A streetcar named desire quote bank

“faded white stairs ascend to the entrance”

Scene 1 - colour imagery, theme of death and heaven

“her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light”

Scene 1 - blanches”s contrast to setting, connotations of light

“she is faintly dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat”

Scen 1 - connotations of purity, costumery

“(he heaves the package at her)”

Scene 1 - masculinity, stanleys aggressivness

“(animal joy in his being is implicit in all his movements and attitudes)”

Scene 1 - animalistic imagery, masculinity

“not in my territory”

Scene 1 - animalistic imagery, masculitinty

“all of those deaths! the long parade to the graveyard!”

Scene 1 - blanches contrast to setting, melodramatic genre, theme of death

“blows in my face and in my body”

Scene 1 - connotations of war, links to context, theme of death

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2

“why the grim reaper had put up his tent on our doorstep”

Scene 1 - theme of death, extended metaphor struggles of blanche ,

“the boy - the boy died”

Scene 1 - struggles of blanche, theme of death, emphasises blanches trauma

“where were you? in bed with your Polak!”

Scene 1 - contrast between sisters, Blanche is narcissistic, racism

“where’s the little woman?”

Scene 1 - masculinity, sexism and de-value of woman

“crude images flashing into his mind and determining the way he smiles at them”

Scene 1 - masculinity, connotations of predator, foreshadows the devalue of women

“roughly dressed in blue denim work clothes…red stained package”

Scene 1 - costumery, connotations of animalism, masculinity

“look at these feathers and furs that she has come here to preen herself in! what’s this here? a solid gold dress, I believe!”

Scene 2 - symbols of wealth, Stanley envies the upper class, meta-costuming southern belle archetype,

“those are inexpensive furs that blanche has had a long time”

Scene 2 - stella challenging Stanley, stanley wants to dislike blanche

“[he hurls the furs to the daybed, he jerks open a small drawer in the trunk and pulls up a fistful of costume jewellery]”

Scene 2 - foreshadows later in play as Stanley destroys everything blanche has, animalistic imagery

“it looks like my trunk has exploded”

Scene 2 - Stanley’s invasion of Blanches space, foreshadows Stanley’s invasion of Blanche herself

“[she sprays herself with her atomizer, then playfully sprays him with it. he seizes it and slams it down on the dresser. she throws back her head and laughs]'“

scene 2 - blanche is invading Stanleys life with femininity, savage masculinity, uncalled for violence

“these are love letters yellowing with antiquity, all from one boy. [he snatches them up] give those back to me!”

Sene 2 - blanches internal suffering, importance of intimacy, Stanleys lack of emotions, links to impact of war

“[he rips of he ribbon and starts to examine them. Blanche snatches them from him and they cascade to the floor]. “

Scene 2 - letters symbolise Blanche, summary of the play,

“belle reeve should finally be this bunch of old papers in your big, capable hands!”

Scene 2 - synecdoche, reference to the working class,

“the blind are leading the blind!”

Scene 2 - foreshadows oncoming tragedy, that we can’t see

“the kitchen now suggests that sort of lurid nocturnal brilliance “

Scene 3 - gothic ideas, colour imagery, animalistic connotations, masculinity

“relatively dim with only the light that spills between the portieres and through the wide window on the street”

Scene 3 - light imagery, unsafe gothic atmosphere, masculinity,

“Stanley gives a loud whack on her thigh”

Scene 3 - sexual violence, threatening nature, masculinity, power

“that one seems superior to the others “

Scene 3 - Mitch as an anecdote to stanley

“"well you can hear me and I say hush up”

Scene 3 - malsculinity, power

“she has slipped on a dark red satin wrapper”

Scene 3 - sexual innuendo, virgin whore dichotomy

“sorrow makes for sincerity”

scene 3 - suffering leading to empathy

“im accustomed to having no more than one drink”

scene 3 - blanches duality

“take it easy stanley. easy fellow.”

Scene 3 - greek tragedy, animalistic imagery

“she backs out her sight. he advances and disappears. there is a sound of a blow”

Scene 3 - zoomorphic, aggressive language, greek tragedy

“her eyes go blind with tenderness”

Scene 3 - stella is blind to stanleys flaws, sexual desire

“catches his head and raises him level with her”

scene 3 -

“thank you being so kind I need kindness now “

Scenen 3 - contrast in relationships

“there is a confusion of street cries like choral chant”

Scene 4 - greek chorus, foreboding

“she has spent a sleepless night and her appearance entirely contrast with stella’s”

Scene 4 - sister contrast, foreboding

“he didn’t know what he was doing”

Scene 4 - violence is the norm in their relationship

“I was sort of thrilled by it “

Scene 4 - contrast in sisters, sexual desire

“honey would I be here if the man wasn’t married?”

Scene 4 - masculinity power, woemn’s status in society

“what such a man has to offer is animal force”

Scene 4 - animalism

“you still have sufficient memory of belle reeve to find these poker players impossible to live with”

Scene 4 - symbolising the contrast of the setting

“Stella has embraced him with both arms…over her head he grins through the curtain at blanche”

Scene 4 - loyalty for stanley and rejection of blanche, power and conflict

“darling step, I am spending the summer on the wing, making flying visits here and there…perhaps ill take a sudden notion to swoop down on Dallas!”

Scene 5 - semantic field of birds is irony as symbol of freedom, contrast to sense of entrapment. She symbolises illusion. traditional roles of gender

“ive run for protection Stella from one leaky roof to another leaky roof”

Scene 5 - fragility of blanche, reliance on men, foreshadowing

““I don’t listen to you when you are being morbid!”

