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How far would you agree that Webster and Williams are alike in "…

- - - - A critical theory posits that Stanley is territorial due to his inability to adjust to the change in territory after the war
      - Stanley was once a soldier, and now his domain is just two rooms
      - this is why Stanley is so violent, and is said to 'stalk' in the stage directions, as he is an animal defending his space
      - 'chief ape-man Stanley Kowalski' (Clurman)
      - this setting also represents the strict gender roles that society returned to after the war, in women also
      - during the war, women had worked in factories to help the cause, and the number of women in factories rose from 27 to 37%
      - after the war, however, the gender roles returned to their former rigid structure, affecting both genders
      - the flat is a space of entrapment, just as both genders are entrapped in society's expectations
      - 'both leading roles are portrayed as victims of their own gendered languages and social norms' (Tapp)
- - - - in the very beginning, the court is introduced as corrupt
      - 'a common fountain...poison't near the head, death and diseases through the whole land spread'
      - this reflects the theory of body politic, wherein it was believed that the corruption of a leader 'spread' outwards into the 'land' gradually
      - moreover, the use of the imagery of a 'fountain' rather than a 'waterfall' or something similar is representative of the unnatural nature of the court, as it is corrupt and does not facilitate order
      - moreover, the brothers are described as 'plum trees...o'erladen with fruit'
      - the use of plums connotes the colour purple, which is linked to royalty and thus showcases the brothers' high status
      - moreover, the use of fruit imagery suggests the extent of sycophancy, as the followers of the brothers feed off of the fruit, and flatter them
      - this implies the necessity of flatterers in the court, so that the 'plum trees' do not become too heavy with the burden of fruit, rather they are fed on consistently
      - moreover, the mention of 'fruit' implies the inevitability of falling, which foreshadows the corrupt decline of the brothers
      - the corruption of the brothers reflects the fears of corruption in Jacobean society, as James I's court was corrupt and full of sycophancy
      - thus, Webster has utilised the setting of the Italian court as a means to indirectly portray the preoccupations of British society
      - 'the presence of evil and decay that drags all mankind to death' (Bogard)
  - - - at the time, there existed a hostility towards catholicism, due to its connections with corruption and hypocritical sin
      - Italy was considered the hub of Catholicism
      - by setting the play in Italy, Webster immediately hints at the corruption to follow in the tale
      - he also criticises the character of the Cardinal, as associated with Italy
      - furthermore, Webster mentions that the family are actually from Spain
      - spain was renowned for its incestuous royal Hapsburg family, who had grotesque birth defects
      - between 1500 and 1700 is is predicted that 80% of the marriages in the Hapsburg family were incestuous
      - therefore, by suggesting the family are from Spain, Webster has foreshadowed Ferdinand's own incestuous feelings
      - Ferdinand has 'a dark web of lust' (Dusinberre) around his sister