HOW DOES WILLIAMS CREATE A SENSE OF TENSION AND DRAMA IN THIS EXTRACT? (30 MARKS)

Constant themes of tension and drama are presented by Williams in ‘A Streetcar’ and they often come together, probably because one leads to another. One if Williams’ traits is that he takes ordinary, relatable situations but laces them with much more meaning and I think this particular extract [scene four, Blanche’s monologue] really demonstrates the complexity between the characters whilst maintaining a level of drama for the audience.

The lead up to Blanche’s big outcry of opinion could potentially be more important than the monologue itself as it presents ideas of sex, religion, self-conflict and even love.

“But there are things that happen between a man and woman in the dark – that sort of make everything else seem - unimportant.”  

I think this line said by Stella is where the tension becomes less tense and more dramatic. She tiptoes around the idea of sex and this could make the audience immediately feel a sense of awkwardness. Williams has already managed to provide ambiance without any real levels of conflict. Her almost patronising tone gives off a dominant vibe, as if anything Blanche has to say about Stanley is irrelevant as at least Stella has somebody that Blanche can provide opinions against. The blatant pause then followed by the word “unimportant” could be interpreted as a direct reference to Blanche’s thoughts on Stanley and Stella goes on to ask Blanche whether she’s “ever ridden on that streetcar [of desire]?” to which Blanche responds with “it brought me here. – Where I’m not wanted and where I’m ashamed to be”. I do feel as though this entire quote is mounted with irony. For example, Blanche states that she’s “not wanted” even though literally the only person who makes her feel unwelcome is Stanley. This could be highlighting her desire and attraction for Stanley as only his opinion seems to matter. Also, “where I’m ashamed to be” is pretty rich coming from someone from Blanche’s living situation. It seems as though she’s still stuck in the past and completely bypasses the fact that she’s essentially homeless, as if being on the streets would be better than living in a culturally diverse, revolutionary ‘New America’. Blanche is very traditional and this comes across plainly in the conversation and monologue performed by Blanche.

“A man like that is someone to go out with – once – twice – three times when the devil is in you. But live with! Have a child by?”

Religion isn’t something touched on in ‘Streetcar’, but of course if it is, it’s mentioned by Blanche. “When the devil is in you” obviously is annotated with thoughts of sin and even disgust although I still feel as though there’s a level of understanding behind Blanche’s words – she doesn’t disregard Stella’s decision to sleep with him, in fact she almost encourages it but as soon as her traditional values are compromised by sex and change, it becomes a problem. This is a recurring theme in Blanche’s speech and actions, a constant conflict between desire and values, and the dynamic creates a dramatic contradiction for the audience. Stella makes a point of saying “I can’t help your trembling if you insist on trembling!” after saying that she is in love with Stanley. This line, in my opinion, is probably one of the best summarisations of Blanche in the play. She’s a walking contradiction and I think that the tension created in this scene really brings out the side of Blanche that maybe the audience chooses to ignore in order to remain sympathetic towards her. “Trembling” is also a word heavily associated with fear or paranoia, two themes that begin to become clearer and clearer as we get to know the characters. It could be foreshadowing the inevitable breakdown of not only Blanche’s mind but her relationships as well, this tension and drama created by Williams seems to be one huge flashing arrow pointing to the tension and drama that the audience is met with at the end of the play.

Blanche starts her big speech with “You can’t have forgotten that much of our binging up, Stella”. Again, Blanche has hidden behind her past to defend her failing future. Part of me thinks that Blanche is envious of Stella and because the most important things that make up Blanche are her looks and where she came from, it’s almost as though she uses her background as a mechanism to gain power – a theme heavily associated with drama.

The monologue itself is Blanche essentially comparing Stanley to ape like creatures, which is odd considering that Stanley is supposed to be representing change and progress.

“Bearing the raw meat home from the kill in the jungle!” Is a pivotal quote as it’s a

direct reference to Stanley throwing raw meat at Stella during an argument at the beginning of the play. Taking the audience back to that tense moment allows Williams to maintain his melodramatic repertoire by constantly reminding them of the conflict between characters. The word “jungle” could be an accurate representation of Blanche’s views on New Orleans as it’s unknown and unfamiliar, a lot like a jungle.

Another quote that I think is held with a lot of irony is: “And you – you here – waiting for him!” As we know, Blanche’s husband killed himself when he was young and ever since, Blanche seems to be trying to fill the void by getting kicks out of men being attracted to her. She kissed a young man collecting money for the papers simply because he was young and looked like “a prince from Arabian nights”. It’s even suggested that the reason she’s is no longer a teacher is because she was found sleeping with underage boys and it seems ironic that Blanche is disgusted at Stella for waiting for her husband and baby father – no matter how beastly he may be – when Blanche is also waiting but for something much less clearer than anything I could ever imagine.

To conclude, I think that a lot of the dramatic tones created by Williams is done through contradiction. We see Stella and Stanley, a couple who expresses love through violence and we see Blanche, somebody who practises different to what she preaches. In the end, the audience witness Blanche get raped by the very character who represents ‘New America’ and I think the whole play is based around how dramatic the simplicity of being forced into a world that you’re not ready for can be.