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English( Streetcar named desire) - Coggle Diagram
English( Streetcar named desire)
Quotes
SOUND
“[The Varsouviana is heard, its music rising with sinister rapidity as the bathroom door opens]” – Scene 8: The Varsouviana is representative of Blanche’s growing anxiety regarding her current position. The bus ticket spikes Blanche’s apprehension for her future in New Orleans.
SETTING:
“[Primarily a kitchen but contains a folded bed to be used by Blanche]” – Scene 2: The claustrophobia of the Kowalski apartment is symbolic of the conflict that will ensue between Stanley and Blanche.
“[Incongruous to the setting]” – Scene 1: Immediately Blanche is signposted as someone who does not fit in to the cosmopolitan society of New Orleans.
LIGHTING:
“[Lurid reflections appear on the walls around Blanche. The shadows are of a grotesque and menacing form]” – Scene 10: Lighting is used expressionistically to demonstrate the growing fear as Stanley closes in on Blanche.
PROPS & COSTUME:
“The silk pyjamas I wore on my wedding night.” – Scene 10: Stanley’s silk pyjamas are representative of his dominance within the apartment, the Dubois family and the whole play.
“[Somewhat soiled and crumpled white satin evening gown]” – Scene 9: Blanche’s costume disintegrates much like her state of mind and physical strength against Stanley.
“suggests a moth” [Blanche’s vulnerability and temporary nature; foreboding tension of Blanche’s downfall; characterisation of relationships; opportunity for conflict.]
DREAMS & AMBITION
“I don’t want realism. I want magic!” – Scene 9: Blanche dreams of an idyllic future where everything is perfect to a supernatural extent. She is unable to accept the harsh reality of the real world, especially that of New Orleans.
“I am going to pretend that we are sitting in a little artists’ café on the Left Bank of Paris” – Scene 6: Blanche aspires to relive her Southern Belle reality of having a romanticised existence which is impossible in the context of the New South.
SEXUALITY AND GENDER:
“I’ve got to be good and keep my hands off children” – Scene 5: Blanche alludes to her past misdemeanours and reveals her hidden persona as a sexual predator.
“[Spears his fork into the remaining chop which he eats with his fingers]” – Scene 8: Stanley continues to portray an animalistic and primitive version of masculinity.
THE PAST:
“Poems a dead boy wrote’” – Scene 2: Blanche is captivated by her lost relationship with Allan Grey. This moment has defined the rest of her life and ultimately her downward trajectory.
“You’ve stopped that polka tune that I had caught in my head” – Scene 6: Blanche longs for somebody to save her from her past. In this instance, Mitch appears to have eased the painful reminder of Allan.
SOCIAL CONFLICT:
“daintily dressed” vs. “carries his bowling jacket and a red stained package.” – Scene 1: Brewing conflict between Stanley and Blanche who are representative of different worlds.
"Survivor of the Stone Age… Bearing the raw meat home from the kill in the jungle!” – Scene 4: Blanche is disgusted by the primitive nature of life in New Orleans.
ILLUSION VS. REALITY:
“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” – Scene 6: the duality of Blanche’s character is revealed - an educated lady who can speak French vs. a promiscuous and sexually alluring woman.
“[He tears the paper lantern off the light-bulb. She utters a frightened gasp]” – Scene 9: Mitch sees through the allusion and exposes Blanche’s real self.
“[She pours a half tumbler of whiskey and tosses it down]” – Scene 1: secrecy regarding Blanche’s drinking.
Tragedy: conventions
The protagonist is usually courageous and of noble birth (someone who the audience would look up to) who confronts obstacles and suffers a downfall from high to low status.
-This is brought about by their *hamartia (or tragic flaw).
-Tragedies often end in death but sometimes destruction or chaos.
-Characters often experience *anagnorisis (a moment or recognition of their mistake).
-There is often a *peripeteia (a sudden reversal of fortune) usually a change from stability to destruction.
-The result of the tragedy and the downfall of the protagonist should affect the other characters.
