make it relatable to surroundings we are so familiar with. Those who do- fail; fail to understand the concepts that Equus strives to imbibe in its readers. Equus is not a pretty fairy tale dressed in the tattered rags of disillusionment, Equus is macabre and bare, miserly in its pity for a naïve audience that likes to think itself jaded. In Shaffer's words, "Upstage, forming a backdrop to the whole, are tiers of seats in the fashion of a dissecting theatre... [In these] sit the audience". If one allows their imagination to roam as it will (and definitely as Shaffer wished it to be) the audience will form a rather imposing backdrop, hundreds of eyes that look down upon the tormented actors and silently, quietly, judge. Eyes are
How effective might an audience find the ending to the play?
How effective might an audience find the ending to the play? In the last portion of Act 2, the audience bears witness to Michael's final soliloquy and prior to this there is a reminder of the unsettling and at times disheartening nature of the play. In the last segment of Act 2 we finally witness the outcome of the kite that in the process of being made throughout the play. However the images portrayed on the kite are "crude, cruel and primitively drawn". Descriptions which convey the notion of a sense of unease as the play comes to a close, which is further explored through Michael's final soliloquy. The audience immediately sees the disheartening effectiveness of Friel's implementations of stage directions, as while Michael recites the final lines of dialogue of the play, we see the Mundy sisters "in positions similar to their positions at the beginning of the play" while "Kate cries quietly". The tone that pervades Michael's soliloquy are one of a sad and poignant nature. This extract effectively informs the audience of the sadly rapid pace of change that occurred, and which results in the sad breakup of the family - which all is in many ways symbolic of the stifling social and cultural circumstances in Ireland during the 1930's. In addition, this ending to the play is very much successful in conveying the idea that the change that affected this family deeply impacted
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
Assess the relevance of Pages 58 - 63 in the History Boys to the rest of the play
Assess the relevance of Pages 58 -63 in the History Boys to the rest of the play. When we meet Irwin again at the beginning of Act two he is a man now well into his forties and has moved on from teaching history in a school to filming a television history programme on location. We learn that he is five years older and yet there is a certain irony in the fact that he still recites the same mantra that he used with the 'history boys' when called in to prepare them for Oxbridge entry If you want to learn about Stalin study Henry VIII. If you want to learn about Mrs Thatcher study Henry VIII If you want to know about Hollywood study Henry VIII' It was all history. It seems that although older and now in a wheelchair his basic attitude and approach have changed little. He is now a 'personality' presenting a programme upon Rievaulx Abbey and life in monastic orders which he brings down to the level of 'toilet arrangements' stating that he believes this to be the way to bring history to life and the Director reflects upon how he sounds a 'tad schoolmasterly'. Irwin, for all his changed position, having been transported from a life in the classroom to in front of a television camera, is still focussed upon viewing things from an unusual perspective and using language to effect as when he reflects upon the different materials being used in place of toilet paper, in effect saying
Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, produced and published in 1949, still has a lasting effect today in the year 2001.
Eric Lindquist THE 1114 April 16, 2001 Dr. Kindelan Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, produced and published in 1949, still has a lasting effect today in the year 2001. The play which has won several awards and the Pulitzer prize, centers itself around a salesman and his family as they fight and sometimes struggle to "make it big" in this world. The play has been performed all over the world since its introduction in 1949, and it is still being performed and read in different languages and societies. The purpose of this paper is to show how Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman makes his American audience question their own lives and the society that they live in and why Miller would want the audience to question such ideas. Death of a Salesman is centered on Willy Loman who is a 63 years old salesman and has a wife named Linda and two sons, Biff and Happy. Arthur Miller creates the Loman family so that everyone in a way could relate to someone in the family in one-way or another. Many people in the late 1940's and the 1950's had lived through a very miserable depression, and it was during this time that the American Society and economy was changing as it was becoming more and more advanced technologically. Times were changing and the "good old days" such as the traveling salesman and other pastime occupations were being
Confinement and self-liberation in 'A Doll's House'
