Summary of the scenes in “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams
Scene one:
Main characters: Stella and Blanche
 Stanley comes around the corner and alerts Blanche that he is going bowling with
mitch, Stella asks to watch
 Stanley throws up a piece of meat, hoping Stella catches it, she does. After they
leave to the bowling alley
 Blanche arrives in New Orleans, in disbelief, thinking she is in the wrong place
 She receives comfort off of Eunice that is in the right place, Eunice lets her into Stella
and Stanleys’ apartment, she waits for them to return as Eunice goes to alert them
of her arrival.
 Blanche pours herself a drink of whiskey, drinks it and covers her tracks
 Shortly, Stella arrives back.
 Blanche is condescending about Stella's house and her weight (unaware of the
pregnancy), whilst lying about the reason for being there as well as being vain,
fishing for compliments and talking about her weight in comparison
 Stella praises Stanley and her love for him
 Blanche is appalled by her living conditions, Stella is defensive and states that
Blanche is being dramatic.
 Blanche reveals the loss of Belle Reve and the financial matters that led to it. Stella
upset.
 Introduction to Stanley as a character, womaniser, crude sexual nature.
 Once asked about her previous marriage, she reveals she is a widow and begins to
feel sick
Scene two:
Main characters: Blanche and Stanley
 Blanche and Stella plan on going out for dinner
 Stella tells Stanley about the “loss” of Belle Reve, he demands answers and doesn’t
care how Blanche feels about it.
 Believes he is being “swindled” cheated out of a fortune.
 Stanley marches over to Blanches stuff and he studies it, stating that this is where all
of their money went, into the clothes and insisting he would have someone over to
evaluate the worth of all of it.
 Blanche and Stanley are left alone, Blanche flirting with Stanley fishing for
compliments. He calls her out on it and lets her know he does not fall for that sort of
thing, yet still demands to see the papers.
 Blanche hands over her papers to Stanley, who once again says he will have
someone study them.
 It is revealed that Stanley and Stella are having a baby
Scene three:
Main characters: Stanley, Mitch, Blanche, Stella
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The setting is a night of poker with Stanley’s friends, Steve, Mitch, and Pablo.
Stella and Blanche getting ready at the same time
Stanley riled up due to losing poker, taking it out on Blanche, turning off her music
despite being told not to by his peers.
Blanche and Mitch meet, mitch is taken a liking to her as he is seen as ‘superior’,
numerous fliting attempts and exchanges made.
Stella once again turns on the music, people dance, yet this angers Stanley and next,
he throws the radio out of the window.
Stella confronts Stanley in his drunken state, Stella is beaten.
Blanche and Stella insist on getting out of the apartment and moving upstairs with
Eunice.
Once Stanley regains consciousness, he pleads and begs for Stella back at the bottom
of the stairs.
Stella eventually comes down, the two disappear, implications to them having
‘make-up sex’
Scene four:
Main characters: Stella and Blanche
 Blanche discovers Stella has slept with Stanley after the row
 “why on our wedding night-as soon as we came in here- he snatched off one of my
slippers and rushed about the place smashing the light bulbs with it”
 Insist that she gets out of the house, away from Stanley whereas Stella is defiant
stating she doesn’t need to get away
 Brings class into the argument: “well, If you forgive me- he’s common!”
 Blanche explains Stanley as animal like, and rants about how her sister and him
should not be together
 Stanley enters, is not heard as a train passes, masking the sound of his entrance and
hears Blanches vulgar description of him
 He stays and listens for a while, until he finally announces himself
 Stella embraces him, almost to spite Blanche
Scene five
Main characters:
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Blanche claims to be writing a letter to ‘ Shep Huntleigh’, stating she’s a lair, and telling him
untrue information. Making her life sound a lot more glamorous than it is.
Eunice (the neighbour upstairs to the Dubois) and Steve are fighting. Eunice is saying that
she’s seen Steve with another woman, the fighting turns physical and she rushes out
screaming she’s going to call the police.
