Tennessee Williams once stated that "symbols are nothing but the natural speech of drama. The purest language of plays" - just by studying 'A streetcar named Desire" the reader can identity the numerous symbols Williams' uses to add depth to the plot as well as unveil his characters' personalities, strengths and weaknesses. Kazan in his interpretation of the play never loses sight of the significance of the major symbols and obviously understood the importance of details such as mannerisms and clothing that shape each character. The significance of the symbols lie in how Williams uses them. Light, animal characteristics, music and the streetcars Desire and Cemeteries are symbols that Kazan puts emphasis on in the film just as Williams does in the play to lead up to the climax of Blanche's disintegration into insanity and Stanley's brutal triumph over her.
From the beginning Williams' establishes the journey that Blanche has taken and what she's going to face. "They told me to take a streetcar named Desire and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at Elysian fields" (pg 117). Kazan picked up on the importance of the line and made it the first sentence Blanche spoke in the film. The symbolism lies in the names of the streetcars and how they're represented in Blanche's life. The streetcar Desire describes her relationship with her young husband, her liaisons with the soldiers and her one night stands with strangers. The streetcar Cemeteries highlights her husband's suicide and the slow deaths of her relatives. Both streetcars lead her to her final destination - Elysian Fields which in Greek means heaven in the underworld where troubles, worries and illnesses are forgotten and the deceased live in continuous harmony. Yet the Elysian fields she arrives at is only paradise for the inhabitants there and she doesn't find the peace she was hoping for. It is ironic that it's after Stanley rapes Blanche and she loses her final grip on reality that she finds her Elysian fields in her insanity.
Tennesee Williams' Use Of Stage Effects And How They Change A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire is mastery of the use of lighting, setting, and sound to add to emotion and meaning to a play. ... It seems that the minor details of music, sound effects, lighting, and setting were actually some of the most important points of A Streetcar Named Desire. ...
In A Streetcar Named Desire the part that Tennessee Williams' life plays in the text is fairly large. ... His father withdrew him from university to work at the International Shoe Company, where he met Stanley Kowalski, who Tennessee Williams' has plastered all over A Streetcar Named Desire. ... Quoting A Streetcar Named Desire: The Playwright (http://hipp.gator.net/scarplaywright.html): 'He was noted for bringing to his audiences a slice of his own life and the feel of the southern culture. ... A personal interest/experience in the themes/issues and characters would not have...
Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire- Tennesse Williams is known as one of the greatest American playwrights. ... Among his most notable and successful plays were "The Glass Menagerie-, which he refers to as "memory play-, "A Streetcar Named Desire-, "The Rose Tatoo- and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof- for which he was appreciated winning the Pulitzer Prize. ... "Streetcar Named Desire- which was firstly entitled "The Poker Night- emerged right after the theatrical success of "The Glass Menagerie- when the authour learned to play poker game. ... The moment Blanche appea...
That play was A Streetcar Named Desire. ... It is no surprise that Williams again turned to Mielziner to design A Streetcar Named Desire. ... Thanks in large part to A Streetcar Named Desire, the duo of Mielziner and Williams helped to change theatre. ... At the time of A Streetcar Named Desire, "it was more like an accusation" (Murphy 1). ... When it came to A Streetcar Named Desire, Kazan's collaboration did not come cheap. ...
" A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams Bruce, Smith. ... "It's a French name. ... She tells him the origins of her name, which she treasures. ... "A Streetcar Named Desire" did not grab my attention at all. ... "A Streetcar Named Desire" was written in 1933, and many things have changed since then. ...
Viewing of A Streetcar Named Desire Although the basic story line is the same in both the book and the live play of A streetcar Named Desire, some things were different. ... For the most part, reading A Streetcar Named Desire was very similar to the live performance. ...
In the play "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams, there are several prevalent themes. ... This is allegorically represented through Blanche DuBois's riding of the streetcars named Desire and Cemeteries. ... In "A Streetcar Named Desire", Tennessee Williams states that one can not shield himself from the harshness of reality by creating a fantasy alternative. ... This desire for physical relationships brought her to a more troubled state of reality. ... Tennessee Williams uses his play "A Streetcar Named Desire" to demonstrate the problem one faces with creating a fantasy...
Tennessee Williams uses symbols to help communicate his ideas in A Streetcar Named Desire. ... Clothing is a recurring symbol in A Streetcar Named Desire. ... Death, as told by Blanche, is the opposite of Desire, and Blanche wishes to be desired. ... The streetcar named Desire leads to a streetcar named Cemeteries, and both of the most important characters suffer death in one way of another. Without this desire, this play would be completely different and have less meaning. ...