Scene 5 - blanche is truthful but Stella won’t listen, she isn’t heard"

“young man!…you look like a young prince out of the Arabian nights?”

Scene 5 - delusional mind of blanche, predatory and prey, uncomfortable for the audience, ambivalent response

“but I’ve got to be good and keep my hands off children”

Scene 5 - modern tragedy, ambivalent response, Blanche’s tormenting past

“utter exhaustion” “stolid but depressed”

Scene 6 - blanche’s and Mitch’s relationship is doomed to fail from the beginning

“is that streetcar named desire still grinding along the tracks at this hour?”

Scene 6 - reminded of fate and what is doomed to come for blanche , central motif

‘I simply couldn’t rise to the occasion…I did try!”

Scene 6 - Mitch and blanche’s relationship is doomed to fail, even though they are trying

“[there is a considerable silence between them]”

Scene 6 - suggests lack of sexual relationships is destructive, makes it uncomfortable for the audience

“I don’t like these stories and I think your supply man was mean and rotten to tell them”

Scene 7 - Stella standing up for blanche and dismissing stanley

“blanches singing is heard in the bathroom”

Scene 7 - invasion of space, even when blanche isn’t present she is there, deception as Stella and stanley are talking about her so close by

“making a pig of himself”

Scene 8 - animalistic imagery of stanley

“every man is a king! and I am the king around here so don’t you forget it!”

Scene 8 - reminded of patriarchal society, stanley as toxic masculinity, aggressive

“its going to be alright when she goes… the way that is was”

Scene 8 - stanley blaming his violence on blanche, he sees blanche as the villain, ironic as we know their relationship was flawed before she came o Elysian Fields

“nobody, nobody was tender and trusting as she was. but people like you abused her and forced her to change”

Scene 8 - Stella can see what has happened to blanche, past tormenting the present

“I pulled you down off them white columns and how you loved it”

Scene 8 - ideas of class, southern gothic, stanley superior for marrying Stella just because she is a woman

“she has on her scarlet satin robe”

Scene 9 - virgin whore dichotomy, stagecraft

“he ignores it and pushes past her into the flat”

Scene 9 - his attitude is completely different, influence from stanley, sympathy for blanche

““the dark is comforting to me”

Scene 9 - shows her insecurity and hiding her truth, conflict with Mitch who likes light

“he tears the paper lantern off the light bulb, she utters a frightened glance”

Scene 9 - Mitch is seen as Stanleys shadow, metaphor for attempted rape

“tarantula was the name of it…that’s where I brought my victims”

Scene 9 - dramatic dialogue, hyperaware of society

“after the death of Alan all of the intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart with ….hunting for protection”

Scene 9 - both predator and prey, links to idea on reliance of men

“flores flores flores para los muertos flores flores”

Scene 9 - Mexican woman personifies death, portal between life and death

“never inside I didn’t lie in my heart…”

Scene 9 - fragmented language as she loses grip on reality, increasingly isolated

“death..the opposite is desire”

scene 9 - irony as desire leads to blanches death,

“what ive been missing all summer”

Scene 9 - attempt to rape her is a shadow of stanley, stage craft, foreshadowing what is coming,

“satin evening gown” “tiara” “flowery dress”

Scene 10 - metacostuming, props characterise her as childlike

“soiled” “crumpled`’ “scuffed”

Scene 10 - semantic field of destruction, foreshadowing what is to come, presents her as victim,

“spectral admirers”

Scene 10- presents her oncoming madness, suggest want for acceptance, present complexities of her character

“close the curtains before you undress any further”

Scene 10 - presents her as prude and proper

“I always break these ut on special occasions! the silk pyjamas I wore on my wedding nigh”

Scene 10 - unnerving as it likens to consummation of marriage, southern gothic

“lurid reflections…grotesque and menacing form”

Scene 10 - southern gothic, setting moves into the mind of blanche

“she smashes a bottle on the table and faces him the broken top”

Scen 10 - stagecraft, cause deformity links to southern gothic, futile

“she sinks to her knees. stanley picks her inert figure and carries her to the bedroom”

Scene 10 - silent resignation indicates utter defeat,

“we’ve had this date set from he beginning”

Scene 10 - fate, final destruction of the old south

“the poker players..who sit around the table”

Scene 11 - parallel to scene 3, public display and humiliation of blanche

“I couldn’t believe her story and carrying on living with stanley”

Scene 11 - Stella doesnt listen, cycle of suffering, cruel and betraying scared of becoming like blanche

“I shall die of eating an unwashed grape.. buried at sea”

Scene 11 - water imagery links to her baths, links to religion, contrast to reality of the mental asylum,

“clean white sack”

Scene 11 - parallel with the white bodice in scene 1, purity

““varsuoiviana faintly plays…drums play softly”

Scene 11 - building soundscape creates impending danger

“must we go through that room”

Scene 11 - fear of men, nervousness, trauma

“please don’t get up i’m only passing through”

"Scene 11 - blanches character still remaining, symbolising her time at Elysian Fields

“the echo sounds in threatening whispers”

Svene 11 - alliginig blanche with the audience, real sense of terror

“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”

Scene 11 - ironic as she has repteadely been hurt by strangers, being delivered to her death

“Eunice places the child in her arms”

scene 11 - the baby places blanche, stella’s chair is to stay a mother

“she sobs with inhuman abandon”

Scene 11 - melodrama, absolutely heartbroken,

This game is a seven card stud”

Scene 11 - equilibrium is restored, obliteration of those who don’t conform