A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE ANALYSIS
FORM OF THE PLAY
STREETCAR AS A TRAGEDY
Each of the play’s eleven scenes represents a step in Blanche’s progression from arrival to expulsion
The protagonist (Blanche) suffers an unfortunate fate and is fundamentally destroyed and lost at the play’s end
Streetcar also qualifies as a tragic drama by adhering to the three units of time, place, and action adapted from the Aristotelian rules
for classic Greek tragedy. The story unfolds over a set time period (of roughly six months); it occurs within a single setting (within and
around the Kowalski apartment); and it adheres to a single plot (the escalating conflict between Stanley Kowalski and Blanche Dubois
Deceptive, dishonest, fraudulent, permanently flawed, unable to face reality, Blanche is for all that thoroughly capable of commanding
audience compassion, for her struggle and the crushing defeat she endures have the magnitude of tragedy
The inevitability of her doom, her refusal to back down in the face of it, and the essential humanity of the forces that drive her to it are
the very heart of tragedy
Williams could be seen as subverting the form of tragedy by not giving Banche any ‘anagnorisis’
Nietzsche
Apollo was the sun-God, the god of ordered form and intellect. The Apollonian is restrained, contained and reasoned, with harmony.
Apollo represents harmony, progress, clarity, and logic
The Apollonia character would overcome the problems of being human by exploring art and other intelligent fields. Apollonian
represents the victory of reason, order, and restraint
- The problem is that Apollo came to be seen as a flight from life into a realm of ideal and therefore of illusion
Dionysius was the Greek god of chaos, fruitfulness, and ecstasy. The Dionysian urge is creative, chaotic, dynamic, and frenzied, even
resulting in savage behaviour. Dionysius represents intoxication, sexuality, and ecstasy.
The Dionysian character would overcome the problems of being human by exploring the lusts of the body. Dionysius represents the
liberations of instinct and dissolution of boundaries
Nietzsche saw the origin of tragedy as the union of these two fundamental impulses: the Apollonian and the Dionysian
The aim of Nietzsche’s dialectic is to keep the interplay between these two fundamental modes of life and knowledge in balance. It is
then that the powerful Dionysian chaos is ordered by Apollonian qualities, but the lifeless otherworldly qualities of Apollo are grounded
by the Dionysian vigour of life
- Only the interplay of these two forces can produce fulfilment
The tragic hero of the drama struggles to make order (in the Apollonian sense) of their unjust and chaotic (Dionysian) fate
STREETCAR AS A MELODRAMA
Because streetcar contains exaggerated emotions, explosive events, and theatrical effects, some critics classify it as a melodrama (more
specifically, a sub-genre called Southern Gothic)
Developed in the 1920s and typically written by native southerners, works in the Southern Gothic genre take place in the contemporary
American south, which remains permeated by the legacy of the civil war
An atmosphere of decay, impoverished settings, grotesque characters, and violent or lurid events characterise southern gothic
literature.
Instances of violence, insanity, and sex often figured prominently in the action, and all these elements are readily apparent in streetcar
The characters and plot are exaggerated in order to extend emotions
The tragic end were good does not triumph over evil subverts that of typical melodramatic plays
SOUTHERN GOTHIC
One quality regarded as characteristic of the Southern writers was their rich imagination, often bordering on the bizarre and the
grotesque - the southern Gothic was the phrase used to describe it
- Its inspiration lay perhaps in an awareness of belonging to a dying culture, dashing, romantic, but at the same time living on
an economy based on deep injustice and cruelty
- The contradiction inherent in the cultural climate favoured the individualistic, the eccentric, and the outcast
Common themes of Southern Gothic include storytelling of deeply flawed, disturbing, or eccentric characters who may be involved in
decayed or derelict settings, grotesque situations, and other sinister events relating to or stemming from poverty, alienation, crime,
or violence
,Characteristics include exploring madness, decay and despair, continuing pressures of the past upon the present (particularly with the
lost ideals of a dispossessed southern aristocracy and continued racial hostilities)
ALLUSIONS TO GREEK MYTHOLOGY
According to Greek mythology, Dionysus is the God of music, of primitive animalistic joys, of irrationality, destruction, and
