Kelso High School

1. Kelso High School A Streetcar named Desire by Tennessee Williams

2. Scene Eight • This is a disjointed scene with changes of mood from embarrassment to violence, to a pathetic attempt at normality, to Stanley’s brutality, ending with Stella’s abrupt departure for the hospital. For Stella and Stanley the focus now shifts away from Blanche’s distress • The very shortness of this scene, with its quick changes of mood, adds to the dramatic tension

3. Why is Stella’s departure important? • Stella’s departure to the hospital leaves Blanche alone in the apartment for the next two scenes with tragic results • Stella’s labour pains therefore symbolise danger for Blanche

4. Characterisation: Stanley • Stanley’s rude table manners symbolise not only his primitive qualities but also his desire to upset Blanche and Stella • Stanley smashing the plate symbolises his potential for violence and foreshadows his violent behaviour in the rest of the play

5. Characterisation : Stanley • Stanley’s reaction to Blanche calling him “a Polack” symbolises his deep frustration that Blanche views herself as superior • Stanley’s birthday ticket to Blanche – a one way ticket back to Laurel – symbolises his cruel tendencies and his vicious nature • Stage Directions – “grunts”, “stalks” – remind us of his animalistic nature

6. Stagecraft • The occurrence of the Varsouviana music after Blanche receives the bus ticket shows that she is beginning to lose control again. Stanley’s cruel action has pushed her over the edge

7. Language • As Stella becomes angrier, her grammar becomes more formal. As Stanley grows angrier, his grammar becomes sloppier and he begins to speak in sentence fragments. This is symbolic of both the class and the intellectual divide between them