To what extent does Williams portray Blanche as a tragic heroine in Scene 1?

Although there are many different viewpoints on a tragic hero, Aristotle made his views clear that a hero must fall from fortune and power, with a tragic flaw allowing the reader to empathise with the character. It is difficult to determine whether Blanche has these qualities from scene one, however there are clear signs that she is far from a conventional heroine. Williams has Blanche first enter the play in a naïve and shocked manner to display her lack of power and insecurity in society. As Blanche enters New Orleans, it is made clear that 'her appearance is incongruous' as Williams immediately presents her as an outsider to the community. The image Williams creates of her 'carrying a valise' whilst wearing a 'fluffy bodice' is a stark contrast to the urban surroundings and the 'easy intermingling of races'. Williams does this to encourage the audience to question her belonging in society, wondering why the main character has so little in common with the setting of the play. This lack of power makes it clear to the audience that Blanche is not a tragic heroine, with her reversal of fortune being hard to foresee. Therefore Williams uses Blanche's strange entrance to New Orleans to emphasise her lack of heroic qualities. Williams uses Blanche's hypocritical actions about alcohol to remove any pity the audience may have for her addiction. As Blanche first enters Stella's

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Scene V, Blanche: "Come in"-"Ahhh Merciii" Discuss this extract in relation to the rest of the text paying attention to structure, form and use of language.

Scene V, Blanche: "Come in"-"Ahhh Merciii" Discuss this extract in relation to the rest of the text paying attention to structure, form and use of language. The ending section of scene five of Tennessee Williams's play 'A Streetcar Named Desire' has provoked much confusion and debate as to the writer's motives in regards to the portrayal of Blanche. One school of thought on the matter is that, in spite of the fact that Williams largely based the character of Blanche upon himself his primary aim in the play is to punish her for her failure to show empathy towards her homosexual husband Allan. Williams was of course a homosexual himself, living in a largely homophobic world where gayness was not a talked about subject. He often brought the issue up in his other works such as 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' where the characters Brick and Skipper and both portrayed as possible homosexuals. Blanches lack of empathy and compassion are highlighted once again in this extract when she totally fails to take into account the feelings of a second young man, and instead uses him to live out her fantasies of desire for her late husband. During the exchange between Blanche and the young man she is portrayed as seductive and dominant "I want to kiss you" making it clear that she is the one initiating the situation, this is a dramatic contrast to her normal persona around other men such as Mitch

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Discuss the way Williams Presents the relationship between Blanche and Stanley explaining what you think is at stake in the conflict between them.

Name: Camille Reid Form: 6A Novel: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE Instructions: Discuss the way Williams Presents the relationship between Blanche and Stanley explaining what you think is at stake in the conflict between them. Tennesse Williams is a brilliant playwright. He is the author of numerous well-known and excellent plays and his mastery of symbolism is obvious in the way he uses it to convey significant situations and qualities in his main characters. In A Streetcar Named Desire, two of his main characters, Blanche and Stanley, have conflicting personalities and it is in this particular play that his skill in the use of symbolism is most evident as he uses it to depict the relationship between the two, using many relevant symbols. In so doing, he manages to clearly identify to his audience what is at risk in the battle between Blanche and Stanley. This raises questions like who will win, how will he or she win and what will result from this victory or loss as the case may be. The imagery, which best describes the relationship between Blanche and Stanley is that of "the moth versus light", with Blanche being the moth and Stanley being the light. Williams achieves this effect by likening Blanche to a moth by constantly portraying her as being frail. For example, "her white clothes that suggest a moth" and "her delicate beauty must avoid strong light" are in the stage

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How and Why does Williams dramatise the influence of the past on the present?

