1) Through his violent outbursts and physical actions. He hurls dishes to the floor in anger to "clear the table". He also seizes Stella's arm in a threatening manner. 2) Through his aggressive language directed at Stella and Blanche. He yells insults at them and asserts his dominance over them. 3) By contrasting his anger with Stella's vulnerable reaction. While Stanley stalks out smoking, Stella begins to cry weakly, highlighting his overpowering anger towards her vulnerable state.

2. Scene 1
Extract 1:
She continues to laugh. BLANCHE comes around the corner, carrying a valise. She looks at a
slip of paper, then at the building, then again at the slip of paper and again at the building.
Her expression is one of shocked disbelief. Her appearance is incongruous to this setting.
She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl,
white gloves and hat, looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party in the
garden district. She is above five years older than STELLA. Her delicate beauty must avoid a
strong light. There is something about her uncertain manner, as well as her white clothes,
that suggest a moth.
Eunice: (finally) What‟s the matter honey? Are you lost?
Blanche: (with faintly hysterical humour) They told me to take a streetcar named Desire,
and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at – Elysian Fields.
Eunice: That‟s where you are now.
How does Williams make Blanche‟s entrance in “streetcar” so striking in extract 1?
Word classes:
In this extract, particularly in the stage directions Williams uses lots of concrete
nouns to really give Blanche‟s entrance a sense of realism.
E.g. Williams thoroughly describes Blanche‟s appearance and clothing using concrete
nouns, such as “earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat”. The fact Williams uses lots
of concrete nouns to describe Blanche could be to suggest that her appearance
becomes significant later in the play and also to make her entrance in the beginning
of the play more realistic for the audience, so they really get an idea of just what
Blanche is like, right from the beginning of the play.
Williams also uses an abstract noun when talking about Blanche‟s “delicate beauty”. I
think this presents her as someone who is very pretty yet fragile at the same time,
very much like a doll or a fairy. She may look beautiful from the outside but there
could be something deeper inside of her that makes her a delicate person.
Throughout the stage directions Williams uses adjectives the modify the concrete
nouns describing Blanche‟s appearance. Again I feel these adjectives such as “a
fluffy bodice” help to create a really vivid image of Blanche and her entrance.
Williams also uses many adverbs to describe Blanche‟s behaviour and actions more
effectively. For example, “with faintly hysterical humour” gives a sense of something
not being quite with her humour and I think the two words “faintly and hysterical”
almost contradict each other and the two words together don‟t quite make sense
which could actually be a reflection of Blanche‟s behaviour being not quite right. As
traditionally acting in a hysterical way would mean being affected by an extreme
uncontrollable emotion and as a result means you become very loud and draw

