Scene 1 Flashcards
Elysian Fields
the equivalent of paradise in Greek mythology. there is irony in the choice of this name for a rundown street, but at the same time, the Elysian Fields was a resting place for the dead… though Blanche does not literally die, what is beautiful about her - her charm and grace - seems to die by the play’s denouement. this may, then, foreshadow this tragic fate.
‘raffish charm’, ‘white frame weathered grey’, ‘faded white stairs’
The setting is portrayed as relatively shabby, but it still has an undeniable ‘raffish charm’. This run-down post-war setting emphasises Blanche’s position as an outsider and an anachronism - ‘her appearance is incongrous to this setting’.
‘the riverhouses with their faint redolences of bananas and coffee’
this olfactory imagery is a pleasure only given to those reading the script. it is, however, a reminder for those directing the play that Williams aimed to highlight the multicultural nature of New Orleans in a pleasant manner - widely known for its Port.
‘This ‘blue piano’ expresses the spirit of the life which goes on here’
The blue piano is established as a motif at the very beginning of the play - its purpose is affirmed.
‘roughly dressed in blue denim work clothes’ of Stanley vs. ‘daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice’
Williams generates tensions or contrasts between Blanche and Stanley even before they meet through contrasting dresscodes. The adverbs ‘roughly’ and ‘daintily’ as well as the textures of the clothing and their connotations - ‘denim’ versus a ‘fluffy bodice - present these characters as binary opposites.
‘[mildly] “Don’t holler at me like that.”’
Emphasises Stella’s reluctance to stand up to Stanley - although she seems to instruct Stanley here, she does so ‘mildly’.
“Catch!” “What?” “Meat!”
the meat both possesses connotations of strength, virility and masculinity, but may also function as a sexual innuendo: he gives Stella his “Meat” - this may subtly establish from the very beginning of the play that the sexual aspect of Stella and Stanley’s relationship is of great significance.
“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!”
The title drop included within this quote arguably emphasises its significance to the play as a whole. Blanche’s first spoken words encapsulate the journey audiences watch her go on throughout the duration of the play: her unconstrained “desire” results in her travelling to stay with Stella and Stanley.
The semantic field of death (“Cemeteries”, “Elysian Fields”) may allude to Blanche’s mental demise by the denouement of the play. This is carried further through scene 1, even as the “highschool superintendent” is uncoincidentally named “Mr. Graves”!
repetitive action vs authorial voice
in a play, an important point or idea is stressed by repetitive action - in a novel, ideas may instead be stressed by the authorial voice
“Liquor goes fast in hot weather”
Blanche’s taking of the liquor in addition to the fact her drinking doesn’t go unnoticed by Stella and Stanley (Stanley even mentions it) is a repetitive action that stresses Blanche’s reliance on alcohol to cope.
‘a gentle young woman’
Stella’s part in the play is significant, yet she lacks the colourful stage directions that are given to Stanley and Blanche. Perhaps Stella’s generic nature is meant to reflect something deeper: that all of us can relate to Stella in some way… we have all been complicit in the death of the Old South?
“woodland of Weir!”
Blanche’s reference to Edgar Allan Poe’s tragic poem ‘Ulalume’ may be seen to serve multiple purposes. Although in one way it may reference Blanche’s cultural capital and her engagement with high culture, the reference to a tragic gothic poem not only solidifies the genre of the play (Southern gothic), but also forebodes the tragic end of the play.
“like a cherub in choir”
Blanche talks in a condescending manner to Stella
“accusing me of it!”
Blanche’s words here are very revealing: as Stella has not spoken a word of reproach, it seems to be Blanche’s own guilt that drives this “hysterical outburst”
“I took the blows in my face and my body!” “I fought and bled”
the images of messy death, blood and physical pain proliferate in her speech: she talks about Margaret needing to be “burnt like rubbish” because of how swollen she was, the rattling breaths of the dying, the blood. Even in the post-war context, these images are gruesomely striking.
