Essay Plans and summary Flashcards
Streetcar and malfi generic intro
Lawyer turn playwright
First staged in 1614 by the King’s m’en in Blackfriars theatre
Loosely based on true story of Italian Giovanna D’Aragon, Queen of Naples
Jacobean revenge tragedy
Tennessee williams a struggling playwright shocked audiences Southern gothic tragedy Written in 1947 Set in post war New Orleans Expressionistic drama
Give an outline of streetcar
Scenes 1-3
1) Blanche arrives in New Orleans where she waits in the Kowalski apartment for Stella to arrive. Stanley is surprised to see Blanche but accepts her staying in the household.
2) Stanley suspects Blanche of swindling him and Stella out of the Belle Rêve property. Stanley goes through her trunk, Blanche flirts with him, Stanley grabs the letters containing poems from Blanche’s dead husband.
3) Blanche and a Mitch talk in the bedroom and Blanche looks at the inscription on a cigarette case a girl who is now dead have to Mitch. Blanche asks Mitch to put a paper lantern over the light. Stanley throws a radio out of the window then Pablo puts him under a shower. Stella and Blanche go upstairs to Eunice. Stanley calls Stella’s name and Stella comes back downstairs he puts his head against her pregnant belly and carries her back into the apartment and they have sex
Give an outline of streetcar
Scenes 4-6
4) Blanche cannot understand why Stella went back to Stanley last night after he beat her. Blanche plans to ask Shep for money. Blanche gives her opinion of Stanley as an animal which he overhears but she doesn’t realise.
5) Blanche laughs about how she’s lord in her letter to Shep pretending she is a young care-free woman. Blanche and Stella hear Eunice and Steve arguing upstairs. Stanley hints he knows something disreputable about Blanche’s past in Laurel which scares her. Blanche talks to Stella about wanting to date Mitch. Blanche kisses a newspaper boy.
6) Blanche and Mitch arrive at apartment after hanging out in an amusement park and Blanche rejects Mitch’s kiss because she is playing role of a southern belle and remaining proper. Blanche tells Mitch to guess her weight. Blanche tells Mitch that Stanley acts intentionally rudely to her. Mitch talks about his sick mother who will die soon and Blanche says she knows about loneliness and explains Allan was a homosexual and killed himself.
Give an outline of streetcar
Scenes 7-9
7) Blanche is singing in the bath. Stanley tells Stella Blanche has been lying to them and he has uncovered her promiscuous lifestyle in Laurel. He says Blanche seduced men and got involved with a 17 year old. Stella says the stories might be true but Blanche had a traumatic experience with Allan when she was young. Stanley says he told Mitch and now Mitch definitely wouldn’t wnat to marry her. Blanche come out the bathroom aware something is wrong and she seems fearful.
8) Stella, Blanche and Stanley eat Blanche’s birthday dinner. Mitch hasn’t shown up. Stella says Stanley eats like a pig and he gets angry. Blanche calls Mitch’s house to find out why he hasn’t come. Stanley gives Blanche her present which is a one way bus ticket back to Laurel, Blanche runs and gags in the bathroom. Stella goes into labor.
9) Blanche is sitting alone in the Kowalski’s bedroom and she lets Mitch in. Mitch rips the lantern of the light and states Stanley told him the details of her life in Laurel. Blanche admits to sleeping with strangers but says when she met Mitch she was hoping he could offer he protection but Mitch says she was lying to him all summer. Mexican woman shows up. Blanche begs Mitch to marry her but he refusiez and says she isn’t clean enough so she tells him to get out and she yells fire fire
Give an outline of streetcar
Scenes 10-11
10) Stanley gets back from the hospital and finds Blanche all dressed in fancy clothes and she says she is going to Shep in the Caribbean on a cruise. She talks about Shep and then says Mitch and Stanley are swine for slandering her name. She makes up a story saying Mitch came pleading for forgiveness but she rejected shin and Stanley calls her out for lying and says she looks ridiculous in her crown and tiara. She tries to frantically call Shep. Stanley corners her and threatens her with a smashed bottle then carries her to the bed to rape her.
11) Stella has told Blanche she’s taking her to rest in the country but she is actually taking her to a mental institution. The men are playing polker and Mitch seems depressed. Stella says she couldn’t believe Blanche’s story and continue to live with Stanley. Blanche rambles about unwashed vraies and the sea. The matron shows up for Blanche, Stanley rips the paper lantern, Mitch tries punch Stanley and collapses at the table sobbing, Stella cries and Stanley comforts her as Blanche is taken away.
Give an outline of the Duchess of Malfi
Acts 1-3
Act 1:
1) Duchess hires Bosola to look after her horses after Ferdinand requests her to do so.
2) Ferdinand and Cardinal tell Duchess not to secretly remarry, although she plans to.
3) Duchess proposes and marries Antonio
Act 2:
1) Duchess forced into early labor by Bosola’s apricot trick
2) Duchess gives birth to baby boy
Act 3:
1) Ferdinand confronts the Duchess in her bedroom at night and vows to punish her
2) After Ferdinand leave the Duchess orders Antonio to go to Ancona with her jewels and wait her
3) Thé Duchess pretends to fire Antonio after which Bosola wins her trust when he sticks up for Antonio. Duchess reveals to Bosola that Antonio is her husband.
4) Bosola, knowing everything, sends the Duchess to Loretto with Cariola and her children.
5) The Duchess and her family are banished from Ancona by the Cardinal
6) D and A split up, D and Cariola and two of her children are captured by Bosola and taken to Ferdinand
Give an outline of the Duchess of Malfi
Acts 4 and 5
Act 4:
1) Ferdinand psychologically tortures the Duchess and makes her believe he has murdered Antonio and their children
2) Ferdinand parades mad men around the Duchess
3) Duchess is executed (ordered by Bosola)
Act 5:
1) Antonio, unaware of the Duchess’ death in Milan, asks Delio of the chances of him and C&F recoiling
2) Antonio visits Cardinal later that night
3) Doctor describes Ferdinand’s strange disease. Cardinal reveals to Julia why he is melancholy (bc his sister has been killed although he pretends it wasn’t him) and then makes her kiss a poisoned bible.
4) Outside the Cardinal’s home, Antonio and Delio speak with a ghostly echo coming from the Duchess’ grave.
5) Bosola vows to protect Antonio but then he mistakes him for the Cardinal (who is threatening to kill Bosola) and accidentally kills him.
6) Bosola stabs the Cardinal. Ferdinand rushes in and stabs Bosola and the Cardinal. Bosola stabs Ferdinand. They all die and Delio enters with Antonio’s son who will be heir.
Presentation of masculinity
1) male characters are cold and calculating, despite the fact they were contextually perceived as superior.
- Bosola
- Cardinal with Julia ?
- Stanley
2) masculinity is threatened by female characters
- Mitch betrayed
- Stanley feels he lacks power
- Ferdinand turns insane because of incestuous desires to Duchess
- Duchess blunts Ferdinand and Cardinal’s torture by keeping her integrity
3) masculinity is cruel and violent
- Stanley bus ticket
- Ferdinand mad men scene
5) masculine figures presented as sexually driven
6) male characters
