Stanley - Quotes

Violence/animalistic

“There’s even something—sub-human”; “something ape-like about him” (Blanche to Stella (within Earshot of Stanley) S4)

“You must have had lots of banging around in the army and now that you’re out, you make up for it be treating inanimate objects with such a fury!”

“Stanley hesitates, licking his lips” (S4)

“What such a man has to offer is animal force” (S4)

“BLANCHE: casting my pearls before swine STANLEY: swine, huh?” (S10)

“Survivor of the Stone Age” (S4)

Gender

“A pair of queens? Remember what Huey Long said—“Every man is a King!” And I am the king around here, so don’t forget it!” (Stanley S8)

'...What's this here? A solid-gold dress, I believe! ...What is these here? Fox-pieces! ...' -Stanley (Scene 2)

'richly feathered male bird among hens.' (S1)

Sexuality/desire

“[slowly] Lay . . . her cards on the table.” (Stanley to Blanche S2)
“Stell-lahhhh! . . . I want my baby down here. Stella, Stella!” (S3)

“Ha-ha! Rain from heaven! [He extends the bottle toward her] Shall we bury the hatchet and make it a loving-cup? Huh?” (S10 Stanley to Blanche)

“He kneels beside her and his fingers find the opening of her blouse” (S11, Stella and Stanley)

'The centre of his life has been pleasure with women, the giving and taking of it.' (S1)

“Low animal moans” (s3)

“the coloured lights” (S8)

Class

“how right you was” (Stanley overplaying dialect, to Stella)

“you run out and get her cokes” (S7 Stanley to Stella)

“maybe he’s what we need to mix our blood with now that we’ve left Belle Reve”

Deception/illusion

“Under cover of the train’s noises, Stanley enters” (S4 eavesdropping)

family

“He is with her now, supporting her with his arm, murmuring indistinguishably as they go outside” (S9)

corruption

when you’re swindled under the Napoleonic code I’m swindled too. And I don’t like to be swindled. (S2 to Stella)

“I am...one hundred percent American, born and raised in the greatest country on earth and proud as hell of it.” (S8)

“We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning” (s10)

Costume

“Brilliant silk pyjamas”

“red-stained package”; '“roughly dressed in Blue denim work clothes” (S1)

“colored shirts, solid blues, a purple, a red-and-white check, a light green..” (s3)