Modern Drama - Streetcar of Desire

Modern Drama – Practise Essay[pic 1]

To what extent does this poster reflect your understanding of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire as modern drama?

A Street Car Named Desire is a modern drama play written by Tennessee Williams in 1947. This play deals with culture differences between Blanche DuBois, a relic of the Old South, and Stanley Kowalski, a rising member of the industrial, urban working class. Modern drama is the Western development of drama beginning in the late 19th century, most famously with the plays of Henrik Ibsen. Modern Drama reflects the lives of ordinary people and the playwrights use detailed stage directions. Tennessee Williams’ play reflects society post World War 1 in New Orleans. The poster is promoting the film and reflects, to an extent, the themes of the play well.

A recurring theme that can be found in A Streetcar Named Desire is the reflection of old America and the thriving new America of the immigrants. Blanche is penniless and Stanley is powerful and confident. There is constant conflict between reality and fantasy, actual and ideal. Blanche says "I don't want realism, I want magic.” This quotation resembles Blanche’s anxiety for something more in her life, in particular safety and reassurance from a husband. In the poster promoting the film, the specific colour of red has been chosen to provoke thought about Stanley’s passionate, powerful character. Blanche is depicted as fragile, gentile lady who is dressed differently to others in New Orleans. Blanche also states in Scene two: “A woman’s charm is fifty percent illusion.”  Her confusion throughout the play impacts her position with the Kowalski household. As her fantasy world breaks down and the reality of what she is becomes clearer to those around her it throws her into mental anguish.

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