Scene One: Tragedy Ideas

Literature in English: Cambridge International GCSE A Streetcar Named Desire, topic 2.1.2

Scene One: Tragedy Genre

Here are some key ideas that relate to the idea of tragedy:

There is the wider tragedy of an unequal society in America, where certain ethnic groups are not given the opportunities of others.

A character like Stanley who seems ultra-masculine and takes on many male social traits, such as drinking and gambling, seems likely to suffer a fall of some kind in the future.
His actual Polish heritage seems distant: he is a new American trying to make his way in a growing economy.

Blanche seems very cagey about her past and reasons for moving to New Orleans.
As the play progresses, we learn that she is not as confident as she first appears and that her narrative at the start is a lie.
Given this, her past may well catch up with her and she may face a tragic future. She may not face death (as in Classical or Shakespearean tragedy) but she may suffer another kind of horror.
We know that her life has already taken on some tragic elements e.g. the supposed death of her young husband.

Stella seems to be caught in the middle of two other very strong characters - Stanley (her husband) and Blanche (her sister).
She may find herself being a tragic victim as a result.

Considering the way the play is set up, the tragedy of this drama may represent a microcosm of wider, modern American during this period.

How is Stanley presented in Scene One?
What does Blanche seem cagey about in Scene One?
Which of these tragic components of Blanche's past life do we find out in Scene One?
Which two characters does Stella seem to be caught in between?