Summary:
- The scene begins with a sunset
- Blanche tells Stanley to tell a joke because the mood at the table is very sullen and she
thinks it is because she has been stood up
- He doesn’t tell a joke so Blanche does about some parrot
- No one is amused
- Stanley reaches over the table to get a lamb chop and he eats it with his hands so they
get all greasy
- She tells her husband to wash his hands but Stanley doesn’t appreciate how demanding
she is so he yells and her and throws the plate on the floor
- He yells at them for calling him names and reinstates he must be treated like a king
- He smashes his cup and saucer, yells that he has cleared his place, and storms out onto
the porch. Stella begins to cry
- Blanche again asks Stella what happened while she was taking a bath, but Stella says
that nothing happened.
- Blanche declares that she will call Mitch to find out why he didn’t attend her dinner
- Stella implores her not to, but Blanche goes into the bedroom to make the call
- Stella joins Stanley on the porch
- Blanche leaves a message, Mitch is not home, and stays by the phone, looking
frightened
- Stanley holds Stella, ignoring her reproaches, and promises her that things will be alright
again after Blanche leaves and the baby comes
- Stella goes back inside and lights the candles on the cake
- Blanche and Stanley join her
- Blanche announces that she should never have called Mitch and that she doesn’t need
to take insults from a man like him
- Stanley begins to complain about the lingering heat from Blanche’s steam bath, and she
snaps that she has already apologised three times
- She says that a healthy Polack like Stanley wouldn’t understand her need to calm her
nerves
- Stanley angrily retorts that Polish people are called Poles, not Polacks, and that he is
“one hundred percent American”
- The phone rings, and Blanche tries to answer it, expecting Mitch
- Stanley intercepts her and speaks to the caller, one of his bowling buddies
- While Stanley speaks on the phone, Stella touches Blanche on the shoulder
- Blanche, confused and angered by Stella’s unexplained pitying behaviour, tells Stella to
back off
- Stanley erupts, yelling for Blanche to be quiet
- She tries her best to control herself as Stanley returns to the table
- With a thin veneer of kindness, Stanley offers Blanche a birthday present
- She is surprised and delighted, until she opens it and sees that it is a one-way ticket
back to Laurel on a Greyhound bus, leaving Tuesday
- The Varsouviana music begins to play as Blanche tries first to smile, then to laugh
, - When her efforts fail, she runs to the bedroom and then to the bathroom, clutching her
throat and making gagging noises as if Stanley’s cruelty has literally taken her breath
away
- Stanley, pleased with himself and his actions, prepares to go bowling
- But Stella demands to know why Stanley has treated Blanche so callously
- She admits that much about Blanche is insufferable, but argues that Blanche’s naïve
trust and kindness have been abused over the years, and that the current Blanche is the
product of suffering
- He explains that Stella thought he was common when they first met, but he took her off
her pedestal, and things were wonderful until Blanche arrived and made fun of him
- As he speaks, a sudden change comes over Stella, and she slowly shuffles from the
bedroom to the kitchen
- After a minute, Stanley notices that something is wrong and cuts his diatribe short
- Stella quietly asks to be taken to the hospital
- Stanley is with her in an instant, speaking softly as he leads her out the door
Quotes:
- “a still-golden dusk” “windows reflecting the sunset”
➔ The scene begins during a sunset
➔ This represents the ending of Blanche
- “Blanche has a tight, artificial smile drawn on her face”
➔ She is attempting to remain sane
➔ The smile is “drawn on”, which metaphorically likens it to something painted or forced
into place- implying it's not genuine or self-generated, but imposed, like a mask
➔ She is trying to be composed
➔ “Tight” suggests her emotions are suppressed and that she is barely emotionally holding
herself together
- “Stanley pays no attention to the story but reaches way over the table to spear his
fork into the remaining chop which he eats with his fingers”
➔ He has no table manners
➔ He disregards Blanche and ignores her stories- he no longer puts up with her
➔ He is lacking etiquette
➔ The act of “reaching way over the table” is not just physical but symbolic—it shows
Stanley’s disregard for social etiquette and boundaries, asserting dominance in a setting
that is usually governed by civility. The verb “spear” is aggressive and evocative of
hunting or violence, aligning Stanley with animalistic instincts rather than human
decorum.
