a streetcar named desire Flashcards
context of scene 1
one evening in may 1947 eunice is talking to a neighbour outside
stanley kowalski and mitch arrive on their way to go bowling
stanley throws some meat at his wife stella
blanche dubois (stella’s sister) arrives unannounced- eunice lets her in
blanche nervously drinks while waiting for stella
stella arrives sisters embrace but under tension
blanche tells stella about the loss of belle reve
stanley meets blanche with an uneasy atmosphere
blanche tells him about death of her husband
no
context of scene 2
sisters prepare to go out for dinner as stanley and his friends are playing poker in apartment
stanley is annoyed that stella won’t be home to give him a hot meal
stanley is furious about the loss of belle reve and talks about the nepolanic code
stanley opens blanches trunk and shows the jewellery which he thinks is too expensive to have from a teachers pay
stella is upset and runs out (all while blanche is having a hot bath)
blanche flirts with stanley but he refuses to compliment her
stanley demands to see the papers about loss of belle reve - he finds love letters from blanches dead husband
stanley tells blanche that stella is pregnant even though stella told him not to
blanche is upset as stanley ruined the letters
they leave and friends for poker night come
context of scene 3
early in the morning and the poker night is happening - men eat watermelon rinds and drink whisky
mitch is worrying about his sick mum
stella and blanche get back from their dinner and stella tries to ask if they can finish up
stanley slaps her thigh
blanche and mitch meet - blanche likes the fact he is different from the other men - she stands in the light so the men can see her in her underwear
they turn the radio on and stanley gets angry so turns it off
mitch and blanche dance together and play the music again and stanley throws it out the window - getting angry
stella tried to get people to leave as she sees how drunk he is and he charges at her
men leave and stella and blanche go to eunice’s flat whilst stanley gets put in the shower to sober up - then calls “stellllllaaaaaa” and the have sex
context of scene 4
stella is lying in bed in early morning
blanche has got no sleep as worried about events from the night before and is relieved to see stella safe but horrified they had sex
stella tried to explain stanley has violent moods and that it’s normal but blanche doesn’t have any of it - stella says it thrills her
blanche tries to think of ways to get her out of the situation but stella makes it clear she doesn’t want to - blanche tries to call shep huntleigh an old boyfriend of hers (who’s married) to get him to save them - stella tells her stanley gave her money to smooth things over
blanche has a long rant about how stanley is an animalistic figure - stanley comes home and overhears it without them knowing
context of scene 5
stella and blanche are in the bedroom and laughing about blanches letter to shep huntleigh - blanche lies about her summer and makes it out to seem fabulous (not like she just lost her job cuz she left with a minor)
steve and eunice have an aggressive fight and storm out - steve tries to find her and they reconcile quickly with love
blanche teases stanley about his star sign and how he acts - stanley has info on blanche about her summer and knows she’s lied so tries to catch her out - blanche then frantically asks stella who’s been talking about her - coke spills on blanche whilst she says she has overstayed her welcome - mitch and blanche are going on a date and she says she’s nervous
while blanche waits for mitch a newspaper boy comes and she kisses him then mitch joins her
context of scene 6
2am - blanche and mitch have just come back from date
blanche is exhausted and mitch is apologetic as it didn’t go v well
blanche tells him she’ll be leaving soon and he asks her if he can kiss her
blanche invites him in for a nightcap and suggests they pretend to be bohemians in paris
she asks him if he wants to sleep with her in french
mitch talks about his weight and going to the gym
mitch lifts her up and blanche asks him to unhand her - hes out of line
mitch suggests stella and stanley and them all go out but blanche says no
she goes on a rant about how stanley doesn’t like her
mitch interrupts to ask her age - which she never answers
he says his mum wants to know he’s settled down before she dies
blanche tells mitch about how her husband died and how he was gay and cheated
context of scene 7
has moved on 3 months since scene 6
stanley comes into kitchen seeing stella decorating for blanches birthday, blanche is having another bath to calm her nerves which stanley mocks and keeps singing paper moon