3. attention to yourself, whereas here Blanche does this subtly. Another way of viewing
this word is looking at in the context of the play
Other Notes:
The fact that Williams establishes from such a early stage in the play that Blanche‟s
“appearance is incongruous to the setting” suggests that this idea of her appearance
being very odd may become significant later in the play. Following on, the quote
also shows that right from the beginning of the play Blanche is perceived as an
outsider to the New Orleans setting and in this instance the sense of her not fitting
her is reflected through her appearance and the fact she is dressed as if she were to
go to a “cocktail party”. The pearl earrings and white gloves connote a person of a
higher class and instantly produce a representation of Blanche being somewhat
“more posh” than her current surroundings of New Orleans.
In this extract there is an example of alliteration as the stage directions indicate
Blanche is “daintily dressed”. The repeated use of the soft consonant “d” suggests
Blanche as a delicate and almost fragile person. This idea is later supported by the
quote her “delicate beauty”. Again this idea of her being daintily dressed links back
to my earlier point of her almost being seen as “doll-like” with beauty on the outside
dressed in pretty clothing, yet underneath her clothes she is a fragile person.
Throughout the stage directions there is a semantic field highlighting Blanche‟s
instability and Williams uses words such as “delicate”, “uncertain manner”,
“incongruous”, “hysterical humour.”
Essay Question – How does Williams make Blanche’s entrance so striking in this
extract?
“Her appearance is incongruous”. The use of the adjective “incongruous” instantly suggests
an idea of Blanche‟s appearance being very odd and as this idea is established very early on
in the play, it could suggest that this idea becomes significant later on in the play. Following
on, this quotation also shows that Blanche is perceived as an outsider in comparison to the
New Orleans setting and in this instance the sense of Blanche not fitting in is represented
through her appearance. For example Williams describes Blanche‟s appearance in a lot of
detail using many concrete nouns such as the “earrings of pearl” and “white gloves”. The
fact Williams uses lots of concrete nouns to describe Blanche could be to suggest the
importance of Blanche‟s appearance later on in the play and also to make her entrance more
realistic for the audience, so they really gain a vivid idea of just what Blanche is like, right
from the beginning of the play.For example, This is effective as the audience can already
begin to build up opinions and attitudes towards Blanche and her behaviour. Williams
modifies the concrete nouns by using adjectives which work to create a vivid image of
Blanche, for instance, “a fluffy bodice”. Here the lexis, “earrings of pearl” and “white gloves”
are also significant as these concrete nouns connote a person of a higher class and instantly
produce a representation of Blanche being somewhat “more posh” than her current New
Orleans settings and fits the idea of her appearance being “incongruous” to the setting.

4. As well as using concrete nouns to describe Blanche, Williams also uses abstract nouns to
describe Blanche‟s appearance. For example, he describes Blanche‟s “delicate beauty”. I
think this presents Blanche as someone who is very attractive yet fragile at the same time,
very much like a doll or fairy. She may look beautiful from the outside but there could be
something deeper inside of her that makes her a vulnerable person. The idea of her being
beautiful could also be represented through her “white gloves” as the use of the adjective
“white” could connote the idea of purity and being very innocent, again like a doll or a fairy.
Within the stage directions there is an example of alliteration as Williams‟ indicate Blanche is
“daintily dressed”. The repeated use of the soft consonant “d” suggests Blanche as a
delicate and almost fragile person. This idea is supported by the quote recognising Blanche‟s
“delicate beauty”. Again this idea of her being “daintily dressed” links back to the earlier
point of Blanche almost being seen as “doll-like” with beauty on the outside dressed in
pretty clothing, yet being a vulnerable, fragile person inside.
Williams uses many adverbs to describe Blanche‟s behaviour and actions more effectively, in
more detail. For example, “with faintly hysterical humour” gives a sense of something not
being quite right with Blanche and the adverb “faintly” and the verb “hysterical” almost
contradict each other and the two words don‟t quite make sense when reading it in today‟s
context which could actually be a reflection of Blanche‟s strange progression of behaviour
throughout the play. As traditionally, acting in a hysterical way would mean being affected
by an extreme uncontrollable emotion and as a result you become very loud and draw
attention to yourself, whereas here Blanche does this subtly which could show her trying to
hide her behaviour from others.
Throughout the stage directions there is a semantic field highlighting Blanche‟s instability
and Williams uses lexis such as “uncertain manner” and “incongruous” to describe Blanche‟s
appearance and behaviour. The fact that Williams establishes Blanche‟s instability and
uncertainty from very early on in the play could be to suggest its importance later on in the
play. Blanche‟s uncertain behaviour is also recognised by some of the characters very
quickly as Eunice uses an interrogative, “What‟s the matter honey? Are you lost?” This
shows that Eunice has already recognised Blanche‟s uncertainty within these new
surroundings and this idea of Blanche‟s instability is established very early on in the play and
its significance carries on as a theme as the play progresses.

