context

• Southern Gothic Genre:

  • themes of supernatural- Blanche's fantasy.
  • focuses on damaged and delusional characters- Blanche.
  • isolation and marginalisation take place- minorities in Elysian Fields and Blanche's loss of Allan.
• The American Dream:

  • USA is a land of opportunity.
  • freedom of all classes- link to Marxist critics as the Dream fuels the destructive nature of capitalism in the growing middle class.
  • immigration- Stanley, vendors.
  • link to post-WW2 ideals of nuclear family, industrialisation and the baby boom- link to Blanche rejecting Allan's homosexuality and Stella and Stanley's marriage which Blanche somewhat ruins.
• Old America:

  • Blanche represents the South with her conservative and outdated ideas.
  • The upper classes before the Civil War were displaced and became less crucial to the new industrial economy.
• New America:

  • New Orleans and Stanley represent the New America as an industrial, urban workforce.
  • Stanley's Polish background explores the melting pot nature of the new society that Blanche struggles to accept.
  • JFK described America as a 'society of immigrants'.
• Williams' Life:

  • he grew up in the deep South in Mississippi.
  • his father was an abusive alcoholic- like Stanley.
  • his mother and sister were both mentally unwell- like Blanche.
  • his sister, Rose, underwent a lobotomy which left her effectively disabled- linking to Blanche getting treatment that Rose couldn't.
  • His partner, Frank Merlo, died in 1963 - the play became more relatable to him after he wrote it as Allan died leaving Blanche too.
• Directors:

  • Elia Kazan- the first director of the play, was shocked at the sympathy for Stanley due to his attractiveness, saw Blanche as dangerous to Stanley's masculinity and marriage (link to post-ww2 social ideals).
  • Rebecca Frecknall- directed Paul Mescal as Stanley, had a mostly empty stage to emphasise the closeness, claustrophobic feel, rain created another layer of sound to overwhelm the stage.
• Tragedy:

  • peripeteia- reversal of fortune: Blanche after Allan's death and meeting Stanley.
  • hamartia- fatal flaw: Blanche's fantasy, Stanley's aggression.
  • catharsis- outpour of emotions: Blanche's monologues, the rape scene.
  • horror and tragedy- the genres are similar because they often depend on revenge for past wrongs: Blanche punished for her prostitution or Allan's death?
• Plastic Theatre- Music:

  • The Blue piano- enhances the dream-like feel of the play and emphasises melancholy. Used at the start and end showing the cyclical structure of Blanche's suffering.
  • Varsouviana- used to show Blanche's decline to madness and the impact of the past during tense scenes.
  • Paper Moon song- sung when Stanley finds out about Blanche's prostitution, when he shouts- she sings louder about lying and fantasy, justifying it as she thinks it's harmless.
• Plastic Theatre- Sounds:

  • Locomotive- often 'heard approaching outside', the raw modern sound is like Stanley and the light of it threatens Blanche like Stanley does too, is played when Blanche is truthful with Mitch and before the rape to emphasise masculinity.
  • Jungle noises- link to the theme of Stanley's animalistic nature and his rage and brutality in the rape scene.
• Gender:

  • Women joined the industrial worksforce after WW2 with numbers reaching 18 million.
  • The public sphere was still dominated by men though as seen in the play and it could seem outdated to audiences for Stella to rely solely on Stanley.
  • Women were moving away from traditional old South values, leaving Blanche alone in her ideals.
• Animalistic imagery:

  • The actions of Stanley when he 'stalks' and produces 'low animal moans' reflect Williams viewing the 'normal behavior of modern America as aggressive'.
• Costume designer, Jeni Schaefer embraced Williams' descriptions of Blanche as she chose 'delicate, fluttery, soft' materials for the costumes.