A Streetcar Named Desire Scenes

Scene 1 (Blanche's Arrival)

-The Elysian Fields is established with many different street sounds e.g "red hot"

-Stanley throws Stella the meat showing his primitive, masculine ways.

-Blanche arrives very out of place , delicately dressed. Eunice lets her in.

-Blanche feels uncomfortable in the messy, small apartment, but drinks whiskey.

-Stella bursts in and embraces her sister. Blanche condemns the living condition and moans at Stella for being quiet.

-They argue over Belle Reve and Stella's lack of support.-Stanley returns from bowling with his friends and notes the depletion of the whiskey.

-Stanley takes off his sweaty shirt in front of Blanche to make her uncomfortable. He asks her about her marriage and she faints.

Scene 2 (Stanley Suspicious)

-Stella tells Stanley she is planning on taking Blanche to the French quarter while he plays poker (Blanche is having a bath)

-Stella tells Stanley that Belle Reve is lost and reminds him not to tell Blanche about her pregnancy.

-Stanley is annoyed and wants to see the bill of sale because of the Napoleonic code.

-He goes through Blanche's suitcase commenting on her fine clothes and jewellery. Stella tells him they are cheap/fake.

-When Blanche enters in a red dress she asks Stan to do her buttons up, he refuses and brushes her off her fishing for compliments.

-Stan demands to see BD's papers of sale while Stella goes to the drugstore. Stella manhandles Blanche's love letters but eventually finds Belle Reve was generally lost on a mortgage. He is sheepish and reveals that his wife is pregnant.

-Stella returns and is shocked that Blanches knows she is pregnant. The men arrive for the poker game

Scene 3 (Poker Night)

-The poker game starts in nocturnal brilliance.-Stella and Blanche return and Blanche is very self conscious about her appearance, especially around the men.

-Stanley slaps Stella on the thigh when she asks him to stop playing after this hand.

-Blanche takes a certain interest in mitch as he is different to the others. Yet Stanley is the one most likely to succeed.

-They turn the radio on, but Stanley turns it off. Mitch flirts with Blanche when they meet by the bathroom.

-They discuss his dead girlfriend and the lampshade.

-Mitch and Blanche begin to dance. Stanley throws the radio out the window and strikes stella violently.

-Stella goes to Eunice's apartment for safety while the boys put Stanley is the shower to calm him down.

-Stanley goes out onto the street and calls out for his baby stella. She gazes at him, falls into his arms and then they go home to have sex.

Scene 4 (Stanley the Ape)

-Stella is lying peacefully in bed when Blanche arrives angry at her for forgiving Stanley and sleeping with him.

-Stella explains that although might be violent she finds him thrilling. Blanche suggests they plan to escape but Stella is happy to stay.

-Stella says BD saw Stan at his worst but she has seen him at his best.

-Blanche proposes that old beau Shep could provide money for she and Stella to escape and begins to compose a telegram to him. Stella laughs at her. Blanche says that she is broke, and Stella gives her five dollars of the ten that Stanley had given her that morning as an apology.

-Stella says BD saw Stan at his worst but she has seen him at his best. Things that happen during sex make it ok, but Stanley says Streetcar (area) and living lustfully is no way to live.

-Blanche rants about Stan being rude and primitive, without realising Stanley has returned. Stella runs to him and he grins at Blanche.

Scene 5 (Blanche Breakdown / Newspaper Boy)

-Blanche writes fabricated stories to Shep about parties with Stella.

-Steve and Eunice are heard fighting. Eunice accuses Steve of sleeping with another woman, and she cries out when he hits her. After a clatter and crash of furniture, Eunice runs downstairs, screaming that she is going to call the police.

-Stanley comes in and says that Eunice is getting a drink at the Four Deuces, which Stella says is much more "practical" than going to the police. Steve comes downstairs with a bruise on his head, asks for Eunice, and when he learns where she is runs to the bar to find her.

-Stella and Blanche are tense but try to banter.

-Stanley says that Shaw knew Blanche from the Hotel Flamingo, a disreputable establishment. Blanche attempts to dismiss the accusation lightly, but she is visibly shaken. Steve and Eunice return arm-in-arm to the building. Stanley leaves for the Four Deuces, saying that he will wait for Stella there.

-Blanche becomes conscious of the gossip about her in regarding Laurel and talks about losing BR.

-Stella gives Blanche an alcoholic coke at request and then spills it on her.

-Blanche is irritable because she is worried about Mitch's impression of her on dates.

-Stella tells Blanche that everything will work out, and she runs off to join Stanley at the bar at request with Eunice and Steve, leaving Blanche alone in the apartment.

-As Blanche waits for Mitch, a Young Man arrives, collecting subscriptions for the Evening Star newspaper. Blanche flirts with the boy, offering him a drink, and attempts to seduce him, calling him a young Arabian prince. She kisses him on the mouth but then sends him on his way. A few moments later, Mitch arrives with roses, which she gushes over. This suggests she has a lot of desire.

