Many Elements of Tragedy in Streetcar Names Desire by Tennessee Williams

A Streetcar Named Desire is a Pulitzer Prize-Winning play. The film was nominated for twelve nominations and was awarded four Oscars. It is a stage play with elements of tragedy. The play opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in New York City on December 3, 1947. The producer of the play Charles Feldman sold the production to the Warner Bros. The play was written by Tennessee Williams. Williams is considered the greatest Southern playwright and one of the greatest playwrights in the history of American Drama. Williams first play was ‘The Glass Menagerie” it was produced in 1945. Williams plays have been adapted to film starring screen greats like Marlon Brando who played Stanley and Elizabeth Taylor who appeared in the on screen play. William described his childhood as pleasant and happy. But when he moved to Missouri everything changed. His home was a tense play to live. In 1929 he enrolled at The University of Missouri to study journalism. His father withdrew him once he became incensed that his son’s girlfriend was also attending the university. So he left but he still continued his journey and worked on his upcoming career. Many of Williams plays were a look into his life. The genre on this novel was tragedy. It was tragedy because the Grey boy who was Blanche's husband had stuck a revolver into his mouth, and fired and the back of his head was blown away. He did this such thing because he felt as though no one would accept him for what he really was, a homosexual. The purpose of this literacy criticism/ analysis paper is to demonstrate how the critic used literary devices such as character, setting, theme, and imagery to critique the authors work.

The Critic Henthorne claims that the character Blanche DuBois often played ...

... middle of paper ...

...haracteristic traits by comparing that person to a certain animal. Animals frequently represent the power of the subconscious. Neither critic collected the same data from the novel. But they both portrayed the kind of character Blanche really was. Which was an lonely individual who used her imagination to shelter herself from the real world.

In the ending Blanche has a nervous breakdown after being attacked and supposedly raped by Stanley. The rape is never definitely confirmed in the play, but implied strongly. Given Stanley's animalistic behavior, it is usually assumed that the rape actually happened, even though Stella refused to believe it. Blanche is committed to a mental institution, being now totally immersed in her fantasy world and severing all ties with reality. This is where Blanche delivers her famous line about depending on the kindness of strangers.