A Streetcar Named 'Desire'
" "A Streetcar Named 'Desire'" is one of the most recognised plays in
theatrical cinema, lately. I saw it very recently, when the production
was held in the prestigious "National Theatre," Central London. There
is also the 'classic hit' movie which is based upon the play. It was
first written and produced in 1951 and has the same title. During that
period, people were not allowed to mention anything involving sexual
or racist discrimination, and as this was one of the major laws, some
scenes in the movie were adapted, deliberately.
The first item on the stage, which abruptly caught my attention, was
that it revolved. I was getting excited as I had never seen one of
these before, but when the show commenced, it came to my realisation
that the four to five different stage settings had a similar
atmosphere to each other. It was the kind of surrounding you would
find in a loud, disruptive, filthy and rough town. It seemed as if the
neighbourhood wasn't quiet and peaceful, because people were sitting
on benches, talking freely on the spiral staircase and their
lifestyles appeared happy enough in Elysian Fields, a small (possibly
fictional) town in the state of New Orleans, U.S.A. Coming to think of
it, it reminds me that the fake American accent was exaggerated and
easy to recognise - it was imitated very poorly!
The first scene began with a famous Hollywood actress - Glenn Close -
who plays the leading role of "Blanche Du Bois". She was a young woman
who had run-away from her home, "Belle Reve" in Laurel (Mississippi),
because her past had degraded her badly in the local community.
Blanche decides to visit her younger sister, "Stella Kowalski", (Essie
Davis) who lives with her husband, "Stanley Kowalski" (Iain Glen).
However, Blanche does not personally know Stanley, but when she does,
things begin to go haywire in the ground floor apartment. THIS is
where the conflict starts, the reason being that Blanche's history
involves prostitution. It has a major link to Stella and Stanley's
relationship, and the key theme of sexuality is successfully
transmitted in "Streetcar", just as the respected playwright,
Tennessee Williams - born on March 26th 1911 - intended to do so.
In this play, I thought that the number of characters was restricted,
so the audience tended to focus on each actor's personality and
behaviour (within their role) more than they would normally. The
audience generally consisted of middle-aged and above adults, although
there was a minority of youngsters, too.
Stella Kowalski is a man who is out of control with his wife and his
Isn't it true the relationship between Stella and Stanley is praiseworthy, since it combines sexual attraction with compassion for the purpose of procreation? Isn't it true that as opposed to Stanley's normalcy in marriage, Blanche's dalliance in sexual perversion and overt efforts to break up Stanley and Stella's marriage is reprehensible? Isn't it true that Stella's faulty socialization resulting in signs of hysteria throughout the play meant that she probably would have ended her life in a mental hospital no matter whether the rape had occurred or not?
Adversity can cause an individual to overcome their challenges and strengthen their identity, however, it can also have the opposite negative effect. Adversity can trigger an individual to lose their identity in their attempt to escape from their problems. In the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, Blanche DuBois is unable to face adversity, which leads her to lose her individual identity during her attempt to escape reality. Blanche had experienced numerous hardships such as the deaths of many family members and the loss of her young husband, Allan. Instead of overcoming these challenges and becoming stronger, Blanche tried to run away from them.
The arts stir emotion in audiences. Whether it is hate or humor, compassion or confusion, passion or pity, an artist's goal is to construct a particular feeling in an individual. Tennessee Williams is no different. In A Streetcar Named Desire, the audience is confronted with a blend of many unique emotions, perhaps the strongest being sympathy. Blanch Dubois is presented as the sympathetic character in Tennessee William's A Streetcar Named Desire as she battles mental anguish, depression, failure and disaster.
When discussing the notion that “Love can often lead to the creation of an ‘Outsider’." there are cases in our literary examples that would agree with the statement, and some that would not. Outsiders in Much Ado About Nothing, Pride and Prejudice and A Streetcar Named Desire are created by both love and other themes, whether it be class, power, disinterest or a scandal.
Authors Kate Chopin and Tennessee Williams were both writers who both relied on symbolism within their novels. The purpose of symbolism within the literary world is to represent or depict something by using analogies, objects, or even animals in order to give a deeper or different meaning of what is trying to be described. As described in Literary Devices, symbolism gives writers the opportunity to evoke interests in their readers in order to ‘draw’ them into the story.
she was told "to take a streetcar named Desire, and then to transfer to one
2. What causes Mitch and Blanche to take a "certain interest" in one another? That is, what is the source of their immediate attraction? What seems to draw them together? What signs are already present to suggest that their relationship is doomed/problematic?
presents moral ambiguity and contradiction between natures. The main protagonist, Blanche DuBois, a former school teacher from a wealthy family, is used by williams as a symbolic figure, a warning of death to his audience. Her constant struggle to desperately satisfy her retreat from reality and her overblown desires allow Williams to portray the message that unchecked desires lead to death.