-The play should evoke feeling of fear and pity – this acts as catharsis to purge those feelings and leave the audience with an affirmation of human values
KEY MOMENTS:
SCENE 7: BLANCHE'S BIRTHDAY
Blanche's hamartia- She begins her long awaited descent into hysteria when Stanley purchases a bus ticket for her
SCENE 9: MITCH'S ATTEMPTED RAPE OF BLANCHE
This develops the them of masculinity as mitch attempts to assert his dominance by raping blanche but is unable to
SCENE 6: BLANCHES DATE WITH MITCH
Blanches chance of happiness, to bond with someone who could care for her and support her just like her past relationship with Allan, but the stark differences between them highlight how the relationship is doomed( Mitch's clumsiness and Blanches seductive french)
SCENE 5: BLANCHE'S KISS WITH THE YOUNG MAN
Reveals the reason as to why blanche is no longer a teacher. Her past as a predator is revealed and her inability to control it
SCENE 10: STANLEY'S RAPE OF BLANCHE
In contrast to Mitch, Stanley does succeed i raping blanche. The fight between Stanley and Blanche is a culmination of their bubbling tension, with Tennessee Williams depicting the rape through expressionistic lighting
SCENE 4: BLANCHE'S RANT ABOUT STANLEY
Blanche reveals her true feelings about Stanley to Stella- "dont hang back with the brutes". The scene ends with Stanley hearing this, reiterating his control
SCENE 11: BLANCHE'S DEPARTURE
Blanche gets a dignified send off, but is committed to a mental asylum at the wishes of her sister Stella
SCENE 3: THE POKER NIGHT
Stanley's first act of outwards aggression to those around him. We see him for the brute he is
SCENE 2: STANLEY'S NAPOLEONIC CODE
Develops the idea of Old America Vs New America. Stanley fights for what he believes is his
SCENE 1: BLANCHES ARRIVAL/ BELLE REVE IS LOST
It is important as it establishes Blanches incongruity to the play. Her appearance and her behaviour is a direct contrast to the setting/world around her
Belle Reve is stability for Blanche – with it lost, her stability goes too.
KEY THEMES:
SEXUALITY
Blanches sexuality is what drives her into New Orleans as she was sacked from her job as an english teacher after sleeping with one of her students and was chased out of town for being a prostitute.
We can see blanche continuously using her sexuality despite it getting her into trouble as can be seen through her intimate exchanges with the young man (‘I want to
kiss you’ and ‘I’ve got to be good and keep my hands off children’).
Sexuality, and the dangers and desires that come with it, are integral to the play. Blanche's inability to control her sexuality, using it to gain power over men and to assert herself, which ends up being a tool used against her as seen through Stanley's rape scene which finally breaks her
Contrastingly Mitch is unable to assert himself the same way Stanley does. His sexuality is awkward as he fumbles her ‘[He
fumblingly embraces her]’. His failed attempt to rape her is a direct contrast to the brutality presented by Stanley
Sexuality is key in the relationship between Stanley and Stella as it is a form of reconciliation after their disputes, this can be seen at the end of the play where Stanley becomes to be intimate with stella after the admission of Blanche into a mental asylum‘[He kneels beside her and his fingers find the opening of her blouse]’.
Stanley is aggressive and assertive towards women, as seen through his violence and predatory behaviour as seen in his advances towards blanche before raping her‘[Stanley hesitates, licking his lips]’ and ‘[He takes a step towards her, biting his tongue
which protrudes between his lips]’
Male sexuality is a a very important aspect of the play as it is contrasted by the attitudes of women from Stanley and Mitch
THE PAST
Williams uses sound to demonstrate how Blanche is disturbed by actions of her past. The Varsouviana reminds her of the night when Allan shoots himself for being gay, which is something she blames herself for. The use of the non-diegetic intensifies as Blanche descends further into hysteria.
Blanche is constantly haunted by her past throughout the play such as:
• The suicide of Allan Grey
• The loss of Belle Reve and the destruction of her family
• Her life as a prostitute
• Her sacking as a teacher for relationships with her students
NEW AMERICA Vs. OLD AMERICA
It is clear that the new ways of America win the battle through Stella's committal of her own sister into a mental asylum instead of believing the rape accusations against Stanley. But Stella came from the same old ways as Blanche, and it shows the switch to new attitudes much earlier in the play, when she expresses her content with Stanley's acts of violence(‘I was sort of thrilled by it’ - Scene 4) demonstrating she has begun to side with the principles and behaviours of new America, rather than the sophisticated, but perhaps outdated, older views.
Blanche '[is daintily dressed]' while Stanley '[carries his bowling jacket and a red-stained package]'. Williams use of costume determines Blanche's traditionalism in comparison to the rugged nature of the new ways asserted by Stanley.
Old America vs New America is played out in this play through the traditionalist Blanche and the brutally modern Stanley. Their battlefield is Stella representative of of the country itself and the two ideologies fight for control. The fight then ends in violence with Stanley raping of Blanche being the pivotal moment of the play where the new, cruel ways of the New America consume and overtake the old, gentler ways
REALITY VS ILLUSION:
Blanches use of the paper lantern exacerbates her desperation to create illusions rather than adhere to reality. She uses the paper lantern to hide from the light(‘I can’t stand a naked light-bulb’ – Scene 3). The paper lantern was put on the light by blanche as she attempts to shelter herself from reality and but is then torn off violently by Mitch in scene 9([He tears the paper lantern off the light-bulb. She utters a frightened gasp]’), as he attempts to establish the truth about her
Blanche's use of french with Mitch ("‘Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?’) casting the illusion that she is a sophisticated woman but the the phrase translates to ‘do you want to sleep with me tonight’, which in turn reveals her predatory self
Blanche constantly tells lies, such as the amount of alcohol that she consumes, "[She pours a half tumbler of whiskey and tosses it down]"- Scene 1), in order to present herself in a way that she wants others to see but her lies eventually catch up with her when Stanley reveals her past
The illusions that blanche creates for herself don't allow those around her to find out her true self/identity