10. Question: Write an entry to Blanche’s diary about the happenings of the
night (extract 1).
I’m totally stunned about the events of this astonishing and eventful night.
My beautiful sister has been the victim of this outrageous attack and outburst of violence. I
still cannot understand how a man who claims to love a women as much as Stanley does,
can turn on her for no apparent reason and treat her in such a way that she is scared to be
near him. Not only is it a horrifying act but it is made 10 times worse by the fact that my
beloved sister is carry his first precious child and maybe their only child after the incidents
of tonight – well that’s what I believe should be the punishment of this despicable assault.
He does not deserve to be with my sister for any longer she is precious and needs to be
looked after by someone who loves her dearly and meets her every need. She should of
never got involved with this animalistic man who is worthy of her.
Not only was I terrified by his acts but Stella left me speechless too; Stella, Eunice and I were
at Eunice’s place upstairs recovering from the shock of Stanley’s actions. All of a sudden we
could all hear Stanley shouting for Stella, Eunice went out and told him he should give up as
Stella wasn’t giving in ‘this time’ (that comment made me ridiculously uneasy ‘this time’!!).
However Stanley continued to pursue Stella shouting and shouting, I sat on the edge of
Eunice and Steve’s bed – which may I say, I didn’t want to think about too much, I was
petrified for what he might do if we kept ignoring him. I was willing myself not to think
about it, ‘concentrate on making sure Stella was ok’ I kept saying to myself, I was thinking
about where we would sleep and attempting to keep myself busy too block out the
horrendous noise coming from that nasty, vicious man outside.
Whilst I was getting a nice, relaxing bit of liquor I didn’t notice Stella leave, if I hadn’t been
so selfish thinking about myself she would never have gone out there, maybe then she
would have come with me sisters together again. But no she’d gone out in the Quarter –
with – him. I could hear him saying sweet words to her, a long list of apologies and excuses.
As soon as I noticed she had gone I ran outside, down the stairs and they were nowhere to
be seen. I turned towards the apartment – the light was on in the bedroom, I knew what
was happening, I hope she sees the real him one day and realises I was right, that she can do
so much better! I saw Mitch out in the Quarter, again he seemed awfully charming and we
again had a pleasant conversation but that’s a another story for another day!

11. Creative writing: Write a dialogue between Mitch and his mother which
occurs after this scene (extract 2).
Mitch arrives home after his encounter with Blanche. He enters and whist taking off his coat
and shoes his mother calls out from another room.
MOTHER: is that you Mitch?
MITCH: yes (in a lower and quieter voice) sorry did I wake you.
MOTHER: it is ok son, I couldn’t sleep anyway (coughs violently)
MITCH:erm well, there was a little incident, nothing out of the ordinary anyway (walking
into the kitchen)but its all sorted now.
MOTHER: oh ok then sweet heart, are you in the kitchen?
MITCH: yes
MOTHER: could you –
MITCH: already making you one.
MOTHER: aw, what would I do without you?
MITCH: (saddened tone, out of mothers ear shot)no, what will I do without you.
Mitch enters his mother’s room with a hot drink, he helps her sit up in bed whilst she
continues to cough violently. He then rests on the end of her bed and confides in her.
MITCH: mother (hesitates) can I ask you something?
MOTHER: go right ahead.
MITCH: I – I’ve met a erm –
MOTHER: (enthusiastically)a young women?
MITCH: (embarrassed but very happy) yes, she’s wonderful mother so innocent and natural
(smiling)
MOTHER: go on.. what does she look like?
MITCH: she has short hair with a beautiful wave in it (full of eagerness and getting excited)
she’s quite a bit smaller than me and she’s quite petit and cute, she is just perfect?
MOTHER: well –
MITCH: you don’t like the sound of her do you?
MOTHER: let me finish, I was going to say she sounds lovely but you have failed to tell me
this young ladies name.
MITCH: Blanche, Blanche DuBois, she’s Stella sister.
MOTHER: and where does this Blanche come from?
MITCH: she comes from Laurel and was a teacher there.
His mother’s face has brightened ever since she has seen how happy Mitch has been whilst
talking about Blanche, yet she still has a pale and frail look.
MOTHER: well, she sounds great Mitch when you next see her, you be sure to tell me all the
details. We will talk more in the morning, I’m getting tired now.
MITCH: ok well we can talk over breakfast. (whilst helping her lay back down in bed)
MOTHER: Ok night son, I love you.