regeneration. He possesses a double nature of good and bad, of love and hate, of joy and sadness
Apollo, who is in direct opposition to Dionysus, stands for objectivity, moderation, form, and decorum. He is the advocate of beauty,
knowledge, and the arts. He is the god of life and truth, of self-knowledge and restraint, the advocate of culture and civilization, of law
and order
Dionysus to Williams becomes the symbol of modern man. Haunted by an ordered Victorian culture and threatened by a feeling of
impermanence effected by the decay of Southern social order and technological advances, modern man rebels and defiantly fights to
create a new and meaningful life, refusing extinction
In A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams, therefore, makes use of mythology to portray life, as expressed by his main
characters: Stanley Kowalski and Blanche DuBois. Their opposite and conflicting characteristics and attitudes towards life respectively
reflect those of the two mythological deities, Dionysus and Apollo. Through them, Williams emphasizes the necessity of an Apollonian
facing, as well as the Dionysian instinctive
As the mythological setting of the dramatic action, Elysian Fields is symbolically the place of future happiness and delight. It is the place
where Stanley and Stella Kowalski enjoy a simple, modest, and happy life with each other and with their neighbours, and where lyric
and sensual music is heard from the "blue piano," conveying the Dionysian "spirit of life that goes on here"
It is here that Stanley Kowalski, the Dionysian image of animalistic vitality, fights for his happiness and survival against the Apollonian
intruder, Blanche, Stella's sister, who tries to impose upon them her concepts of culture and civilization.
Blanche, on the other hand, is the Apollonian representative, a remnant of Southern gentility, whose hometown "Laurel" alludes to
Apollo, the laurel being Apollo's sacred tree whose leaves were used to crown his victors, distinguished in poetry and arts. Her family
residence, Belle Reve, is also an allusion to Apollonian beautiful appearances and dreams. Furthermore, Blanche being a teacher
establishes her as the Apollonian representative of culture and arts.
Once Blanche appears on stage dressed in such a way that distinguishes her from the inhabitants of Elysian Fields, we, as an audience,
realize firstly her estrangement from the scene, and secondly the duality of the image: we see Blanche, the representative of the
Apollonian spirit, alienated from Stanley's Dionysian world
Williams dramatically, exposes with subtle ambiguity his characters' double nature beneath the masks they assume. Williams suggests
that both Apollonian and Dionysian forces exist within each character, either in harmonious balance (Stanley and Stella), or in conflict
and unbalance (Blanche), causing internal struggle within the individual.
For example, Blanche's name, which means "white woods," ambiguously implies two antithetical forces: the paleness of the Apollonian
mask opposed to the vitality of Dionysian woods.
Theatrically, Blanche's secret search in the opening scene for the liquor illustrates not only her need to seek refuge in the pretences of
an Apollonian artificial world, but also hints at her Dionysian urges which she cannot openly admit. Furthermore, her internal struggle
between these two antithetical impulses is highlighted by her self-caution not to drink too much because "I've got to keep hold of
myself"
Theatrically, Stanley's undressing in front of Blanche stresses his Dionysian freedom from inhibitions, contrasted with Blanche's
Apollonian consciousness of external appearances.
Stanley's entrance before Blanche can bathe or powder her face is a theatre business that suggests his penetrating insight into her
conflicting nature, an insight that further illustrated in his inquiry about her husband that causes Blanche to become sick
To begin with, in Scene Two, he resents and assaults the contents of Blanche’s trunk, which encodes on stage the idealized way of life
to which Blanche desperately clings. Therefore, the stage business of this trunk is an aspect of the play's dramatic strategy to highlight
Stanley's unfriendly attitude towards Blanche’s lifestyle, and which anticipates his ultimate, severe transgression against her in the
rape scene.
In the dramatic scene that takes place just before Stella's baby is born, Stanley's rape of Blanche marks the annihilation of her Beautiful
Dream, and the consumption of her Apollonian dreams and illusions
, STRUCTURE OF THE PLAY
The play consists of eleven consecutive scenes, rather than following the use of acts to divide the action as would have been
conventional at the time
- This episodic structure helps to heighten the dramatic tension.