Setting is used as an immediate representation of the social conventions imposed on the central female characters. In A Doll's House, Ibsen presents the appearance of cosy bourgeois family life through the 'comfortably and tastefully, but not expensively furnished' setting. This is further exemplified through the Christmas tree; a festive season and the synonymous family security and happiness is indicated in order to establish a cosy, middle-class home conforming to religious and social expectations. Nora is seen at times during the course of the play concentrating on its decoration, conveying her involvement in ensuring her family's well-being and in turn, emphasising the strict gender role in which she is restricted to. Despite this, the audience cannot help but feel the setting has been created to suit Torvald's tastes, thus depicting Nora's confinement within her home. For example, Nora rings the bell of the house before her initial entrance, suggesting that she does not possess her own key. This is further emphasised when she 'listens at her husbands door', implying that she does not have full access to the house. Ibsen immediately establishes a typical bourgeois home and the conventions of a patriarchal society through a blend of naturalism and realism to depict the suppression of the central female character and also to create a world instantly identifiable to
Equus Essay. Although it is obvious that Shaffer intended both Frank and Dora to seem like normal, average people and good parents, his portrayal of Dora leads the audience to believe the contrary. She is one of the least likable characters in Equus and t
Q: Comment closely on scene 11, paying particular attention to the light it sheds on Dora's character and her role in Alan's crime Although it is obvious that Shaffer intended both Frank and Dora to seem like normal, average people and good parents, his portrayal of Dora leads the audience to believe the contrary. She is one of the least likable characters in Equus and thus the easiest to blame for Alan's crime. Though other factors do contribute to Alan's blinding of six horses, it seems instinctual and thus wholly acceptable to blame Dora for Alan's pain. There would be absolutely no reason for Dora to behave the way she does with Dysart if she truly believed in her own innocence: Shaffer mentions in the stage directions that she is "uncomfortable" and punctuates her last few lines in the scene with an "uncomfortable pause". Afraid that Dysart will find the majority of the magnetizing moments in Alan's "chain of shackles" as her work, Dora makes up excuses to mask this combination of guilt and fear she feels. Mixed in with these feelings is her resentment of Alan, resentment that his actions have cast shadows of doubt on her capability as a parent in front of the whole society and society's mascot: Dysart. She therefore masks the truth (that she explicitly came to see Dysart) with a nervously administered excuse: "I've been shopping in the neighbourhood. I thought I
Arthur Miller: Death of a Salesman - A detailed critical appreciation of Act I Sequence 9
Arthur Miller: Death of a Salesman A detailed critical appreciation of Act I Sequence 9 From: p.37 "You're such a boy!" To: p.40 "He's dying, Biff" Death of a Salesman is "a love story between a man and his son, and in a crazy way between both of them and America". -Arthur Miller Linda is faced with a mother's dilemma: Does she love her husband more than she loves her sons? This is where the tension, which is apparent throughout the sequence, generates itself. However, she does not offer her love to the boys in competition with Willy's. Linda finds many of Willy's qualities to be admirable, whereas this is not true for the boys. She keeps a watchful eye on the family's expenses, therefore takes up the role of businesswoman of the house. She is, unlike Willy, quite in touch with reality: "One day you'll knock on this door and there'll be strange people here--" (p.37). This sequence is the first opportunity that Linda has to speak frankly to the boys about their father. She is worried, anxious, stereotypical and loyal, and seizes this particular moment to plead Willy's case as a father. She copes, but has no one to speak to about her troubles- this is the missing part of the relationship with Biff, Willy and Happy. Linda does not cry or use emotional blackmail to plead her case because it is not part of her character: "A threat, but only a threat, of tears"
A brief analysis of 'A Doll's House' By Ibsen
Contextualising the text for "A DOLLS HOUSE" "A dolls house" was written by Henrik Ibsen and produced by famous actors during the time of the 1800's; in fact it was the year of 1879 to be precise. It was around this time that many different Social, cultural and historical moments were changing through time, leaving the end result to change not only one country but had an effect on most of the world. For this section of the work I will be carefully discussing with you the issues of; Social events Cultural events Historical events Social Each of these events all had major issues around during the time; like the peoples views on marriage and the roles of men and women - with or without being married. Views and opinions were vitally important in those days, they had a massive effect on people's lives, as meeting a widowed woman would have been horrific, simply because people saw marriage as such a major obstacle. Marriage was incredibly serious during them times and it was not accepted for people to split up from a marriage. They felt that when getting married they should only accept the other person if they were happy to live with them forever until death as the as the priest when getting married says: "Until death do us part" Each person when in a marriage had there own role; for the women they had to mainly work as housewives (although there were exceptions) and for
