Scene 10/Climactic Scene

• Quote Order

  • “Crumpled white satin evening gown” and “Scuffed silver slippers”
  • “Slams the mirror facedown with such violence that the glass cracks”
  • “The silk pyjamas I wore on my wedding night!”

  *New Paragraph*

  • “Casting my pearls before swine”
  • “There isn’t a goddamn thing but imagination”
  • “Cover the lightbulb with a paper lantern”

  *New Paragraph*

  • “Don’t come in here!”
  • “Caught in a trap”
  • “You think I’ll interfere with you? Ha-Ha!” “We’ve had this date from the beginning”
• “Crumpled white satin evening gown” and “Scuffed silver slippers”


  *Costuming*

  “Crumpled” damaged or used.

  “White satin” and “gown” wedding dresses, innocence and purity, high society.

  “Scuffed” image if wear

  Symbolises Blanche’s soiled reputation and damaged good.

  Old south crumbling to new south
• “Slams the mirror facedown with such violence that the glass cracks”


  *Costuming*

  “Face down” Blanche can no longer hide from reality

  “Glass cracks” foreshadows the disaster that is about to break Blanche’s will, links to destruction of old south being broken by new

  “Violence” also foreshadows fate
• “The silk pyjamas I wore on my wedding night!”


  *Costuming*

  “Silk pyjamas” sexual undertones that foreshadow

  “Wedding night” relates to consummation of marriage, shows Stanley's intentions and foreshadows rape
• “Casting my pearls before swine”


  *Theme*

  Metaphor offer something of high value to an animal - old beauty is not appreciated by simple modern man

  Builds tension and angers Stanley to foreshadow explosion
• “Cover the lightbulb with a paper lantern”


  *symbolism*

  Light continues symbol of truth, hiding the reality from others

  Also makes staging darker, foreshadowing vulgar deed
• “You think I’ll interfere with you? Ha-Ha!”

  “We’ve had this date from the beginning”


  Offensive mocking tone

  Suggests beneath him and unattractive, opposite of dynamic at start of Blanche superior

  Them changes mind

  Shows inevitability of ending, matching foreshadows

  He then rapes and gets off unscathed

  New victory over old south
• “There isn’t a goddamn thing but imagination”


  Turning point within the scene

  “Goddamn” aggressive tone

  Stanley losing temper in this scene
• “Don’t come in here!”


  ! Emphasises urgency and danger

  Blanches fear is shown and shared with audience
• “Caught in a trap”


  “Trap” highlights danger

  Stanley animalistic, links to predator catching prey