I’m looking for my sister, Stella DuBois. I mean—Mrs. Stanley Kowalski

They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at—Elysian Fields.

She showed me a picture of your home-place, the plantation. A great big place with white columns

But you are the one that abandoned Belle Reve, not I! I stayed and fought for it, bled for it, almost died for it!

Why the Grim Reaper had put up his tent on our doorstep! . . . Stella. Belle Reve was his headquarters! Honey—that’s how it slipped through my fingers!

She’s soaking in a hot tub to quiet her nerves. She’s terribly upset.

I’m willing to bet you there’s thousands of dollars invested in this stuff here!

Poems a dead boy wrote. I hurt him the way you would like to hurt me, but you can’t! I’m not young and vulnerable anymore. But my young husband was and I—never mind about that! Just give them back to me!

I’m sorry, I must have lost my head for a moment. Everyone has something he won’t let others touch because of their—intimate nature...

I'm not accustomed to having more than one drink. Two is the limit—and three! [She laughs] Tonight I had three.

Poker shouldn’t be played in a house with women.

Then they come together with low, animal moans.

They stare at each other. Then they come together with low, animal moans. He falls to his knees on the steps and presses his face to her belly, curving a little with maternity. Her eyes go blind with tenderness as she catches his head and raises him to the level of her.

Why! I’ve been half crazy, Stella! When I found out you’d been insane enough to come back in here after what happened—I started to rush in after you!

What you are talking about is brute desire—just—Desire!—the name of that rattle-trap street-car that bangs through the Quarter, up one old narrow street and down another . . .

A man like that is someone to go out with—once—twice—three times when the devil is in you. But live with? Have a child by?

It isn’t enough to be soft. You’ve got to be soft and attractive. And I—I’m fading now! I don’t know how much longer I can turn the trick.

Now run along, now, quickly! It would be nice to keep you, but I’ve got to be good—and keep my hands off children.

Don’t you just love these long rainy afternoons in New Orleans when an hour isn’t just an hour—but a whole little piece of eternity dropped into your hands—and who knows what to do with it?

He stalks through the rooms in his underwear at night. And I have to ask him to close the bathroom door. That sort of commonness isn’t necessary.

When I was sixteen, I made the discovery—love. All at once and much, much too completely. It was like you suddenly turned on a blinding light on something that had always been half in shadow, that’s how it struck the world for me.

Lately you been doing all you can think of to rub her the wrong way, Stanley, and Blanche is sensitive and you’ve got to realize that Blanche and I grew up under very different circumstances than you did.

I think Blanche didn’t just love him but worshipped the ground he walked on! Adored him and though him almost too fine to be human! But then she found out . . . This beautiful and talented young man was a degenerate.

Yes, I do, so refreshed. [She tinkles her highball glass.] A hot bath and a long, cold drink always give me a new outlook on life!

It’s the first time in my entire experience with men, and I’ve had a good deal of all sorts, that I’ve actually been stood up by anybody!

I hope you’re pleased with your doings. I never had so much trouble swallowing food in my life, looking at that girl’s face and the empty chair!

Of course you don’t know what anxiety feels like!

My my, what a cold shoulder! And such uncouth apparel! Why, you haven’t even shaved! The unforgiveable insult to a lady! But I forgive you.

After the death of Allan, intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart with . . . I think it was panic, just panic, that drove me from one to another, hunting for some protection . . .

You’re not clean enough to bring in the house with my mother.

Yep. Just you and me, Blanche. Unless you got somebody hid under the bed. What’ve you got on those fine feathers for?

Physical beauty is passing. A transitory possession. But beauty of the mind and richness of the spirit and tenderness of the heart—and I have all those things—aren’t taken away, but grow! Increase with the years!

There isn’t a goddam thing but imagination! And lies and conceit and tricks!

I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley.

Blanche: Why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong with me? Eunice: You look wonderful, Blanche. Don’t she look wonderful?

And I’ll be buried at sea sewn up in a clean white sack and dropped overboard—at noon—in the blaze of summer—and into an ocean as blue as my first lover’s eyes!

former schoolteacher who is emotionally fragile and mentally unstable

haunted by her past, including the loss of her family's wealth and the death of her husband

illusions and fantasies to escape from harsh realities, creating a facade to maintain a sense of dignity

descent into madness is marked by her inability to confront the truth and her reliance on the kindness of strangers

working-class man with a primal and aggressive nature

represents the changing social order, contrasting with Blanche's old-world refinement

Stanley's masculinity is a dominant force, and he often clashes with Blanche as they come from different social backgrounds

His relationship with Stella is passionate but tumultuous, marked by moments of violence and control

married Stanley and lives in the working-class environment of New Orleans

torn between her loyalty to her sister and her love for Stanley

symbolizes the conflict between desire and responsibility, as she tries to maintain a balance between her family and her husband

Stanley's friend and becomes a potential love interest for Blanche

kind and gentle, contrasting with the roughness of the other male characters

highlights the theme of loneliness and the search for companionship, but his ultimate decision reflects the societal expectations of the time

neighbor of Stella and Stanley, and she lives in the same building where the Kowalskis reside

serves as a supporting character who provides insight into the daily lives of the working-class residents of New Orleans

portrayed as a caring and compassionate friend to Stella, offering support and advice, especially during moments of tension between Stella and Stanley

Her character adds depth to the setting and contributes to the overall atmosphere of the play by representing the community surrounding the main characters

character from Blanche's past, and his suicide becomes a significant part of her backstory

Blanche's young husband, who killed himself after she discovered his homosexuality and confronted him

death has a lasting impact on Blanche, contributing to her mental instability and feelings of guilt

Although Allan does not appear as a living character in the play, his memory is a crucial element in understanding Blanche's emotional state and her struggles with truth and illusion

Tennesse Williams was born in Mississippi, 1919

his father was a drunk, working-class salesman, was negligent of his parental duties and often missing from his children's lives

his mother was a southern belle, who was highly educated and a music teacher and resented Williams' father for his drinking and philandering ways

his sister suffered a mental breakdown and was committed to a mental institute

cheap labour based on race was still prevalent

after the great depression, New Orleans emerged as a place of great diversity: a melting pot of culture

the influx was spured by the industrial economy and caused the emergance of the 'working class'

the rise of the 'American Dream' and people who felt they could move up society with hard work and perseverance threatened the existence of the families like the DuBois

a national spotlight was shone on working-class man and people felt they were bearers of the American hardworking spirit

'I have one major theme for my work, which is the destructive power of society on the sensitive, non-conformist individual'

post war American heroism championed masculinity, embraced family-centered values, playing women in more domestic roles

during the war, the number of women in the workforce rose from 27% to 37%

Williams establishes conventional gender roles yet twists masculine and feminine sterotypes

societal gender norms negatively impact all the characters leading them to either death, mental or moral destruction

Blanche is a stranger in New Orleans as she brings her traditional values to a place that is distinguished for its warm and welcoming attitude towards the new American dream of equality

Williams use of 'negro' and 'mexican' women shows an otherness about them since their identity is solely their race

Blanche shows the 'not-quite-white' racist attitude

the idea that 'a wife must submit to her husband' is a biblical principle as well

Blanche's mortality is questioned due to the social standards she is put up against, because she is a woman she is ostracised and shamed for her sexual endevours

the play can be seen as a critique of conventional notions of morality