7.1.1

Tragic Ideas & Villain

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Ideas Relating to the Tragic Genre

Here are some ideas you could explore in relation to the tragic genre:

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Type of tragic text

  • The type of the tragic text - whether it is classical and about public figures, or domestic and about representations of ordinary people:
    • The tragic text is a dramatic tragedy.
    • The action is domestic.
    • The play is about a representation of ordinary people in 1940's America.
    • The play draws on some classical archetypes.
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Settings

  • The play is set in the post-World War Two period.
  • It is set over a period of weeks in the city of New Orleans.
  • The specific setting is Stanley and Stella’s apartment at Elysian Fields.
  • The street outside also forms a setting.
  • Several moments of action happen whilst Blanche is in the bathroom and is being discussed by others.
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Death of the tragic heroine

  • Unlike Classical and Shakespeare tragedies, this drama does not culminate in the death of the protagonist, Blanche DuBois.
  • However, what Williams offers Blanche is almost a fate worse than death – and one which peculiarly relevant and scary for the middle of the twentieth century.
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Flaws of the tragic heroine

  • Blanche’s flaw is her attempt to erase her past.
  • She is full of pride about her education and love of the good things in life, but she has compromised those.
  • Her folly was her decision to make love to a student whilst being a teacher and to ignite passion in both Stanley and Mitch
  • She is blind to the fact that she cannot re-invent herself and wants a quick fix.

Ideas Relating to the Tragic Genre

Here are some ideas you could explore in relation to the tragic genre:

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Role of fate

  • It may be that the nature of Blanche DuBois as a strong but also vulnerable woman determines her fate.
  • There may also be something fatalistic in the attraction Stanley has for Blanche, demonstrating the flaws in his own marriage.
  • Blanche’s lies about her past mean that her end is inevitable: her mental collapse began earlier in the play when she learnt that Stella was pregnant.
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Behaviour of the heroine

  • Everywhere Blanche goes, she appears to cause chaos and affect the lives of others.
    • In the past, this was at the school in Laurel.
    • In the present, this is with Stanley and Stella: Stanley is attracted to Blanche and he rapes her; Stella and Stanley’s marriage and future have been maimed by her presence.
    • Mitch has been hurt through his relationship with her.
    • The Young Man is confused about her actions.
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Moments of humour and happiness

  • There are some jokes and moments of comedy in the play to relieve the tension.
    • We see the possible happiness that Stella and Stanley might have with their baby.
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Revenge

  • The audience notes that Stanley is, in fact, trying to get his revenge to discover the truth about Blanche.
  • Stanley is a violent figure, seen through his attack of Stella and his rape of Blanche DuBois.
  • Mitch also attempts to sexually assault Blanche.

Presentation of the Tragic Villain - Stanley

Through a certain lens, Stanley can be seen as a tragic villain. Stanley works to uncover the truth about Blanche’s past – on the way, ruining her chances with Mitch.

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Blanche's opponent

  • Stanley is Blanche’s opponent. He is her opponent because he believes that she is lying to him and her sister, Stella.
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Torn between love and hate

  • Despite his hatred of Blanche, Stanley is also sexually attracted to her, which is purposeful on Williams’ part, showing that we can both love and hate at the same time.
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The rape

  • The drama culminates in the revelations Stanley makes and his raping of Blanche.
  • The rape causes Blanche to descend into madness. Her end different from Classical or Shakespearean tragedies, where death marks the end of the tragedy.

Jump to other topics

1Context & Overview

2Scene Summaries

3Character Profiles

4Key Ideas

5Writing Techniques

6Critical Debates

7Ideas About Tragedy

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