STREETCAR NAMED
DESIRE
Tennessee Williams
EXPLORING THEMES
Analyse the passage given to you regarding each theme.
Identify and analyse a SECOND passage which also highlights the
same theme.
CHANCE, RISK, DECEIT
 Opening of scene 3 – pg 24-25 – poker game
 Scene 11, pg 82 – Stanley talks of luck “you know what luck is…”
TRUTH VERSUS ILLUSION
Scene 9 – pg 73 – illusion of big spider “…my
victims..” – black widow / tarantula
VIOLENCE & CRUELTY
Scene 3 pg 31 – Stanley smashes the radio / then
hits Stella
PRIMITIVE VS CIVILISED
Scene 2 pg 20 – Blanche tells Stanley he is
primitive
DESIRE AND PASSION
Scene 4, pg 40 – Stella and Blanche
discuss the streetcar
Scene 8, pg73 – “intimacy with strangers
was all ….”
LONELINESS
Scene 3, pg 25 Mitch says you are all married but
I’ll be alone when she goes…
Opening scene, Blanche arrives alone…
THE PAST
Scene 6 pg, 56 Blanche opens up to Mitch “he was just
a boy….”
Blanche’s death speech
Stella says to Stanley “you didn’t know her”.. When
she was a child.
Blanche opens up to Mitch about her past…
DEATH
Scene 11, pg 85 – the death at sea speech by
Blanche
THE SOUTH
Scene 4, pg 41 – Blanche puts down Stanley
saying “there has been some progress since then…”
– talking to Stella
SURVIVAL
Scene 5, pg 45 – Blanche says to Stella – I was
never hard or self sufficient enough …
MADNESS
Scene 8, pg 69 – Blanche whispers to herself….
Speaking Spanish…
Scene 10 and 11…
LOVE AND ROMANCE
Scene 3, pg33-34 – contrasts the kind of ideal
romance Blanche wants – Stanley and Stella’s love is
visceral / physical / passionate / dysfunctional?
Blanche wants romance, fantasy… “magic”…
EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN
Scene 3 pg31 – Stanley goes after
Stella
Pg 26 – women excluded from poker
night…
MARRIAGE
Scene 6 pg 56 Blanche tells Mitch about her
marriage to Alan..
POWER AND CONFLICT
Scene 8 pg 65 – Stanley shows power –throws his
plate, “I am the king around here”…
DISAPPOINTMENT
Scene 11 pg 86 Blanche disappointed the doctor
is not Shep Huntleigh
Stella is disappointed at the end. So is Mitch…
C O N S T R U C T YO U R OW N PA S S AG E BA S E D E S S AY Q U E S T I O N S
 With close reference to this passage, discuss how Williams’ uses
dramatic techniques to present his ideas on _____[insert own theme].
SCENE ___[insert own scene]
__________[insert own extract]_______
 Which words in this topic are ‘instructional’ words?
 What are other names for ‘dramatic techniques’?
• ANALYSING
• What dramatic and
literary devices are
used in the text
• UNDERSTANDING
• Key idea, meaning,
message in the text
• CREATING
• In what ways would or
could reader’s respond
to these ideas
Theme
explored
Presented
through
techniques
Reader’s
response
Author’s
attitude
•
•
EVALUATING
What does this show
about the author’s
attitude, in your opinion.