Scene 6 (Date Night)

-Blanche and Mitch have just returned from an amusement park in the early hours. both are strained and tired. Mitch apologises for not entertaining her enough that evening, but Blanche tells him that it was her fault. She says that she will be leaving the apartment soon. Mitch asks if he can kiss her goodnight, and Blanche says that he needn't ask permission. Mitch says that he asks because Blanche stopped him from becoming too familiar before, and Blanche says that a single girl must be careful not to get "lost."

-She lights candles and suggests that they pretend to be Bohemians in Paris. She asks if Mitch speaks French, and when he says that he doesn't, she teases by asking in French if he will sleep with her. Mitch says that he wants to leave on his coat because he perspires, but Blanche insists that he be comfortable, and she removes it. Blanche admires Mitch's strapping physique, and he boasts about his physical regimen.Mitch lifts Blanche up, declaring her "light as a feather," and, while his hands are around her waist, begins to embrace her more tightly. She gently lies, declaring that she has "old-fashioned ideals" while rolling her eyes out of Mitch's sight.

-When Mitch asks where Stanley and Stella are, Blanche explains that they are out with Eunice and Steve. Mitch suggests that they all go out together, but Blanche demurs. Blanche asks Mitch what Stanley thinks of her, explaining that she is convinced that Stanley hates her. Mitch says that Stanley probably just doesn't understand her.

-Blanche launches into a somewhat hysterical rant against Stanley and the tiny maisonette Mitch interrupts to ask how old she is. Blanche asks why he wants to know, and Mitch explains that his Mother knows about her and wants him to be settled before she dies. She tells Mitch about her first husband: she married him while the

Scene 7 (Birthday Party Expose)

-Stanley comes into the kitchen to find Stella decorating for Blanche's birthday. Blanche is taking yet another bath to soothe her nerves, which Stanley mocks. Throughout the scene, Blanche's singing of the popular song "Paper Moon" is heard in counterpoint to Stella and Stanley's conversation. Stanley sits Stella down to tell her all the details he has heard about Blanche. Shaw, a supply man for his company who travels to Laurel frequently, has supplied Stanley with this information. Stanley tells Stella that Blanche was living at the disreputable Hotel Flamingo and had developed such a scandalous reputation that the hotel had kicked her out. Her home had even been declared off-limits to soldiers in the nearby military base.

-Stanley reveals that Blanche was not taking a leave of absence from school on account of her nerves, but that she had been fired after having an affair with a seventeen-year-old student. At first, stella doesn't believe Stanley, making the excuse that Blanche has always been "flighty." She explains away some of Blanche's psychological instability on account of her tragic marriage. Stella begins poking candles into the birthday cake, saying that she will stop at twenty-five. Stanley tells her not to expect Mitch at the party, claiming that he felt it was his duty to tell Mitch about Blanche. Stella is shocked, exclaiming that Blanche thought Mitch would soon marry her.

-Stanley says that he has bought a one-way bus ticket for Blanche to go back to Laurel. Then he bellows at Blanche to get out of the bathroom. Blanche enters the room in a gleeful state, but her mood quickly darkens as she feels the tension in the air, even when Stella says that nothing has happened. The piano offstage goes into a "hectic breakdown."

Scene 8 ( Birthday Party Fallout)

-Stanley, Stella, and Blanche are finishing the dismal birthday supper. There is an empty fourth place at the table, meant for Mitch who did not show. Blanche tells a lame joke about a parrot and a priest, but no one laughs. Stanley pointedly eats a chop with his fingers. When Stella reprimands him, he throws his dishes on the floor, declaring that he is sick of Blanche and Stella's queenly ways and that he is "King of the House." Stanley slams out of the apartment to the porch, and Stella begins to cry. Blanche asks her again what Stanley had said while Blanche had been bathing, but Stella refuses to tell her.

-Blanche rushes to the phone to call Mitch, even though Stella tells her not to. Stella goes out to Stanley on the porch, and he holds her in his arms, telling her that things will go back to the way they were once Blanche leaves. The telephone rings and Blanche expects that it is Mitch, but it is one of Stanley's friends. When Stanley returns, he tells Blanche that he has a birthday present for her and gives her the bus ticket to Laurel.

-The Varsouviana polka rises in the background. Blanche tries to smile and laugh, but she crumples and rushes into the bathroom, gagging. Stella reproaches Stanley for treating Blanche so harshly, saying that Blanche is a soft creature who has been abused and hurt throughout her life.

-Stella demands to know why Stanley has been so cruel to Blanche. He says that Stella thought that he was common until he took her off her pedestal, and then things were wonderful between them.

-A sudden change comes over Stella, and she tells Stanley to take her to the hospital--she has gone into labour. Stanley instantly leaves with her, murmuring softly.

Scene 9 (Mitch and Blanche Argument)

-It is later that night. Blanche is sitting in her red satin robe in the bedroom. The Varsouviana polka music can be heard from offstage. The stage directions say that the music is playing in Blanche's mind and that she is drinking to escape it.