13. Scene
5

14. Scene
6

18. Scene 8
How does Williams show Stanley’s anger in this extract?
Extract 1-
Blanche- Apparently Mr Kowalski was not amused.
Stella- Mr Kowalski is too busy making a pig of himself to think of anything else!
Stanley- That’s right, baby.
Stella- Your face and your fingers are disgustingly greasy. Go and wash up and then help me clear the table.
He hurls a plate to the floor
Stanley- That’s how I’ll clear the table! (he seizes her arm.) Don’t ever talk that way to me! “Pig – Polak –
disgusting – vulgar – greasy!” – them kind of words have been on your tongue and your sister’s too much are
around here! What do you two think you are? A pair of Queens? Remember what Huey Long said – “Every man
is a King!” And I am the King around here, so don’t forget it! (He hurls a cup and saucer to the floor.) My place
is cleared! You want me to clear your plates?
Stella begins to cry weakly. Stanley stalks out on the porch and lights a cigarette. The Negro entertainers
around the corner are heard.
Discourse- of class superiority- your fingers and face are disgustingly greasy- physical revulsion?-
Stella from higher class than Stanley
Word Classes / Register Syntax
Informal- ‘baby’ – shows Stanley’s Imperative- ‘go and wash up and then help me
comfortableness clear the table’- Stella becoming superior to
Adjective- ‘disgustingly’- patronising, Stella Stanley
becoming a little superior to Stanley so he has to Asyndetic- ‘Pig – Polak – disgusting – vulgar –
reassert his authority greasy!” shows his anger, completely
‘he hurls a plate to the floor’- explosion of violence spontaneous, so angry he can not use ‘and’- shows
‘He seizes her arm’- Bully like behaviour impoliteness
lists nouns and adjectives Exclamatory- Stanley’s outburst of anger ‘!’ harsh
‘Every Man is a King’- two nouns- ‘man’ and ‘king’ contrast to the smooth talking of Blanche’s parrot
shows complete superiority to Stella- says it after story previously- represents his personality-
asking S and B if they thought they were ‘a pair of cannot predict what he will do next.
Queens?’ they are not on the same level. Comes back to the imperative- ‘don’t ever talk that
Adverb- ‘weakly’ – shows Stella’s complete way to me!’- reasserting his authority
vulnerability. Contrast to Stanley’s lighting of a
cigarette- disregard for her feelings.
Verb- ‘stalks’ – animalistic features once more,
stalking his prey, features of a rapist?
Vocabulary / Phonology Figurative Language
Semantic fields- superiority- switches from Stella Symbolism ‘Pig!.....Polak!.....disgusting…..vulgar…..
to Stanley greasy!’- discourse of class inferiority (Stanley)
Alliteration- ‘Pig….Polak!’- creates harsh tone-
shows his pure anger- spitting the words out- P is a
hard consonant sound