The gradual revelation of Blanche’s disreputable past intensifies the drama of the play which climaxes with Blanche’s physical and
mental defeat at the hands of Stanley which is established at the end of the play
CYCLICAL NARRATIVE
Play both begins and ends with a poker scene, in which both of these times Stella is hurt by Stanley
- In the first instance (scene three), Stanely charges at Stella
- In the second instance (scene eleven), Blanche is institutionalised (with there being an insinuation that Stanley drove this
decision) and Stella is left distraught
The pattern of Stella being hurt and Stanely being the perpetrator, as well as the scene being placed amongst a poker game gives the
impression that Stella will follow the same path as Blanche to complete mental breakdown
- Stella will become the next victim of Stanley’s attacks and abuse
In both of these scenes, there is also sexual imagery amidst Stella’s abuse
- In scene eleven, we don’t see this sexual interaction end, we are only given a glimpse of the beginning
There is a suggestion that Stanley’s continuous use of Stella for sexual pleasure without consideration for her feelings will continue
well after the play has ended
THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE PLAY
Beginning
The fact that Blanche is described as being ‘incongruous’ to Elysian fields suggests that she will never reach a place of happiness and
delight – there is a suggestion that she will be constantly haunted by the memory of Allan and that any chance of joy has been
completely destroyed by the extreme mental disintegration that she has experienced
- Even in death she will not reach ‘Elysian fields’
She cannot understand why Stella wants to live in ‘Elysian Fields’
- There is a suggestion that she will never understand what it is to live in a place of happiness or delight
- There is a suggestion that she will never reach the final resting place – she will never be at peace with herself
End - Warped version of a restoration of order
We see an ending in which order is restored in the eyes of Stanley
- His desire has been achieved for the expulsion of Blanche and the gaining back of his wife’s full focus
One could argue that as Blanche leaves, all other characters take on some of her delusion
- Stella adopts the delusion that her husband is trustworthy
- Mitch adopts the delusion that Stanley is the only one responsible for Blanche’s undoing, eschewing any moral responsibility
- Stanley adopts the delusion that he is not morally wrong. He is delusional in the sense that he believes Blanche complied
with his sexual acts and that she was deserving of the punishments he inflicted
- Eunice says ‘No matter what happens, we’ve all got to keep going’, thus preaching the virtues of self-deception
Thus, it could be said that the idea of a restoration of order is false, given that it is completely grounded on a myriad of delusions
FORM OF THE PLAY
STREETCAR AS A TRAGEDY
Each of the play’s eleven scenes represents a step in Blanche’s progression from arrival to expulsion
The protagonist (Blanche) suffers an unfortunate fate and is fundamentally destroyed and lost at the play’s end
Streetcar also qualifies as a tragic drama by adhering to the three units of time, place, and action adapted from the Aristotelian rules
for classic Greek tragedy. The story unfolds over a set time period (of roughly six months); it occurs within a single setting (within and
around the Kowalski apartment); and it adheres to a single plot (the escalating conflict between Stanley Kowalski and Blanche Dubois
Deceptive, dishonest, fraudulent, permanently flawed, unable to face reality, Blanche is for all that thoroughly capable of commanding
audience compassion, for her struggle and the crushing defeat she endures have the magnitude of tragedy
The inevitability of her doom, her refusal to back down in the face of it, and the essential humanity of the forces that drive her to it are
the very heart of tragedy
Williams could be seen as subverting the form of tragedy by not giving Banche any ‘anagnorisis’
Nietzsche
Apollo was the sun-God, the god of ordered form and intellect. The Apollonian is restrained, contained and reasoned, with harmony.
Apollo represents harmony, progress, clarity, and logic
The Apollonia character would overcome the problems of being human by exploring art and other intelligent fields. Apollonian
represents the victory of reason, order, and restraint
- The problem is that Apollo came to be seen as a flight from life into a realm of ideal and therefore of illusion
Dionysius was the Greek god of chaos, fruitfulness, and ecstasy. The Dionysian urge is creative, chaotic, dynamic, and frenzied, even
resulting in savage behaviour. Dionysius represents intoxication, sexuality, and ecstasy.
