How does Williams create a sense of tension and drama for the audience in this extract (scene 4 – Blanche’s monologue)? You should analyse language closely and the way it is crafted to create effects. (30 marks).

The tension and drama is built up throughout scene 4 until the climax of Blanche’s monologue. However, the audience is already tense when the scene starts because scene 4 smoothly runs on from scene 3 where there was a lot of turbulence and violence between the characters. There is a plethora of emotions from the characters during the violent moments between Stanley and Stella, which leave the audience with tension into the following scene.
From the start of the scene there is “confusion” with the cries in the street like a “choral chant,” which signifies that this scene will be as equally as dramatic as the last.

Williams creates tension and drama before, during and after Blanche’s monologue. Before she starts to speak, there is dramatic irony as the audience knows that Stanley will “overhear[s] their following conversation”, however both Stella and Blanche assume they are alone. This means that Blanche would not hold back, as she presumes that Stanley would never hear what she has to say about him. This can only lead to an even more negative relationship between Stanley and Blanche, resulting in a never-ending conflict and hatred. This is very dramatic and tense because the audience knows that Stanley will lose control and perhaps get as violent as he did beforehand with Stella. Also, there is the loud sound of a train passing by – a perpetual metaphor used by Williams to imply that something bad is about to happen. We hear it when Stanley is outside, “unseen to the women,” which furthers the audience’s knowledge that something immoral will happen. The audience is already aware of the metaphorical noises or motifs – as the ‘blue piano’ and ‘varsouviana polka’ play when emotions or tensions are about to change/have changed.

The language used in Blanche’s monologue shows the audience her true feelings for Stanley with her use of similes, hedging and exclamatory sentences. Williams creates a dramatic atmosphere throughout her monologue because we (the audience) know that this is effectively the last straw for Blanche according to Stanley in their relationship. She compares Stanley to an animal, where she insists he “eats,” “moves,” and “talks” like one. Stanley does have animalistic behaviours that blanche mentions; where he ”bear[s] the raw meat home” then throws it at his wife, Stella. She takes it even further where she states that he is a “survivor of the stone age,” and is “sub-human.” This creates a dramatic air because these comparative insults are very demeaning and offensive. Blanche also repeats what she says in the form of hedging to build up the tension, leaving Stella and the audience eager to hear what she says next. Examples of this are: “And you – you here - waiting for him!” and “Stella – my sister there has been…”                                                                                                                                                                       Williams has Blanche use exclamatory sentences which in turn makes the monologue very dramatic; with the examples of “…kiss you!” “God!” and “Don’t – don’t hand back with the brutes!” The exclamation marks and italics get the idea across to the reader that Blanche is angry and isn’t holding back.

The train passes again after she has finished her monologue which indicates that what Blanche has just said will end in consequences, because we already know that the train is a negative metaphor. Stanley “hesitates” and licks his lips, suggesting that he is waiting to decide how to confront the women. Licking of his lips could infer that he is hungry – perhaps hungry for the kill of his sister-in-law, as Blanche suggests in her monologue by saying “Bearing the raw meat home from the kill in the jungle!” After, Stanley seems calm, and repeatedly “grins” at Blanche – this gives me the idea that he is still processing what she has said and is acting like he didn’t hear her, which gives him time to plot revenge or put time into what he has to say. It then seems tense between Stella and Blanche, as Stella clearly disagrees with Stella by showing her affection for Stanley by “fiercely” hugging him in “full view of Blanche.” This gives the idea that what Blanche has said has somewhat offended Stella, and her opinion does not change her love for him. This is dramatic because now two sisters have been pulled apart, leaving the audience awaiting the stage of the play where Stella and Stanley will be fighting with Blanche.

Overall, Blanche’s monologue is tense due to the language used by her, as we know that it will provoke a negative response from Stanley, who is listening in the conversation unbeknown to the women.  With the audience knowing but the women not, there is dramatic irony which makes the scene very tense to us. Also, the actions of the characters, such as Stella acting ”[coldly]” leads us to the idea that Blanche stands on her own when it comes to her opinion meaning that in the coming scenes she will fighting her own corner with no help from Stella (and obviously Stanley.)

Tragedy

In its pure from a character from a high social position (King) falls due to their fatal flaw, where the end result is death (catharsis).

