First performed in 1947, but less than 100 years after the American civil war.
North/South division. Williams' always sets plays in the South.
Also before SELMA, MLK & 'Civil Rights'
South (especially New Orleans) is like another country to Americans.
Important part of the localisation of the culture of Streetcar
Removed from 'Normal' America, American Literature and Traditions.
Establishing a 'new' America.
A tragedy. But the main character doesn't die.
Many layers.
Play transcends its 'cliché' interpretations.
Based around a 'disintegrating' concept of the old families of the South.
Tragedy of love & sex.
Culminates in an act of sexual violence.
Not seen as particularly sexual at it's time.
Tragedy of gender, roles and power & influence. Want and desire.
Original title: The Poker Game.
Poker in the play: a male, tribal, activity.
Exclusiveness to the masculinity in the play, and to how Blanche handles her femininity.
Audience expected to feel sympathy for Blanche.
Blanche's 'kindness of strangers' is the key quote of the play.
Catharsis - release of emotions of fear & pity
Williams wants to move drama on from its previous form.
Anti-tragedy
Catharsis - release of emotions of fear & pity
Williams wants to move drama on from its previous form.
Anti-tragedy
2) Scene 1
Noticeable for the long stage directions. Important.
Gives clues as to the main themes of the play in the names.
Elysian Fields, Stella for Star, Blanche for White, Streetcar named desire.
Play moves from May - September. Play moves through a summer. Palpable heat.
Heat is key concept.
Many scenes take place in evening.
Music, sound, presence of other people.
Whole society encapsulated. Music, People upstairs, people in the street.
Communicating to all of the audience's senses.
First characters we see are not important.
White & Coloured, New Orleans more racially integrated than the rest of America.
NO French territory bought by America.
Traditional music of NO is Jazz.
Music serves as emotional undercurrent.
Getting a glimpse into a family home here in New Orleans.
Begins with 'overhearing' a conversation between two side-characters.
Setting up a scene before the main characters enter.
A play for atmosphere.
All at once: Stanley, Mitch & Stella. Established in concept of money relationship.
A scene of movement.
Movement & Stasis, key aspects.
Blanche is quiet and static by comparison.
Blanche - incongruous.
She doesn't know this society.
Moth and Flame.
Light v Darkness.
First lines key.
Colossal irony.
Journey of desire takes us past cemeteries and Elysian fields.
Set up to accommodate a stranger.
Constantly jars against the society, preventing her from assimilating.
Ownership & loss another layer.
Contrast between social life of the New Orleans people, against the lonely nature of Blanche.
Blanche is a character without a future, but with much of a past.
Contrasting French past society vs Multicultural.
Blanche scared of the noises around this society.
Pretends not to drink, yet that is completely untrue.
Audience knows through dramatic irony that she is an alcoholic.
'onstage people are sympathetic to alcoholics'
Relationship between B & STE well established.
'Long progress to the graveyard'.
Long Parade
in TW funerals are a 'prettification' of death
Blanche determined to find beauty wherever she can, even in death,
Stanley the 'new man of new America'.
'a stud'.
Alpha male, cock of the walk
Polish
Gender & Identity.
gaudy seed-bearer
American society that believes in capitalism and multiculturalism.
'Archaic America is no more'.
Stanley Kowalski is the future, like it or not.
Power & Vulnerability established when B and STA meet.
Sex on Stage.
Tragedy encapsulated in the final scene.
3) - Scene 2
Pickup of speed.
Documentation/paperwork.
dead hand of the past catching up with the future
Past = Papers
Future = Stella's baby.
Society that has stopped/been sold of vs a society that, even without money is moving on.
Blanche is a sexual character, but will not have children.
Not childless in a tragic way, but in an 'end of the line' way.
No future to offer a child.
'Epic Fornications' run in the family.
Blanche is the product of her family & history.
Whole play an analogy for a developing America.
Invited to see Stella in a very positive light.
Will stick with her choices, and try to be as loyal as she can to Blanche, but will stick with Stanley.
Blanche becomes a lost cause to the audience/reader.
Alive but dead.
How 'dead' is she?
Doesn't die, but latches on to the doctor & nurse.
Napoleonic code.
Old, French background still in use in the advancing America.
Blanche owns nothing. Hence why her body is so important to her.
She is fading.
'I was flirting with your husband'.
Flirts because it's the only thing she knows to do.
Thinks its what men 'want'.
Blanche is irresponsible.
Tries to make up for it by being 'pretty' and 'flirtatious'
Williams wants us to sympathize for B and not judge her a total failure.
Tragic nobility redeems her, despite everything falling apart.
4) - Scene 3
Poker Game
The possible title.
Masculinity. Violent, strong.
Steve's Joke is important.
inclusion of the word nigger is important.
Williams uses it to show the male joking.
The word would be used without thinking.
The joke is about priorities - sex over food, money etc
Mitch 'emerges' from the poker game.
B and M's first encounter is about physical needs.
gallantry - old fashioned
Echoes 'gone with the wind' Vivian Leigh, main female character in both.
America growing up.
Poker game 'explodes into violence'.
Clash of masculine values.
STA & STE a whole new 'language' of relationships to Blanche.
Un-relatable to her.
5) - Scene 4
Scene runs on directly.
The following morning
'Choral chant'.
Like in Greek tragedy.
'Life goes on'
Blanche survives, despite her shortcomings.
Nature of the tragedy?
- that she survives?
- that she will keep going?
- anybody else's tragedy?
Some critics see it as a tragedy of 'unfulfilled desires' symbolised by Mitch.
key word in scene 4 - desire
contrast between what the mind and emotions do.
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