The portrayal of Stanley Kowalski plays a major role in the success of the play. Williams forms Stanley into an extremely masculine character who will always have his way or no way at all and makes his opinions very clear to those around him. This profound masculinity places Stanley in direct opposition to Blanche DuBois. "The high-minded yet oddly fragile Blanche takes an immediate dislike to the loutish, working-class Stanley, while Stanley immediately recognizes Blanche for what she has become: a woman who finds consolation in indiscriminate sex and alcohol." (Authors & Artists, 165). This clashing forms the conflict which eventually roots itself deeply into the plot of the play. Stanley represents the symbol of the New South. Stanley's aggressiveness leads to his ease in taking total control over a situation. This characteristic also allows Stanley to completely secure the respect of all the men who associate with him, however, his aggression also shines a light upon a very destructive side of his character. In many ways, Stanley's brutality leads to the major conflict between Blanche and himself. "And look at yourself! Take a look at that worn out Mardi Gras outfit, rented for fifty cents from some rag picker! And with that crazy crown on! What queen do you think you are?" (Williams, 127). Stanley becomes very blunt in his contempt and aggression towards Blanche. Another view into the excessive aggression of Stanley appears in the third scene. In this scene, Williams provides a look at a very negative side of Stanley. Stanley physically assaults his wife, Stella, after she returns to the house during his poker game. "How anyone could find Stella Kowalski's comatose endurance of Stanley healthy or whole-hearted is, indeed, a subject for wonder." (Drama Criticism, 401). Stanley also shows his vi...
“All the characters in “A Streetcar Named Desire” are to some extent living an unreal existence”. Agree or disagree with this statement about the characters and be sure to use quotes to support your comments.
Scene One of A Streetcar Named Desire What is the dramatic significance of scene one of the play A Streetcar named Desire? Scene 1 of this play has great dramatic significance. In this essay, I will be looking at key points throughout the scene that reveal the key features of the plot, characters, theme and imagery plus how it is used to give the audience a taster for what is to come.
Males tend to have love-Hate relationship in Tennessee Williams’ and William Shakespeare’s plays. Stanley from A Street Car Named Desire was a gruff, hardworking blue collar man, who has been living the married life for a decent amount of time to his wife Stella. Othello on the other hand was a man that was a highly ranked in the military, and seen as a highly respected man; Until Othello smothered his newly married wife Desdemona to death. Both of these men may have been from different time periods but they are the same when it comes to their attitudes towards leadership, treatment of women, and their way to confirm assumptions. In Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire and William Shakespeare’s famous Tragedy Othello, Stanley and Othello sensitivity to their racial stereotypes encourage their strong leadership qualities to disprove the preconceived notions people have about their ethnicity. Both males take out their frustrations about how they are treated on their so called beloved wives. Lastly their low self-worth causes them to doubt their own intuition and rely on confidants to confirm their assumptions.
One common point which is similar in both movie and the drama text is that it in a way sympathizes with females who are powerless by highlighting how they are dependent on men. Blanche who is shown more as an insecure female in her 30’s hides her frustration, and anger by masking herself as a women belonging to rich-upper class section of society. Similarly in Stella despite of being abused by her husband she continues to rely on him because of no other support in her life.
Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the most popular plays in American history. The play contains this theme of Old South versus New South where old southern ideals and way of life clashes against newly formed ideals of the late 19th and early 20th century. The distinctions between the Old South’s emphasis on tradition, social class, and segregation versus the New South’s emphasis on hard work can be seen throughout the play. It is manifested in the main characters of the play. Blanche DuBois’s civilized and polished nature makes her a symbol of the Old South while Stanley Kowalski’s brutish, direct, and defying nature represents the New South. Tennessee Williams uses the characters of his play to present a picture of the social, gender role, and behavior distinctions that existed between the Old South versus the New South. Furthermore, the two settings provided in the play, Belle Reve and Elysian Fields can also be seen as different representations of the Old versus the New with the way both places are fundamentally different.
From the beginning, the three main characters of Streetcar are in a state of tension.