Blanche's fatal flaw could be her constant need/desire for attention which ultimately leads to her bieng taken away. Even her sister doesn't give her the attention she needs, but instead sends her away.

John Mcrae's lectures on ASND

Scene 3

• The poker games represents masculinity, violence and is exclusive to the males. The male rivalry is very relevant.
• Steve's joke is about sex, where the rooster gives up the pursuit of sex in exchange for the corn. that is being thrown on the ground. It is about priority of sex, over food or money.
• The n-word is used without them thinking about it. It means nothing to them.
• The first encounter between Mitch and Blanche is about physical needs (bathroom scene). 
• Mitch represents stability/reliability, and he is often interpreted as being gay as he lives with his mother - yet this is not true. The only gay character is Alan, Blanche's husband who shot himself.
• Mitch's tragedy is that he will be disappointed by what Blanche tells him (she is married?).
• Echoes with 'Gone with the Wind,' as Vivien Leigh also plays the heroine of this film. 
• This scene explodes with violence - there is a clash between masculine egos and values. Stella and Stanley's relationship is a whole other language that Blanche doesn't understand - she doesn't get why Stella returns to Stanley after he beat her. Blanche's world is of "gallantry" whereas in Stella and Stanley's world it is "violence."

Scene 4

• This scene runs on from scene 3 as is the following morning where there is still confusion, shown by a "choral chant." It shows that 'life goes on.'
• Blanche's tragedy is one of unfulfilled desire, where Mitch becomes the emblem of unfulfilled desire. Desire is the key.
• Blanche doesn't give up hope for Shep Huntley. Although he could be fantasy character, is he really real? She refers to him when she is in need, showing that he could be an escape route. 
• Blanche gives the lesson that when a man is more 'animal,' the only thing to do would be go to bed with him as she suggests to Stella. She refers to Stella going to bed with Stanley as her "job," which is a strange word to use as it is as if she is getting paid for it.
• Blanche admires the new animal vitality of the New American Polak male. She calls Stanley a "survivor of the Stone Age," which she conflates with the modernism. This is to do with acceptance; where Stella has found her role yet Blanche has never found someone to have this role with. This will come to destroy her in the coming scenes.
• The sound of the trains is a sexual symbol again.
• The word 'flag' is important because the Confederate flag is still flown in some Southern states of the USA.
• The idea of "tenderer feelings" is permitted. Stanley's feelings come out as animal feelings.

The Film 'ASND'

The film changes the text because it is much less explicit - there is no obvious sexual scenes or violence as it was in the play. Vivien Leigh acts as Blache DuBois, and this character appears through a cloud of smoke which creates mystery. A key motif for Blanche is smoke and mirrors.
When Stanley first appears there is no throwing of the meat which would have been considered yoo animalistic. They've made him seem like a proper Hollywood star - attractive and not portrayed in a violent way in the opening of the film. Stella is put across as a household slave - she is relying on Stanley for money and is asked by Blanche to go and get her a drink.

A Critical View of ASND

‘Old South versus New America – A Streetcar Named Desire’ by Gabi Reigh, September 2015
The title refers to the conflict and “power struggle” between Stanley and Blanche, where their cultures clash: Stanley is the ‘New America’ and Blanche is the ‘Old South.’


Reigh comments on the difference between Stanley and Blanche, which roots from their separate identities. The dissimilarity between these two characters has been shown by Tennessee Williams’ through costume, but more importantly as a reflection of the American Civil War (1961-1965). Agreeing with Reigh, Thomas Porter describes ‘ASND’‘s plot “[as] an inverted version of the Civil War romance”. As Blanche symbolises the Old South, a place which fought against Lincoln’s advocate to end slavery, she comes into the New America viewed as an invader.

Stanley’s clothes contrast greatly with Blanche’s elegant attire of “pearls” and a “white suit” as he wears his “blue denim work clothes.” Williams’ use of costume shows the social background difference from the very beginning of the play, as Blanche looked as if she had wealth and privilege, whereas Stanley was just a working man. The values of the two characters are also identified where Blanche believes Belle Reve was a much more civilised World than New Orleans.