How and Why does Williams dramatise the influence of the past on the present? 'A Streetcar Named Desire' is a fascinating and intriguing play. The playwright, Tennessee Williams, uses many sound effects and dramatic devices to emphasize the influence of the past on the present in a mesmerizing and interesting way. It is upon the main character, Blanche, that Williams shows this influence. Many of these effects and devices are expressionistic and give us an insight into what Blanche feels at any one time, as they are a physical representation of Blanche's mental regression. Williams also uses a variety of naturalistic effects. These are stage directions which describe the realities of the quarter. The "Blue Piano" music and the cat which screeches in the first scene are both examples of this. On the other hand, expressionistic devices describe Blanche' psychological progression depending on what the context is. The most important example of this in the play is the Varsouviana, which appears regularly throughout the play. At the beginning of the play, Blanche appears unexpectedly at her sister's home, the influence of the past begins to appear. The way she treats Stella reflects her desire to return to the past as she calls her "my baby" and "Stella for Star". It also seems that Blanche is trying to lay claim to Stella by reminding her that she is the younger sister and

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Discuss the role of music and other sound effects in A Streetcar Named Desire

Discuss the role of music and other sound effects in 'A Streetcar Named Desire Often when in convocation with another person a generally meaningless comment can have a profound ability to offend someone more than a deliberately vulgar outburst; this is due to the tone in which the person delivers his remake. Tone as described in the "Oxford Dictionary" is 'the sound of a person's voice, expressing a feeling or mood,' and is an essential tool in the way people communicate with each other to express there feelings and experiences. In author "Tennessee Williams" 'A Street Car Named desire' a play about two sisters from the south living out there separate lives, meet again in New Orleans during a pivotal moment in each of there journeys; tone is a vital tool in expressing there emotional trials and tribulations within the book. As while reading the book it is not possible to hear the tones in which the characters use to express themselves, it is done through the stage directions. Thought the stage directions do not only evoke the tones of the play, they also foreshadow events ahead through describing symbolic happenings such as music and sound effects. 'Tennessee Williams' use of stage directions is one of the many keys to the great success of this play; even the first paragraph is a tribute to that. The first paragraph describes a peaceful image, "Two women, one white the other

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Discuss the importance of the past in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Discuss the importance of the past in A Streetcar Named Desire. Our lives are consumed by the past. The past of what we once did and what we once accomplished. As we look back on these past memories we hardly realise the impact these events have on our present lives. The loss of a past love affects our future relationships, the loss of our family influences the choices we make today, and the loss of our dignity can confuse the life we live in the present. These losses or deaths require healing from which you need to recover. The past is very important when it comes to the characters in Streetcar, especially with Blanche. As the play develops, the reader learns more about her vulnerable and weak personality. Clearly Blanche wasn't as frail before Stella 'abandoned' Belle Reve; she may psychologically feel distressed. Blanche says in scene one 'all the burden descended on my shoulders'. Therefore she may be bringing this upon herself, giving her an excuse to be the way she acts as the play develops i.e. turning to alcoholism. However, there are strong reasons why Blanche is mentally disturbed; she experienced witnessing the deaths of every member in Belle Reve, as well as her husband committing suicide. These issues led to mixing up with strangers in Laurel, even having an affair with a student in the high school she used to teach at. Eventually she was told to get out of town

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What do you believe Tennessee Williamsis saying about human sexuality in A Street Car Named Desire?

What do you believe Tennessee Williams is saying about human sexuality in A Street Car Named Desire? Tennessee Williams presents each character in his/her typical gender roles that the attitudes of post-war America recognised. Stanley's family portrays a typical nuclear family that was common and ideal at the time. Stanley appears to be a fully masculine breadwinner who has power and control over his family. Williams uses Blanche and Stella's dependence on men to present and review the treatment of women during the transition from the old to the new South in post-war America. Blanche and Stella see male companions as their only means to achieve happiness, and they depend on men for both their sustenance and sexual desires: "When he is away for a week I nearly go wild" Stella appears to be fully dependant on her husband financially as she is a housewife and therefore relies on Stanley's income as her means of living. When Blanche advises Stella that she could be happier without a physically abusive husband, Stella chooses to remain with Stanley. Stanley is the man she relies on, loves and strongly believes, as he is the only man between his friends who is "likely to get anywhere". Stella knows Stanley is common and aggressive but she explains to her sister that she is "thrilled" by his actions on their wedding night and allows her abuse to be the price of what they "do in

