Scene 2 Quotes Flashcards
(9 cards)
Symbol of bathing
SD “Blanche is bathing”
Stella “She’s soaking in a hot tub to quiet her nerves. She’s terribly upset.”
Stage Directions and Stella
-Blanche bathes to remove her guilt.
-Blanche is most dominant/safe in the bathroom through the use of proxemics as Stella and Stanley are in the bedroom. - She also bathes to rejuvenate herself.
Blanche’s insecurity
“admire her dress… That’s important with Blanche. Her little weakness!”
Stella
-Theme of femininity and dependency.
-Blanche depends on ,ale validation on her looks, despite her Southern Belle status.
-Blanche’s hamartia is her constant seeking of male validation, denial of the past, and inability to adapt to her surroundings.
Theme of masculinity
“in the state of Louisiana we have the Napoleonic code according to which what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband and vice versa.”
Stanley
-Louisiana and Napoleonic code = French heritage, linking to Blanche and Stella.
-Masculinity - Stanley asserts his dominance by claiming Belle Reve was his due to it being Stella’s affaris.
-Stanley states that what belongs to the wife, belongs to the husband and “vice versa” disregarding what belongs to the husband belongs to the wife.
Reality vs appearance
Stanley “feathers and furs… A solid-gold dress… Fox-pieces!… Genuine fox fur-pieces… The treasure chest of a pirate!… Pearls!”
“Diamonds! A crown for an empress!”
Stella “A rhinestone tiara she wore to a costume ball.”
Stanley “What’s rhinestone?”
Stella “Next door to glass.”
Stanley and Stella
-Femininity - Blanche keeps these pieces to retain her social status which she tries to project as if she is rich - Fantasy vs reality as most of these accessories are fake.
-Stanley uses metaphorical language which emphasises the value of these.
-Stanley is less educated, as he doesn’t know what rhinestone is.
Masculinity
“You’re simple, straightforward and honest, a little bit on the primitive side”
Blanche
-Masculinity - Blanche assimilates Stanley’s masculinity to an animal, claiming he is “primitive” suggesting his sexual desire is animalistic.
Sexual desire
“If i didn’t know that you was my wife’s sister I’d get ideas about you!”
Stanley
-Sexual desire - Stanley implies he would be attracted to Blanche if she weren’t Stella’s sister. - Reinforces sexual tension between Stanley and Blanche.
-Stanley’s dialect and shortened phrases allude to his lower social status and lack of education in comparison to Blanche’s metaphorical and enunciated lines.
Masculinity
“our improvident grandfathers and uncles and brothers exchanged the land for their epic fornications”
Blanche
-Masculinity - shows how men have managed the land of Belle Reve and reduced it to the house “itself and about 20 acres of land”. - “epic fornications” is ambiguous, is this sarcastic?
Past vs present
“These are love letters, yellowing with antiquity… Now that you’ve touched them I’ll burn them!”
Blanche
-Blanche is holding onto the past and her previous love affair with Alan who ended up being gay and killing himself. She is attached to him.
What is this scene usually called and why?
The scene of two duets - it shows two duets between Stella and Stanley & Blanche and Stanley
