Though A Streetcar Named Desire doesnt end with the protagonists death, it is nonetheless a tragedy. By examining Williams dramatic methods, discuss to what extent you agree with this view.

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“Though A Streetcar Named Desire doesn’t end with the protagonist’s death, it is nonetheless a tragedy”. By examining William’s dramatic methods, discuss to what extent you agree with this view.

Arguably, despite the fact that “A Streetcar Named Desire” doesn’t end with the death of Blanche, it is still a tragedy for many reasons. However, there has been much debate about whether this play should be called a tragedy, as typically, a tragedy is described as a genre that focuses on failure, conflict and disaster, where the three aspects of suffering, chaos and death are emphasised, and it usually ends in the death of the protagonist. However, as Blanche does not die at the end of the play, some have argued that it should not be a tragedy at all.

In the play, Williams uses symbolism as a dramatic method to highlight certain tragic elements of the play. One example is the Varsouvianna polka music heard only in Blanche’s head. This music is first apparent at the end of Scene One, when Stanley asks Blanche about her marriage:”[The music of the polka rises up, faint in the distance]”,and represents Blanche’s tragic past with her husband. When her dead husband is first mentioned by Stanley, her response reveals her strong emotions: “The boy-the boy died[She sinks back down]”.The use of the dash to show the falter in her speech, shows how difficult it is for her to talk about her husband’s death, and implies that Blanche feels fragile and vulnerable at that moment. The symbol of the Varsouvianna polka is a key dramatic method in Scene Six, when Blanche reveals its meaning to Mitch. The remorse and guilt that Blanche feels towards her husband’s death is evident throughout her explanation; “all I knew was that I’d failed him in some mysterious way and wasn’t able to give him the help he needed”. This insinuates that Blanche blames herself for what happened and feels ashamed that she was unable to help him. This makes the audience feel pity for Blanche, as it shows a completely different side to her character, because her vulnerability is clearly visible throughout this scene. By exposing who Blanche really is to the audience in this scene, Williams creates tragedy, as no matter what Blanche does to disguise reality, it seems that she cannot hide from her past. The Varsouvianna polka music is one example of this, because the fact that it is heard constantly in Blanche’s head throughout the entire play, it gives the impression that Blanche is unable to let go of the past. Williams further creates tragedy in this scene by using the polka music to represent Blanche’s emotions while telling Mitch about her husband’s suicide. This is evident in the stage direction where it says:[Then the polka resumes in a major key]”. This mimics her current emotions of horror and sadness, evoking pity in the audience. The polka music could also represent the start of Blanche’s madness and loss of innocence, as her husband’s suicide was the event that forced Blanche to mature, and the fact that she constantly hears the music implies that she never fully recovered from the tragic events. This makes the audience feel pity for Blanche, linking the play to Aristotle’s conventions of tragedy, as one of the conventions is pathos, where the audience feels pity for Blanche. The fact that she inadvertently causes her own downfall by clinging to this past is also an element of tragedy, because her way of constantly clinging to a make-belief world created from her past is her hamartia.

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Another very important symbol that links to Blanche is the paper lantern, as this symbol is what draws the audience’s attention to Blanche’s hubris. It is first mentioned in Scene Three, when Blanche asks Mitch to put the paper lantern on the bulb, explaining that she “can’t stand a naked light-bulb”. Paper is often viewed as being flimsy or fragile, and can tear easily, so one might postulate that the paper lantern is therefore only a temporary way for Blanche to disguise reality. The paper lantern could also be a reflection of Blanche’s character, as her mental stability throughout the ...

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