➔ It also metaphorically represents the way he attacked at Blanche throughout her stay
➔ His choice to eat “with his fingers” furthers this image, emphasising his raw, unrefined
masculinity and deliberate rejection of Blanche’s pretensions
➔ This moment reflects the clash between Stanley’s physical, immediate world and
Blanche’s world of illusion and storytelling
- The scene begins with a sunset
- Blanche tells Stanley to tell a joke because the mood at the table is very sullen and she
thinks it is because she has been stood up
- He doesn’t tell a joke so Blanche does about some parrot
- No one is amused
- Stanley reaches over the table to get a lamb chop and he eats it with his hands so they
get all greasy
- She tells her husband to wash his hands but Stanley doesn’t appreciate how demanding
she is so he yells and her and throws the plate on the floor
- He yells at them for calling him names and reinstates he must be treated like a king
- He smashes his cup and saucer, yells that he has cleared his place, and storms out onto
the porch. Stella begins to cry
- Blanche again asks Stella what happened while she was taking a bath, but Stella says
that nothing happened.
- Blanche declares that she will call Mitch to find out why he didn’t attend her dinner
- Stella implores her not to, but Blanche goes into the bedroom to make the call
- Stella joins Stanley on the porch
- Blanche leaves a message, Mitch is not home, and stays by the phone, looking
frightened
- Stanley holds Stella, ignoring her reproaches, and promises her that things will be alright
again after Blanche leaves and the baby comes
- Stella goes back inside and lights the candles on the cake
- Blanche and Stanley join her
- Blanche announces that she should never have called Mitch and that she doesn’t need
to take insults from a man like him
- Stanley begins to complain about the lingering heat from Blanche’s steam bath, and she
snaps that she has already apologised three times
- She says that a healthy Polack like Stanley wouldn’t understand her need to calm her
nerves
- Stanley angrily retorts that Polish people are called Poles, not Polacks, and that he is
“one hundred percent American”
- The phone rings, and Blanche tries to answer it, expecting Mitch
- Stanley intercepts her and speaks to the caller, one of his bowling buddies
- While Stanley speaks on the phone, Stella touches Blanche on the shoulder
- Blanche, confused and angered by Stella’s unexplained pitying behaviour, tells Stella to
back off
- Stanley erupts, yelling for Blanche to be quiet
- She tries her best to control herself as Stanley returns to the table
- With a thin veneer of kindness, Stanley offers Blanche a birthday present
- She is surprised and delighted, until she opens it and sees that it is a one-way ticket
back to Laurel on a Greyhound bus, leaving Tuesday
- The Varsouviana music begins to play as Blanche tries first to smile, then to laugh
, - When her efforts fail, she runs to the bedroom and then to the bathroom, clutching her
throat and making gagging noises as if Stanley’s cruelty has literally taken her breath
away
- Stanley, pleased with himself and his actions, prepares to go bowling
- But Stella demands to know why Stanley has treated Blanche so callously
- She admits that much about Blanche is insufferable, but argues that Blanche’s naïve
trust and kindness have been abused over the years, and that the current Blanche is the
product of suffering
- He explains that Stella thought he was common when they first met, but he took her off
her pedestal, and things were wonderful until Blanche arrived and made fun of him
- As he speaks, a sudden change comes over Stella, and she slowly shuffles from the
bedroom to the kitchen
- After a minute, Stanley notices that something is wrong and cuts his diatribe short
- Stella quietly asks to be taken to the hospital
- Stanley is with her in an instant, speaking softly as he leads her out the door
Quotes:
- “a still-golden dusk” “windows reflecting the sunset”
➔ The scene begins during a sunset
➔ This represents the ending of Blanche
- “Blanche has a tight, artificial smile drawn on her face”
➔ She is attempting to remain sane
➔ The smile is “drawn on”, which metaphorically likens it to something painted or forced
into place- implying it's not genuine or self-generated, but imposed, like a mask
➔ She is trying to be composed
➔ “Tight” suggests her emotions are suppressed and that she is barely emotionally holding
herself together
- “Stanley pays no attention to the story but reaches way over the table to spear his
fork into the remaining chop which he eats with his fingers”
➔ He has no table manners
➔ He disregards Blanche and ignores her stories- he no longer puts up with her
➔ He is lacking etiquette
➔ The act of “reaching way over the table” is not just physical but symbolic—it shows
Stanley’s disregard for social etiquette and boundaries, asserting dominance in a setting
that is usually governed by civility. The verb “spear” is aggressive and evocative of
hunting or violence, aligning Stanley with animalistic instincts rather than human
decorum.
➔ It also metaphorically represents the way he attacked at Blanche throughout her stay
➔ His choice to eat “with his fingers” furthers this image, emphasising his raw, unrefined
masculinity and deliberate rejection of Blanche’s pretensions
➔ This moment reflects the clash between Stanley’s physical, immediate world and
Blanche’s world of illusion and storytelling