19. Scene 9
SCENE 9 Essay Question: Analyse scene 9, how is the grammar used
effectively? What other techniques does Williams use?
Here is an extract from Scene 9. (96)
Blanche: ‘My, my, what a cold shoulder! And a face like a thundercloud! And such
uncouth apparel! Why, you haven’t even shaven! The unforgiveable insult to a lady!
But I forgive you. I forgive you because it’s such a relief to see you. You’ve stopped
that polka tune that I had caught in my head. Have you ever had anything caught in
your head? Some words, a piece of music? That goes relentlessly on and on in your
head? No, of course you haven’t, you dumb angel-puss, you’d never get anything
awful caught in your head!’
This extract is from scene 9, where Mitch has just arrived to see Blanche and he is
acting very differently. She talks a lot in this part, answering her own questions and
talking on and on, it seems to be rushed. This extract is effective because of the
grammar used. The Noun ‘thundercloud’ is effective as it is used as a simile to
describe Mitch’s facial expression. The noun creates very dark, unhappy, angry
connotations. Which is powerful because this is how Mitch appears to be. The
adjective ‘uncouth’ describes how Mitch is. It is effective as it is a contrast to how he
was acting before, this adjective makes us believe he is now abrupt, coarse and
distant towards Blanche, it also demonstrates the distraught Blanche’s past brought
to Mitch. ‘Cold shoulder’ is irony, as Mitch is a guest to the house, and yet is giving
Blanche the cold shoulder. ‘You dumb angel-puss’ This is effective grammar
because these are low- frequency lexis words that were possibly only used at the
time of the play. However the words are still effective and make it seem like she is
describing Mitch as Looney and she is accusing Mitch to have tricked her that he is
trying to convince her of something that is not true. Blanche uses the conjunction
word ‘and’ which creates a list like effect. It adds emphasis to what she is noticing
about him. This extract is particular good in showing the effective grammar usedas it
is portraying Blanche’s reaction to the changes she has noticed in Mitch. She seems
quite shocked here and in this extract you can see her refined language compared to
Mitch’s plain-speaking language. He adapts his register to talk to her.
Another extract in scene 9 (98) shows how the grammar is effectively used.
Blanche: …’why it’s a liqueur, I believe! Yes, that’s what it is, a liqueur! (Mitch
grunts). I’m afraid you won’t like it, but try it, and maybe you will.
Mitch: ‘I told you already I don’t want none of his liquor and I mean it. You ought to
lay off his liquor. He says you’ve been lapping it up all summer like a wild-cat!’

20. Blanche: ‘What a fantastic statement! Fantastic of him saying it, fantastic of you to
repeat it! I won’t descend to the level of such cheap accusations to answer them,
even.’ Here, we see Mitch playing on what Stanley has told him about Blanche.
Mitch uses lots of grammar beginning with ‘L’ This is alliteration. ‘liquor, lay, liquor,
lapping’ it is repeated sound of a particular consonant. So this words sound harsh
and hard. This grammar creates a sense of mocking Blanche and shows Mitch as
being strong and dominant in the conversation as he is not using any soft words.
Also in this extract, Blanche uses repetition on the adjective ‘fantastic’. Doing this is
effective as shows there is atmosphere as she is being sarcastic towards Mitch. It
also begins with a consonant, and therefore is also a harsh sound. This could show
that the atmosphere between Blanche and Mitch is quite tense and awkward at the
moment. The adjective ‘cheap’ is a short, strong-sounding word that Blanche uses
towards Mitch. This again reinforces the tense atmosphere between the two which
makes it effective. The noun ‘liquor’ is effective in this extract because we know it is
alcohol and by being used more than once refers to Blanche being hooked onto this
specific type of alcohol. We know she has been looking around for liqueur and by
Mitch using this word against her, shows her problem of drinking. Using the noun
‘liqueur’ seems to be a cover for Blanche. It is her way of avoiding why Mitch has
really come to see him. This noun also creates atmosphere in the scene because by
her finding the liqueur is not solving Mitch’s problem, and it foreshadows the
negative consequences of their relationship. As shown there are many adjectives
and nouns in this extract that reveal a lot and are effective in the scene.
The final extract I would like to look at which shows how grammar is used
effectively in scene 9 is (102)
Mexican Woman: ‘(softly) corones…’
Blanche: ‘-and on the way back they would stagger on to my lawn and call-
“Blanche! Blanche! – The deaf old lady remaining suspected nothing. But sometimes
I slipped outside to answer their calls…and later the paddy-wagon would gather
them up like daisies…the long way home…’
This extract is taken from the end of scene 9 where Blanche is reminiscing and her
mind is being taken back to her past. It is almost like she is telling a story about what
happened to her. The Mexican woman plays a key part in this scene and is very
effective in this particular extract.The noun ‘corones’ is Spanish for Chorus/Choir.
This is an effective noun because the connection between chorus and death reflects
the grim prospects of Blanche's emotional release. We can recognize that in this
extract Blanche has wandered into a trance, she is unknowing of her surroundings
and having the Mexican woman talking about particular nouns, such as ‘flowers’ and
‘death’ is seen as effective as it could symbolize Blanche releasing her inner
emotions. The noun ‘paddy wagon’ is low frequency lexis. We would refer this to
meaning ‘a police van’ and here it is referring to Blanches ‘suitors’ not being about to
escape. By talking about this, whilst in her trance, foreshadows her insanity at this