stella only puts 25 candles on the cake - goes along with blanches lie to mitch of her age
stanley sits stella down to tell her info he found on blanche, saying blanche had been living in flamingo hotel and had a scandalous reputation so she got kicked out
stanley doesnt sympathise with blanche but relishes in excitement of it
he also tells her she had an affair with a 17 year old student so was fired because of it - stella denies it and is in shock - mitch was invited to the bday celebrations but stanley tells stella he’s not coming as he told him about blanche info - stella thought mitch was gonna marry her
stanley gives blanche a bus ticket back to laurel as a ‘gift’ - she runs into the bathroom and throws up (is physically repulsed by idea of having to leave)
context of scene 8
stanley stella and blanche are finishing the bday dinner - it’s depressing as blanche has been stood up by mitch, stella is in shock about blanche info and stanley wants her to go
blanche tells lame joke about a parrot and priest and no one laughs, stanley eats food with his hands and stella tells him to stop and clean up, he throws his plate saying he’s sick of stella and blanches ‘queenly ways’ and that he is ‘the king around here’ - blanche asks stella after he leaves what he told her, stella doesn’t tell her
blanche goes to call mitch but stella tells her not to, stella goes to stanley outside and he tells her everything will be ok when blanche leaves
stanley complains about heat from bath and blanche tells him that pollacks wouldn’t understand - he replies he isn’t a pollack - and is 100% american
stella asks stanley why he’d be so cruel about the ticket
stella needs to go to hospital
context of scene 9
music plays in blanches mind late at night, she drinks to escape
mitch arrives and has been drinking too, blanche hides the alcohol as if pretending to mitch - she’s excited to see him but he isn’t as he’s pissed off
she offers him a drink but he says he doesn’t wanna drink stanley’s stuff as she has all summer, blanche talks about how the music in her head always stops when the gunshot comes (her husband killing himself)
mitch complains he’s never seen her in the light so rips the lantern and turns the light on which shocks her, mitch says he hates the lying she did and didn’t mind the fact she was older
blanche admits all her intimacies she had with strangers after alan died, blanche said she never lied in her heart
mexican woman comes selling flowers for the dead which scares blanche
mitch tries to have sex with blanche but she says they have to be married first - mitch says she’s not clean enough to bring in the house with his mother - blanche threatens to scream fire and does
context of scene 10
still later that night and blanche had continued to drink heavily, she’s in a white gown and tiara and is flirting with herself in the mirror with imaginary suitors
she catches her breath and the mirror shatters
stanley comes in who is also drunk, he said the doctors sent him home to get some sleep as the baby won’t come till the morning
blanche lies about going on a cruise with shep huntleigh which stanley sees straight through, stanley opens a beer and the foam pours out over his face and to mark the occasion he puts on his silk pjs from his wedding night
blanche lies about how mitch came back to beg for forgiveness - stanley confronts blanche and mocks her
she tries call the operator for help from stanley, he calls her a tiger and then rapes her
context of scene 11
a few weeks later stella is packing up blanches stuff, blanche is in the bath and stanley is playing poker with mitch and friends
stanley’s bragging about his poker luck
blanche thinks she’s going away with shep huntleigh but is actually being taken to a mental hospital
stella tells eunice she couldn’t believe blanches story of being raped by stanley and go on living with him
stanley yells which scares blanche, eunice offers blanche grapes and she launches into a rant about them being unwashed
enunice tells them that they’re here (lying to blanche) and blanche passes through telling the men not to get up - they all do apart from mitch
blanche sees it isn’t who she thought it was and gets scared - the matron grabs her and throws her to the ground, stella cry’s as she regrets what she’s done by sending her sister away, blanche gets calmed down by the doctor and says ‘whoever you are, i always depended on the kindness of strangers’
stella runs out of the house and cry’s - stanley joins her and unbuttons her top to touch her boobs
steve says this game is a seven card stud