Stanley returns back from bowling, and asks what’s happened, he’s seen Eunice in the pub.
Steve comes out asking where she is, Stanley tells her.
Blanche enquires about peoples star signs, calls Stanley a goat as he is a Capricorn and states
she is under Virgo, which represents the virgin. Ironic as Stanley knows she is not and she
has a lot of sexual desire.
Immediately after, Stanley asks her if she knows someone named “Shaw” who was under
the impression he met her in Laurel, at the hotel flamingo.
Blanche is defensive and states she does not associate herself with places like that. She acts
as of nervous or faint.
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Steve and Eunice return, appearing to have made up. Stanley leaves.
Blanche turns to Stella and demands to know what she has heard about her.
Blanche reveals a little about herself. “I wasn’t so good the last two years or so, after Belle
Reve had started to slip through my fingers”.
She talks about her fading beauty, references to moth-like once again.
Blanche requests alcohol in her coke, stella obliges. Once done, Blanche begins to get
sentimental, to which stella does not approve.
Blanche feels nervous about seeing Mitch. She goes on a tangent about how little she’s
“given” Mitch as she wants his respect.
Stella leaves, a young man appears “collecting for the evening star”. Blanche begins flirting
with him. “you make my mouth water”, blue piano plays, “ I want to kiss you, just once,
softly and sweetly on your mouth”. ‘I’ve got to be good- and keep my hands off children”.
He appears dazed and walks away.
Scene six:
Main Characters: Mitch and Blanche
 Blanche and mitch return to the apartment after their date, after being to the amusement
park, the mood is sombre
 Mitch asks to kiss blanche and she insists that he doesn’t have to ask, yet he points out that
she had stopped him before. She later explains that a girl becomes “lost” if she does not
keep her urges under control.
 Mitch tells Blanche she is unlike anyone he’s ever met
 She explains to mitch that she has “old-fashioned ideals”
 Mitch states that he thinks Stanley doesn’t understand her
 Mitch asks Blanche how old she is, she is caught off guard and asks why he would want to
know
 She explains to mitch the story of the death of her young husband, she found him in bed
with an older man, and later he killed himself
 Mitch comforts her whilst she cries, and they kiss
Scene seven:
Main Characters: Blanche, Stanley and Stella
 The setting of Blanches birthday, awaiting
 Stanley enters the apartment and claims that he has something to tell Stella about her sister
 Goes on to reveal her past in Laurel, her being advised to leave laurel after her affair with a
17 year old along with the soldiers
 As well as her history at hotel flamingo, and her eventually being asked to permanently
leave
 Stella informs Stanley of Blanches young husband and her ventures after, causing family
problems
 Stanley reveals that he has informed Mitch of Blanches past and to expect him not to turn
 Stanley also reveals that he has bought Blanche a bus ticket to get out of their apartment
and back to laurel
 Blanche exits the bathroom
Scene eight:
Main characters: Blanche, Stanley and Stella
 Blanche comes to the realisation that she has been stood up and she “doesn’t know how to
take it …”
 Blanche tells a story to reduce the awkwardness in the air, and avoid thinking about the
absence of Mitch
 Stella says to Stanley that his is being rude and eating like a “pig”, as well as ordering him to
clear his plate and clear the table with her
 Stanley negatively reacts to this, throwing his plate at the floor and stating that he has the
power in the house, he is the “king”, upsetting Stella
 Blanche attempts to call Mitch, yet has to leave a message
 Stanley then talks to Stella again reminiscing there times along without Blanche, that is was
good and they could have sex freely without having to worry about Blanche hearing them.
 Blanche explains how she has baths for her nerves and attacks Stanley claiming he has no
feelings, and he is a Polack, to which he responds defensively saying he is proud to be born
and raised in America.