21. moment. ‘gather them up like daisies’ this simile is effective as it contrasts with what
Blanche has been discussing. The noun ‘daisies’ is completely different to death
which is what Blanche is talking about, therefore this noun stands out. The verb ‘to
gather’ is a high frequency word. It is a very common and usual word which makes
what she is doing seem like it happened often, which maybe scarred Blanche. It is
also effective as this could explain why her past keeps coming up as maybe it was
extremely traumatic.
I picked these three particular extracts to portray how grammar is used effectively in
scene 9. In scene 9, as well as the use of grammar there are other techniques that
are effective in making this a good scene.
From examining this scene I see that there are certain quotes that stand out due to
the grammar and technology used in them. For example, Blanche: ‘Mitch! You know
I really shouldn’t let you in after the treatment I have received from you this evening!
So utterly uncavalier! But hello, beautiful!’ I think this quote stood out to me because
it seems like Blanche is rambling on in anger but also in contrast she is very excited
and happy to see him. There is alliteration on the words ‘utterly uncavalier’ it makes
you think about the words in a deeper sense and it seems to accentuate the
meaning. After analysing this quote, I have recognized that there is a minor sentence
type, ‘But hello beautiful’ it almost seems as if she has completely lost her train of
thought and attitudes and welcomes him in. Williams includes this minor sentence at
the end to make Blanche seem softer and so that she ends on a positive. It could
show that she is weaker and just wants to please Mitch.
In this scene the use of grammar is used very well to make it an effective scene. In
this scene there is a lot of tension between Blanche and Mitch and the way the
grammar is used shows this and the atmosphere between them. Right from the start
of this scene, seems eerie and like something bad is going to happen at the end.

22. Scene 10
A Streetcar Named Desire Scene 10 analysis
Extract 1
It is a few hours later that night. Blanche has been drinking fairly steadily since Mitch left. She has
dragged her wardrobe trunk into the centre of the bedroom. It hangs open with flowery dresses
thrown across it. As the drinking and packing went on, a mood of hysterical exhilaration came into
her and she has decked herself out in a somewhat soiled and crumpled white satin evening gown and
a pair of scuffed silver slippers with brilliants set in their heels. Now she is placing the rhinestone tiara
on her head before the mirror of the dressing-table and murmuring excitedly as if to a group of
spectral admirers.
Blanche:How about taking a swim, a moonlight swim at the old rock-quarry? If anyone‟s sober
enough to drive a car! Ha-ha! Best way in the world to stop your head buzzing! Only you‟ve got to be
careful to dive where the deep pool is – if you hit a rock you don‟t come up till tomorrow…
How does Williams portray Blanche in scene 10?
How does Williams convey Blanche to be such a complex character?
Extract 2
They are both now inside the bedroom.
Blanche: I warn you, don‟t, I‟m in danger!
He takes another step. She smashes a bottle on the table and faces him, clutching the broken top.
Stanley:What did you do that for?
Blanche:So I could twist the broken end in your face!
Stanley:I bet you would do that!
Blanche:I would! I will if you…
Stanley:Oh! So you want some rough-house! All right, let‟s have some rough-house!
He springs towars her, overturning the table. She cries out and strikes at him with the bottle top but
he catches her wrist.
Tiger – tiger! Drop the bottle-top! Drop it! We‟ve had this date with eachother from the beginning!
She moans. The bottle-top falls. She sinks to her knees. He picks up her inert figure and carries her
to the bed. The hot trumpet and drums from the Four Deuces sound loudly.
How does Williams make this such a dramatic scene?
How does Williams make this such a shocking and revealing scene?

