Critics Flashcards
Arthur miller and “the tragedy of the common man” in a relation to a streetcar named desire
•Arthur Miller’s 1949 essay, “Tragedy and the Common Man,” challenges the classical idea that tragedy is only reserved for “nobility and kings”
•He argues that ordinary people “ is as apt a subject for tragedy as kings” and can be tragic heroes, as long as they are willing to fight for their dignity, even if they are doomed to fail
•Applying Miller’s concept of modern tragedy to A Streetcar Named Desire, we can see how Blanche DuBois functions as a tragic figure, despite being an ordinary person rather than a noble heroine because
•According to Miller, a tragic hero is not defined by social class but by their internal struggle—they must have a desperate need to maintain dignity and a willingness to fight against forces that seek to diminish them.
•Blanche is not a noble figure in the traditional sense, but she comes from a once-aristocratic Southern family. She has lost that wealth and status, making her a common person trapped in an extraordinary downfall.
•She embodies the modern tragic figure because she is fighting for her own self-worth and identity, rather than a grand political or moral cause.
•Her fight is against reality itself—she desperately clings to illusions of beauty, romance, and refinement because accepting the harsh truth of her life would destroy her sense of self.
•Miller states that “tragedy is the consequence of a man’s total compulsion to evaluate himself justly.” Blanche’s tragedy comes from her inability to do this—she refuses to see herself as she really is and instead constructs a fantasy version of herself to survive. •However, the modern world (represented by Stanley) destroys that illusion, leaving her broken.
How about John McRae? On theatrical language
•” Tennessee Williams introduces a new kind of theatrical language” in order to be clear in his depiction of Blanche, the world she finds her self navigating and the plays themes
•TW is very deliberate in his construction of setting and characters
John McRae quote on the papers of belle reve
•”The dead hand of the past catching up with the future”
•He is referring to the paper work of belle reve
•Blanche cant outrun her past it will catch up to her
John McRae on the rape scene
• Scene 10 is one of “palpable tension” for McRae
•It is where past present and future conflate
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