blanche

• “her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light. There is something about her uncertain manner, as well as her white clothes, that suggests a moth”.
• Eunice: Well, why don’t you just go in and make yourself at home till they get back Blanche: How could I– do that?
• Eunice: A big place with white columns. Blanche: Yes… Eunice: A place like that must be awful hard to keep up.
• Blanche sits  in a chair very stiffly with her shoulders slightly hunched and her legs pressed close together
• Blanche: now, then, let me look at you. But don’t you look at me
• Blanche: ...And turn that over-light off! Turn that off! I won’t be looked at in this merciless glare!
• Blanche: Well, now you talk. Open your pretty mouth and talk while I look around for some liquor!
• Blanche: Only mr edgar allan poe!- could do it justice! Out there I suppose is the ghoul-haunted woodland of weir!
• Stella: You never did give me a chance to say much, blanche. So I just got into the habit of being of quiet around you.
• Blanche: God love you for a liar! Daylight never exposed so total a ruin!
• Blanche: You hear me? I said stand up! [Stella complies reluctantly] You messy child, you, you’ve splilt something on that pretty white lace collar!
• Blanche: I want you to look at my figure [She turns around] You know I haven’t put on one ounce in ten years, Stella? I weigh what I weighed the summer you left belle reve.
• Blanche: You see I still have that awful vanity about my looks even now that my looks are slipping! [she laughs nervously and looks at stella for reassurance]
• Stella: they're a mixed lot, Blanche. Blanche: heterogeneous– types?
• Blanche: I want to be near you, got to be with somebody, I can’t be alone! Because– as you must have noticed– I’m not very well…
• Stella: when he’s away for a week I nearly go wild! Blanche: Gracious! Stella: And when he comes back I cry on his lap like a baby
• Blanche: I know that youre bound to reproach me– but before you do-take into consideration– you left ! I stayed and struggled!
• Blanche:.. I stayed and fought for it, bled for it, almost died for it!
• Stanley: My clthes’re stickin’ to me. Do you mind if I make myself comfortable? [he starts to remove his shirt]
• He grins at Blanche. She tries unsuccessfully to smile back.
• Blanche’s dress, a flowered print, is laid out on Stella’s bed
• STELLA: Im going to try to keep Blanche out till the party breaks because I don’t know how she would take it. So we’ll go to one of the little places in the Quarter afterwards and you’d better give me some money.
• STELLA: She’s soaking in a hot tub to quiet her nerves. She’s terribly upset.
• BLANCHE: [singing in the bathroom] From the land of sky blue water, they brought a captive maid!
• STELLA: She wasn’t expecting to find us in such a small place. You see Id tried to gloss things over a little in my letters.
• STELLA: And admire her dress and tell her she’s looking wonderful. That’s important to Blanche, her little weakness.
• Stella goes out on the porch. Blanche comes out in a red satin robe
• BLANCHE: “Oh, in my youth I excited some admiration. But look at me now! [she smiles at him radiantly] Would you think it possible that I was once consider to be- attractive?
• BLANCHE: “You’re simple, straightforward and honest, a little bit on the primitive side I should think. To interest you a woman would have to- [she pauses with an indefinite gesture] STANLEY: [slowly] Lay… her cards on the table
• BLANCHE: I like an artist who paints in strong, bold colours, primary colours. I don’t like pinks and creams and I never cared for wishy-washy people.
• BLANCHE: The poor thing was out there listening to us, and I have an idea she doesn’t understand you as well as I do
• BLANCHE; I laughed and treated it all as a joke, called him a little boy and laughed- and flirted. Yes- I was flirting with your husband Stella!
• BLANCHE: The blind are- leading the blind!
• BLANCHE: like an orchard in spring
• BLANCHE: And in the spring its touching to watch them make their first discovery of love
• BLANCHE: Of course you remember Shep Huntleigh. I went out with him at college and wore his pin for a while.
• Such things as art, poetry and music
• Have got to be seductive - put on soft colours, the colours of butterfly wings
• Blanche is singing in the bathroom a saccharine popular ballad which is used contrapuntally with STANLEY’S speech
• Her future is mapped out for her