The Dionysian character would overcome the problems of being human by exploring the lusts of the body. Dionysius represents the
liberations of instinct and dissolution of boundaries
Nietzsche saw the origin of tragedy as the union of these two fundamental impulses: the Apollonian and the Dionysian
The aim of Nietzsche’s dialectic is to keep the interplay between these two fundamental modes of life and knowledge in balance. It is
then that the powerful Dionysian chaos is ordered by Apollonian qualities, but the lifeless otherworldly qualities of Apollo are grounded
by the Dionysian vigour of life
- Only the interplay of these two forces can produce fulfilment
The tragic hero of the drama struggles to make order (in the Apollonian sense) of their unjust and chaotic (Dionysian) fate
STREETCAR AS A MELODRAMA
Because streetcar contains exaggerated emotions, explosive events, and theatrical effects, some critics classify it as a melodrama (more
specifically, a sub-genre called Southern Gothic)
Developed in the 1920s and typically written by native southerners, works in the Southern Gothic genre take place in the contemporary
American south, which remains permeated by the legacy of the civil war
An atmosphere of decay, impoverished settings, grotesque characters, and violent or lurid events characterise southern gothic
literature.
Instances of violence, insanity, and sex often figured prominently in the action, and all these elements are readily apparent in streetcar
The characters and plot are exaggerated in order to extend emotions
The tragic end were good does not triumph over evil subverts that of typical melodramatic plays
SOUTHERN GOTHIC
One quality regarded as characteristic of the Southern writers was their rich imagination, often bordering on the bizarre and the
grotesque - the southern Gothic was the phrase used to describe it
- Its inspiration lay perhaps in an awareness of belonging to a dying culture, dashing, romantic, but at the same time living on
an economy based on deep injustice and cruelty
- The contradiction inherent in the cultural climate favoured the individualistic, the eccentric, and the outcast
Common themes of Southern Gothic include storytelling of deeply flawed, disturbing, or eccentric characters who may be involved in
decayed or derelict settings, grotesque situations, and other sinister events relating to or stemming from poverty, alienation, crime,
or violence
,Characteristics include exploring madness, decay and despair, continuing pressures of the past upon the present (particularly with the
lost ideals of a dispossessed southern aristocracy and continued racial hostilities)
ALLUSIONS TO GREEK MYTHOLOGY
According to Greek mythology, Dionysus is the God of music, of primitive animalistic joys, of irrationality, destruction, and
regeneration. He possesses a double nature of good and bad, of love and hate, of joy and sadness
Apollo, who is in direct opposition to Dionysus, stands for objectivity, moderation, form, and decorum. He is the advocate of beauty,
knowledge, and the arts. He is the god of life and truth, of self-knowledge and restraint, the advocate of culture and civilization, of law
and order
Dionysus to Williams becomes the symbol of modern man. Haunted by an ordered Victorian culture and threatened by a feeling of
impermanence effected by the decay of Southern social order and technological advances, modern man rebels and defiantly fights to
create a new and meaningful life, refusing extinction
In A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams, therefore, makes use of mythology to portray life, as expressed by his main
characters: Stanley Kowalski and Blanche DuBois. Their opposite and conflicting characteristics and attitudes towards life respectively
reflect those of the two mythological deities, Dionysus and Apollo. Through them, Williams emphasizes the necessity of an Apollonian
facing, as well as the Dionysian instinctive
As the mythological setting of the dramatic action, Elysian Fields is symbolically the place of future happiness and delight. It is the place
where Stanley and Stella Kowalski enjoy a simple, modest, and happy life with each other and with their neighbours, and where lyric
and sensual music is heard from the "blue piano," conveying the Dionysian "spirit of life that goes on here"
It is here that Stanley Kowalski, the Dionysian image of animalistic vitality, fights for his happiness and survival against the Apollonian
intruder, Blanche, Stella's sister, who tries to impose upon them her concepts of culture and civilization.
Blanche, on the other hand, is the Apollonian representative, a remnant of Southern gentility, whose hometown "Laurel" alludes to
Apollo, the laurel being Apollo's sacred tree whose leaves were used to crown his victors, distinguished in poetry and arts. Her family
residence, Belle Reve, is also an allusion to Apollonian beautiful appearances and dreams. Furthermore, Blanche being a teacher
establishes her as the Apollonian representative of culture and arts.
Once Blanche appears on stage dressed in such a way that distinguishes her from the inhabitants of Elysian Fields, we, as an audience,
realize firstly her estrangement from the scene, and secondly the duality of the image: we see Blanche, the representative of the
Apollonian spirit, alienated from Stanley's Dionysian world
Williams dramatically, exposes with subtle ambiguity his characters' double nature beneath the masks they assume. Williams suggests
that both Apollonian and Dionysian forces exist within each character, either in harmonious balance (Stanley and Stella), or in conflict
and unbalance (Blanche), causing internal struggle within the individual.
