Williams won a Pulitzer
Prize for this play
A Streetcar Named Desire
The play opened on December 3,
1947
And closed on December 17, 1949
 Tennessee Williams’
personality is
manifested in the
characters of Stanley,
Mitch, Stella and
Blanche
Painting by Thomas Hart Benton
Play originally called POKER NIGHT
ELIA KAZAN
 1909-2003
 Film and Stage Director
 Directed both the original
stage version and film
version of STREETCAR
 Founding member of The
Actor’s Studio
 Inspired natural and deep
performances from a
variety of actors.
 Films stress conflict
between individual and
society, guilt and duty
STANLEY KOWALSKI
“Man is by instinct a lover, a hunter
and a fighter . . .”
-The Glass Menagerie
A twenty-four year old brutish “alphamale”- operates purely on instinct.
Loyal to his friends and passionate to
Stella, his wife.
Super Objective: protect his home and
hearth and “bring home the meat”.
Inspired by Tennessee Williams’ own
father.
Blanche Dubois
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“I don’t want realism. I want
magic!”
Older sister of Stella, she has run
out of life in Mississippi and
comes to New Orleans
A former beauty queen and High
school English Teacher
Blanche Dubois appears in the
first scene dressed in white, the
symbol of purity and innocence.
She refuses to see herself as she
is but instead creates the illusion
of what ought to be.
The female “Hamlet”
A unique combination of
Tennessee, his mother and his
sister.
Stella (Dubois) Kowalski
Sister of Blanche
DuBois
Wife of Stanley
Kowalski
Stella is a Southern
lady
She is independent of
mind, young and fair
lady
Stella