The "triumph of the New American" supposedly began in the second scene of the play, where Stanley was described as having "big, capable hands." Stanley has been described as being more powerful and seemingly aggressive, as this is a stereotype of the New America compared to the Old South, where they are described as being more "dainty."

Key Quotes

• During the rape scene which forms the dramatic climax of the play, the defeat of the values and culture that Blanche stands for is again symbolically portrayed through costume as Blanche’s glamorous clothes have been replaced by a ‘soiled and crumpled white satin evening gown’, foreshadowing her final humiliation by Stanley, triumphant in his ‘brilliant pyjama coat’.
• As an English teacher, Blanche is a staunch defender of the values of ‘art, and poetry, and music’ which she urges Stella to ‘cling to as [the] flag’ of a more civilised world which is quickly being engulfed by the ‘dark march’ of a philistine modern America.
• The decline of Blanche during the course of the play mirrors the crisis of the Old South after its defeat in the Civil War. Blanche, like other characters of the Southern Gothic, is mentally unstable and increasingly marginalised in a rapidly changing world.
• Stanley’s power and vivacity is highlighted as he is described as the ‘gaudy seedbearer’, whose ‘animal joy’ and ‘drive’ even make Blanche concede to Stella that he’s what we’ve got to mix with our blood now that we’ve lost Belle Reve and have to go on without Belle Reve to protect us.
• Blanche becomes increasingly marginalised in Stanley’s ‘territory’ at Elysian Fields, and her frequent retreats to the bathroom testify to her isolation and alienation in a household where she is not welcome.

By using the essay's viewpoint I have compared it to my own reading of the play. Having read the articlae, I can relate to and understand Reigh's viewpoint of Blanche and Stanley being contrasting. However, I don't believe that Williams' intention was the use them as representatives of the two sides of the American Civil War.

Key Quotes for Characters in ASND

Stanley:
"You remember the way it was? Them nights we had together?"
"Open your eyes to this stuff!"
"The Kowalskis and DuBois have different notions."
"STELLL-AHHHHH!"
"I've got th' dope on your big sister, Stella."
"She's not stayin' here after Tuesday."
"Don't ever talk that way to me!"
"Maybe you wouldn't be bad to - interfer with..."
"Tiger-tiger!"

Stella:
"You never did give me a chance to say much, Blanche."
"Stan. we've lost - Belle Reve!"
"When men are drinking and playing poker anything can happen."
"I have told you i love him."
"What - contemptible - lies!"
"I don't know if I did the right thing."
"What have I done to my sister?"

Blanche:
"I've got to keep a hold of myself!"
"Not with my nerves tonight!"
"I haven't put on one ounce in ten years"
"I was fishing for a compliment, Stanley."
"He's common!"
"I'm writing a letter to Shep."
"Let's leave the lights off. Shall we?"
"Then marry me, Mitch!"
"So I could twist the broken end in your face!"
"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."

Key Quotes and Notes for ASND

• A 'Southern Belle' is a young woman of beauty and elegance who is from or is living in the Deep South of American and is commonly of upper socioeconomic class. Blanche DuBois is considered a Southern Belle, and so was Williams' mother.
• New Orleans is a large port city in the state of Louisiana, which straddles the Mississippi river. In relation to the book, New Orleans has 4 streetcar lines, and is considered by Blanche to represent the ugliness of reality.
• During the 19th century, many people emigrated to the U.S.A to live the freedom and experience the American Dream.
• Williams' other plays include, 'The Glass Menagerie,' 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' 'Suddenly, Last Summer,' 'Orpheus Descending,' and 'The Rose Tattoo.'
• Williams was considered one of the most foremost of American playwrights in America during the 19th century. He considered himself homosexual, although never revealed his sexuality to his parents. His father was thought to be violent, and possibly a drunkard which is similar to Stanley in ASND. He was close to his sister Rose, who was schizophrenic and later was compelled to have a lobotomy, which ended with disastrous results, meaning she was institutionalised for the rest of her life.
• The poker players wearing vivid coloured shirts shows clashing and an alpha male struggle. Even Van Gogh's 'billiard parlour' is mentioned which is violently colourful. The alcohol is also prominent from the start with, "whiskey bottles" (plural). Stanley's language is controlling as he barks his orders and has drunken acions - from the start there is foreshadowing of violent events to come.