Overview
Synopsis
Explosive, passionate, and heartrending, A Streetcar Named Desire is modern American theatre at its best. When fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois arrives on the doorstep of her sister Stella’s apartment building in New Orleans, she is unwittingly entering a lion’s den. Wounded by romantic abuses, loss, and dangerous mistakes, Blanche prefers her world kept in dim, flattering light, fuzzy at the edges. She is shocked by Stella’s simple existence, her new low-class habits, and most of all, her crude, simple husband, Stanley. Stanley is fierce and unpredictable, moving from violence to softness in an instant, and he and Blanche begin a cruel, sadistic dance where the only possible end is pain. With his signature poetic prose, muggy Southern Gothic setting, and psychological insight, Tennessee Williams’ mighty play, and his troubled, eccentric heroine, unravel before our very eyes.
Show Information
Context
Show Origins
Tennessee Williams first came to New Orleans in 1938 as an obscure young playwright. He fell in love with the city, particularly the French Quarter, where he would live at various times over the next 45 years. Williams was living there when he wrote A Streetcar Named Desire, only a half-block away from the Desire streetcar line. He infused the play with the vibrant multiculturalism of New Orleans, including its jazz tradition and racially integrated neighborhoods.
Many of
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The play opens on the exterior of Elysian Fields, a two-story building between the train tracks and the river in New Orleans. Jazz piano music wafts through the air along with muddled conversation. On the stairs outside the building are Eunice (Stella and Stanley’s upstairs neighbor and landlord) and an African-American woman, also a resident of the neighborhood. Stanley arrives with his pal, Mitch, and calls up to his wife Stella, who appears on the first floor balcony. Gruffly, he tosses
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Character Portrayals
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Monologues
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
THEMES
Reality versus Fantasy
Blanche can’t accept the circumstances life has dealt her, so she creates a fantasy life for herself as a defense mechanism. She lies from almost the minute we meet her, telling Stella she has taken a leave of absence from her teaching job because of her nerves. In reality, she was dismissed for having an inappropriate relationship with a teenage student.
By the end of the play, Blanche is so consumed with these fantasies that she can no longer
to read about the themes, symbols and motifs from A Streetcar Named Desire and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Quote Analysis
I don’t want realism. I want magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be the truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it!
[Blanche DuBois, Scene 9]
Blanche has been drinking to escape the sound of polka music in her mind. Having heard stories about Blanche, a disheveled Mitch arrived to confront her and demand to know the truth. He tells her he has never gotten a good look at her and demands to see
to read our analysis of select quotes from A Streetcar Named Desire and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Key Terms
The Actors Studio is a renowned New York–based membership organization founded in 1947, dedicated to training professional actors, directors, and playwrights. It is famous for developing and refining “Method Acting” under leaders like Lee Strasberg. Many legendary performers, including Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, trained there.
An act is a major division of a play, opera, or musical, typically separated by an intermission or pause. Each act often advances the story with its own rising action, climax, and resolution. Classical plays had five acts, while modern works more often use one, two, or three.
A mythological paradise used in drama to symbolize peace after death, as in Tennessee Williams' 'A Streetcar Named Desire'.
A character trait indicating excessive talkativeness, often used in comedies to highlight eccentricity or humor.
A heightened, emotional style of performance or storytelling that exaggerates plot and character traits. Melodrama is often associated with 19th century theatre and explores themes of good versus evil.
A subdivision of a play or opera defined by continuous action in one setting. Scenes help organize dramatic structure and transitions, often marked by changes in characters or locations.
A dramatic style set in the American South, focusing on decay, eccentricity, and moral failures, often using symbolism and grotesque characters.
Refers to Stanislavski’s acting method focusing on realism, emotional truth, and character motivation in performance.
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Guide Written By:
Kevan Dunkelberg
Oklahoma-based drama teacher, actor and playwright