-Mitch, unshaven and dishevelled, rings the doorbell. The polka stops. Blanche hurriedly puts on powder and perfume and hides the liquor before letting Mitch in. She greets him with a hectic and excited chiding and offers a kiss, but he refuses and stalks past her into the bedroom.

-Mitch asks Blanche to turn off the fan. She offers him a drink. Mitch says that he doesn't want Stanley's liquor, but Blanche replies that she has her own. She wants to know what is the matter, but says she won't press Mitch about it. The polka music begins again, and she is agitated. Blanche says that the music always stops when she hears a gunshot. Blanche and the audience hear a shot, and the music stops. Mitch doesn't hear anything.Blanche pretends to happen upon the liquor bottle in the closet and pretends that she doesn't know what Southern Comfort is. Mitch again refuses a drink, saying that Stanley says she has been drinking his liquor all summer.Mitch says that he's never seen Blanche in the daytime or in the light. He rips the paper lantern off the light bulb. Blanche gasps, crying, "I don't want realism. I want magic!"

-Mitch stares Blanche in the face. He says that he doesn't mind her being older than he'd thought, but he does mind all the lying. Blanche begins to deny it, but Mitch says he's heard the stories about her from three sources: Stanley, Shaw, and a merchant in Laurel.

-Blanche declares that all three men made up the stories out of revenge. But as she takes another drink, she breaks down into sobs. She admits that after her husband's death, the only solace and sense of protect

Scene 10 (The Rape)

-Blanche has been drinking steadily since Mitch left. She has dressed herself in a white satin gown and her rhinestone tiara. She stares at herself in the mirror and flirts with imagined suitors. Examining herself more closely, she catches her breath and slams down the mirror. It shatters.

-Stanley enters the apartment, slams the door, and gives a low whistle when he sees Blanche. Stanley is also drunk. He says that the baby won't come until morning, so the doctors sent him home to get some sleep.

-Stanley asks Blanche why she is so dressed up. Blanche says that an admirer of hers, Shep Huntleigh, has invited her to come with him on a cruise of the Caribbean in his yacht. Stanley mildly expresses his excitement, as though half-listening. He takes off his shirt, and Blanche tells him to close the curtains, but Stanley says that that is all he will undress for the time being.

-Unable to find a bottle opener, Stanley pounds a beer bottle on the corner of the table and lets the foam pour over his head. He suggests that they both celebrate their good news. Blanche declines the drink, but Stanley stays in high spirits. To mark the special occasion, he pulls out his silk pyjamas he wore on his wedding night.

-Blanche continues to gush about Shep, exclaiming that he is a cultivated gentleman, as opposed to the "swine" she has been casting her pearls to. Stanley's good humor suddenly disappears at the word "swine."-Blanche claims that Mitch had arrived that night with roses to beg her forgiveness. Stanley asks if Mitch came before or after the telegram, and Blanche is caught off guard.

-Stanley drops his affability and confronts Blanche, saying that he knows she has not received any telegram at all and that Mitch did not come by begging for forgiveness.

-Stanley mocks Blanche for dressing up in her glitzy attire, saying that

Scene 11 (Ending / Blanche Taken Away)

- It is several weeks later. Stella is packing Blanche's things. Blanche is in the bath. The men are playing poker in the kitchen, where the atmosphere is raw and lurid again.

-Eunice comes downstairs and into the apartment. Stanley is bragging about his good poker luck, and Eunice calls the men callous pigs.

-Eunice tells Stella that the baby is asleep upstairs, and the woman discuss Blanche. Stella says that they have told Blanche that they have made arrangements for her to spend time in country, but Blanche thinks she is going off to travel with Shep.

-Stella tells Eunice that she couldn't believe Blanche's story about being raped by Stanley, since if she believed it, she couldn't go on living with him. Eunice assures Stella that she has done the right thing and that she must move forward with her life.

-Blanche peeks out to check that the men won't see her when she comes out of the bathroom. She appears in the red satin robe. The polka music plays in the background. Stella and Eunice murmur appreciatively over Blanche. Blanche asks if Shep has called, and Stella tells her, "Not yet."Upon hearing Blanche's voice, Mitch's face and arms sag, and he lapses into a daydream.

-Stanley yells at him to snap out of it. The sound of Stanley's voice startles Blanche. Her hysteria mounting, she demands to know what is going on. Stella and Eunice soothe her, saying that Blanche is going on a trip. Eunice offers Blanche a grape, and Blanche launches into an odd, hallucinatory monologue about perishing at sea by eating an unwashed grape.

-As she speaks, a Doctor and Matron have come around the corner, and Stella and Eunice grow tense in anticipation. The Doctor rings the doorbell. Eunice answers and announces that a gentleman is calling for Blanche, but Blanche says that she is not quite ready yet.

-The polka plays faintly in