For example, Blanche's name, which means "white woods," ambiguously implies two antithetical forces: the paleness of the Apollonian
mask opposed to the vitality of Dionysian woods.
Theatrically, Blanche's secret search in the opening scene for the liquor illustrates not only her need to seek refuge in the pretences of
an Apollonian artificial world, but also hints at her Dionysian urges which she cannot openly admit. Furthermore, her internal struggle
between these two antithetical impulses is highlighted by her self-caution not to drink too much because "I've got to keep hold of
myself"
Theatrically, Stanley's undressing in front of Blanche stresses his Dionysian freedom from inhibitions, contrasted with Blanche's
Apollonian consciousness of external appearances.
Stanley's entrance before Blanche can bathe or powder her face is a theatre business that suggests his penetrating insight into her
conflicting nature, an insight that further illustrated in his inquiry about her husband that causes Blanche to become sick
To begin with, in Scene Two, he resents and assaults the contents of Blanche’s trunk, which encodes on stage the idealized way of life
to which Blanche desperately clings. Therefore, the stage business of this trunk is an aspect of the play's dramatic strategy to highlight
Stanley's unfriendly attitude towards Blanche’s lifestyle, and which anticipates his ultimate, severe transgression against her in the
rape scene.
In the dramatic scene that takes place just before Stella's baby is born, Stanley's rape of Blanche marks the annihilation of her Beautiful
Dream, and the consumption of her Apollonian dreams and illusions
, STRUCTURE OF THE PLAY
The play consists of eleven consecutive scenes, rather than following the use of acts to divide the action as would have been
conventional at the time
- This episodic structure helps to heighten the dramatic tension.
The gradual revelation of Blanche’s disreputable past intensifies the drama of the play which climaxes with Blanche’s physical and
mental defeat at the hands of Stanley which is established at the end of the play
CYCLICAL NARRATIVE
Play both begins and ends with a poker scene, in which both of these times Stella is hurt by Stanley
- In the first instance (scene three), Stanely charges at Stella
- In the second instance (scene eleven), Blanche is institutionalised (with there being an insinuation that Stanley drove this
decision) and Stella is left distraught
The pattern of Stella being hurt and Stanely being the perpetrator, as well as the scene being placed amongst a poker game gives the
impression that Stella will follow the same path as Blanche to complete mental breakdown
- Stella will become the next victim of Stanley’s attacks and abuse
In both of these scenes, there is also sexual imagery amidst Stella’s abuse
- In scene eleven, we don’t see this sexual interaction end, we are only given a glimpse of the beginning
There is a suggestion that Stanley’s continuous use of Stella for sexual pleasure without consideration for her feelings will continue
well after the play has ended
THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE PLAY
Beginning
The fact that Blanche is described as being ‘incongruous’ to Elysian fields suggests that she will never reach a place of happiness and
delight – there is a suggestion that she will be constantly haunted by the memory of Allan and that any chance of joy has been
completely destroyed by the extreme mental disintegration that she has experienced
- Even in death she will not reach ‘Elysian fields’
She cannot understand why Stella wants to live in ‘Elysian Fields’
- There is a suggestion that she will never understand what it is to live in a place of happiness or delight
- There is a suggestion that she will never reach the final resting place – she will never be at peace with herself
End - Warped version of a restoration of order
We see an ending in which order is restored in the eyes of Stanley
- His desire has been achieved for the expulsion of Blanche and the gaining back of his wife’s full focus
One could argue that as Blanche leaves, all other characters take on some of her delusion
- Stella adopts the delusion that her husband is trustworthy
- Mitch adopts the delusion that Stanley is the only one responsible for Blanche’s undoing, eschewing any moral responsibility
- Stanley adopts the delusion that he is not morally wrong. He is delusional in the sense that he believes Blanche complied
with his sexual acts and that she was deserving of the punishments he inflicted
- Eunice says ‘No matter what happens, we’ve all got to keep going’, thus preaching the virtues of self-deception
Thus, it could be said that the idea of a restoration of order is false, given that it is completely grounded on a myriad of delusions