 Stanley presents his present to Blanche, she runs into the other room coughing after trying
to fake a laugh/smile. He then goes and get changed to go bowling, Stella demands to know
the answer to why he has brought this
 Once again Stanley refers to their relationship before Blanche lived with them and her
belittlement of him
 Stella suddenly starts acting strange, and asks Stanley to take her to the hospital as she has
gone into labour
 Once they leave , Blanche is left alone and mutters to herself “ el pain de mais”, describing
cornbread.
Scene nine:
Main Characters: Blanche and Mitch
 Blanche is sitting in the apartment alone, and is hearing the “varsouviana” music
 Mitch enters the apartment and Blanche is aware something is different with him/ has
changed.
 Mitch brings up the subject of not having seen Blanche in good lighting, and forces her under
light. Once done this he’s aware of her age.
 Mitch brings up what he has heard about Blanche from Stanley, she reacts defensively and
denies any allegations
 He tells Blanche that he has checked with three people, all of which have sworn it was true.
 Blanche goes on to confess of her sexual past, saying that it was all she could fill her empty
heart with. She also reveals her affair with a 17-year-old boy.
 Mitch gets upset/ angry and accuses Blanche of lying to him, blanche says she doesn’t want
reality she want “magic”
 Blanche then reveals her affairs with the soldiers by her house In Belle Reve
 Mitch alludes to wanting to have sex, to which Blanche responds “`Then marry me, Mitch!”,
yet he does not want to anymore because she is seen as not clean enough.
 Mitch sexually assaults her?
 Blanche screams “Fire!” startling him and getting him to exit the apartment
Scene ten:
Main Characters: Stanley and Blanche
 Blanche sits dressed up, speaks to herself, looks at herself in the mirror and this upsets her
so she smashes it
 Stanley enters the apartment and whistles at Blanche. Both are drunk, he carries several
unopened beer bottles and has had a few
 Stanley tells stella that the baby is due in the morning and its just them two for the night
 Blanche lies to Stanley saying she’s received a telegram off a former admirer, Shep
Huntleigh.
 Stanley opens a beer and suggests that blanche should join him for both of their good news,
the baby and the billionaire.
 Stanley goes to find his silk pyjamas which he only wear on special occasions
 Blanche claims that Mitch came by the apartment earlier begging for her forgiveness with
roses, but she turned him down.
 Stanley begins to attack, tearing down blanches lies and her make-believe world.
 Stanley goes to the bedroom, laughing, Blanche goes to try to make a call to shep but does
not reach him. Knowing she is in danger
 Stanley plays a game of chase with Blanche, lets her think she can leave.
 Stanley advances towards Blanche and she smashes a bottle on the table threatening
Stanley with it.
 He jumps at her and grabs her arm, and states “we’ve had this date with each other from
the beginning”
 She sinks to her knees, he picks her up and carries her to the bed, the pulsing music
indicates that he rapes Blanche.
Scene eleven
Main Characters:
 a few weeks later Stella is crying whilst packing Blanches belongings, she is taking a bath.
 Stanley and his friends are playing poker in the kitchen.
 Eunice comes down and calls the men callous, asks stella how the packing is going
 Stella tells Eunice they’ve arranged Blanche to spend some time in the country, but Blanche
thinks she is going to visit Shep Huntleigh.
 Stella tells Eunice she isn’t sure if she did the right thing but there was no way she could
believe Blanches story about Stanley’s rape and continue to live with Stanley
 The sound of Blanches voice sends mitch into a daydream, Stanley snaps him out of it.
 Blanche is very anxious about Stanley’s presence in the apartment, the women manage to
comfort her and keep her in the bedroom.
 The doorbell rings, Blanche thinks its Shep Huntleigh, but in reality it’s a doctor and nurse
 Blanche walks past the poker players anxiously as they stand uncomfortably.
 When Blanche realises that it’s a doctor, she attempts to retreat back into the apartment
 Stanley blocks Blanches way into the bedroom, Stanley tells the nurse to grab blanche
 Stanley tears down her paper lantern and hands it to her.
 Enice comforts Stella telling her she made the right choice, the doctor gets blanche.
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