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In A Street Car Named Desire Tennessee Williams uses music and sound to help symbolise certain themes

A Streetcar Named Desire- Music and Sound. In A Street Car Named Desire Tennessee Williams uses music and sound to help symbolise certain themes, help build on characters and create different types of atmosphere. He uses things like the 'blue piano' and the polka music to help do this. Tennessee Williams uses the 'blue piano' to symbolise the life in this play, it shows the general atmosphere of the play. At the end of the opening stage directions we are told this, it says, 'This 'blue piano' expresses the spirit of the life which goes on here.' This is saying as long as the 'blue piano' is playing life still goes on. But when life is disrupted the music from the 'blue piano' changes. This is shown when Blanche first arrives, 'The 'blue piano' gets louder.' This shows that Blanches arrival is going to affect the life of the characters in the play. This also helps to create tension. The 'blue piano' can also be heard along side the trumpets. At the end of scene two they are playing together, this shows that something is building up. This also helps create a sense of tension and suspense because it makes us want to know what it is building up to. Then at the end of scene four the piano, trumpet and rums are all playing together, it is building up to something big. This adds to the sense of tension and suspense. Then at the very end of the final scene, when Blanche

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Was Stanley Kowalski the reason for Blanche's downfall?

Was Stanley Kowalski the reason for Blanche's downfall? Blanches Downfall could have been because of Stanley Kowalski but also it could have been another reason. Perhaps the most obvious one is her difficulty fitting in with life in New Orleans. From the beginning we see Blanche does not fit in with the people of her new community, nor her physical surroundings in her new home. This is shown at the start of scene one when it is easy to see that she disapproves of her sister living there. "This - can this be - her home?" This is perhaps Blanche being subtle as later when the place is described as having "raffish charm", Blanche does not even recognise that and she describes it as, "Only Poe! Only Edgar Allen Poe! - Could do it justice!" Blanche represents a deep-seated attachment to the past. She has lived her whole life in Laurel, a small southern town; her family had upper-class roots and taught Blanche about some of the finer things in life. Unfortunately she cannot cope with life outside Laurel. Her refusal to come out of the time warp makes her unrealistic and flighty. When Blanche appears, she is described in detail, not only her clothes but also the impression she gives of delicacy and vulnerability. "There is something about her uncertain manner", and the way she drinks as soon as she reaches the apartment shows that she is extremely nervous and uncomfortable. "Her

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Commentary on Scene Eleven focusing on the speech in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Commentary on Scene Eleven focusing on the speech in A Streetcar Named Desire Scene Eleven in A Streetcar Named Desire is significant. It depicts a concrete and clear view of Blanche's character and highlights the theme of death. It, most importantly, generates the audience's sympathy which is not depicted in the first part of the play. The scene takes place a few weeks after the rape. This is indicated in the stage directions: "it is some weeks later." The setting which is presented in the scene is typical in that poker is being played by Stanley and his friends while Stella and Eunice are conversing; however, the mood is tense and discreet. It is also highlighted that Blanche is taken into a mental asylum. This would be evident through her mental disorder from the rape. It is also depicted that all the characters have knowledge of her mental asylum although Blanche is not aware of it and that she presumes she is going on holiday. The speech depicts the theme of death which is also present in Blanche's speech in Scene One "I, I, I took the blows in my face and my body..." The depiction, however, contrasts the one earlier, in that the speech in Scene One represents something gruesome and dreadful: "So big with it, it couldn't be put in a coffin! But had to be burned like rubbish;" on the contrary, the speech in Scene Eleven depicts death in a romantic manner: "I will die

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