23. There are many ways in which Williams makes this scene so dramatic, particularly in the
extract given. This is through both his usage of language techniques and stage directions.
Furthermore, the actions of the scene themselves are powerful to such an extent that the
scene alone is extremely dramatic.
Firstly the extract opens with striking but simple sentence: „They are both now inside the
bedroom‟. The concrete noun „bedroom‟ is one with connotations which immediately
stimulate certain connotations, particularly when setting a scene with which Stanley is
involved; a character of a strong sexual nature, perhaps the most significant of these
connotations is sex, as the audience is aware that Stanley‟s nature is inextricably entwined
with his sexuality from previous conversation and behaviour. As a result of this, tension is
built as the audience cannot help but for it to cross their minds that the prevalence of
Stanley‟s urges is a possibility. In turn, the scene is made dramatic by this, due to the
audience being immediately engaged in feelings of tension at the somewhat potentially
uncomfortable initial atmosphere is created.
The initial sexual tension created by Williams is furthered as he uses various adjectives,
adverbs and verbs such as „bed‟ „hot‟ , „loudly‟ and „inside‟. Throughout the beginnings of the
scene, Williams creates the semantic field of sex through through his deployment of this
high-frequency lexis. When coupled with the effects of the opening narrative of the scene,
this semantic field enhances the already established elements of sexual tension. This is
achieved due to the fact that the audience‟s minds are being continuously filled with terms
which come with connotations of this topic. Overall, the dramatic level of the scene is raised
as this tension being created only causes the audience to ponder more so as to how this
such significant scene will end.
The way in which Stanley becomes ever more sarcastic throughout the scene not only
continuously created tension, but also in itself creates drama. This is due to the way in
which Williams conveys Stanley to being in complete control of the situation, for example at
the point he expresses the exclamation, “I bet you would do that!” . His usage of the verb
“bet” creates the impression that despite the clear levels of tension between him and
Blanche, as well as her frantic state, he is extremely calm. This is as his language choice
conveys him to being sarcastic – an attitude he would not have had he not felt in total
control of the situation. In turn, the scene is made all the more dramatic due to the fact that
the audience continues to question what will in fact happen between the pair of individuals.
This is particularly enhanced when coupled with the way in which the scene does in fact
end.
Stanley‟s sarcastic tone within the scene is more so apparent when examining such
statements he makes. For example, the interrogative sentence, “What did you do that for?” .
This is seemingly mocking of Blanche when considering the fact that she has just smashed a
bottle in a defensive gesture; magnifying Stanley‟s sarcasm. Furthermore, this interrogative
statement almost reveals his later discovered bad intent as the effect on the tone of Stanley
which it has enables the audience to believe he is essentially telling Blanche that regardless
of her attempts at defence, she is hopeless and powerless.

24. The clear defencelessness of Blanche when confronted with Stanley‟s intentions, completes
the drama of the scene. The verbs “cries” and “moans” are both used in the closing
moments of the scene to explain Blanche‟s reactions. These emphasize her helplessness as
well as stimulating an emotional response from the audience as they are forced to
empathize with Blanche. Particularly due to the fact that the verb “moans” is used at the
climax of the great levels of tension that have been created throughout the scene.
Symbolism is apparent within the final stage directions to strengthen this impression that
Blanche has no hope of escaping Stanley‟s sinister behaviour. The way in which “ the bottle-
top falls” is debatably representative of Blanche in the sense that it falls at the same time as
she is finally overpowered by Stanley.
In conclusion, there are many way in which Williams makes this scene 10 so dramatic,
noticeably in the extract given. Williams uses many language techniques to create certain
impressions upon the audience which only add to the great levels of drama and tension
within the scene.