1. Characterisation in “A Streetcar Named Desire”

2. Learning Objectives Explain how characters are created in plays.
Identify stereotypes in Streetcar
Explore speaking styles and convergence
Identify power relationships
Explore politeness and impoliteness strategies and their effects on face needs

3. Character Roles Protagonist Antagonist
Who is the main protagonist and who is the antagonist in A Streetcar Named Desire?

4. Creating Identity Appearance Background Behaviour Speech style
What?
How?
Appearance
Background
Behaviour
Speech style
Stage directions
Dialogue
Other characters observations and how they respond to each other

5. Comparing characters Stanley Blanche
Appearance: “peak of physical manhood”, primary colours: “power and pride of a richly feathered male bird”, shirtless
Background: immigrant family, working class
Behaviour: dominant, aggressive, competitive in sport and cards, sudden movements, coarse humour, cruel
Speech style: imperatives, lots of exclamation marks, impolite, won’t apologise, informal, simple vocabulary, Prosodics: holler, bellow
Appearance: wears white and pastel colours, “a delicate beauty”, aging
Background: well educated, “French by extraction”: family history through the Hugenots, wealthy until the the loss of Belle Reve and her reputation
Behaviour: tense and anxious (past traumas) “uncertain manner... suggests a moth”, insensitive to or resentful of Stella, escapist (alcohol dependency), vain/focused on appearances
Speech style: formal polite, uses literary references, philosophical ideas, grammatical accuracy

6. Comparing characters Stanley Stella Appearance: gentle
Appearance: “peak of physical manhood”, primary colours or shirtless, “power and pride of a richly feathered male bird”
Background: immigrant family, working class
Behaviour: dominant, aggressive, competitive in sport and cards, sudden movements, coarse humour, cruel
Speech style: imperatives, impolite, won’t apologise, informal, simple vocabulary, Prosodics: holler, bellow
Appearance: gentle
Background: wealthy, well educated but chose to leave and marry Stanley
Behaviour: forgiving of faults, weak/afraid: doesn’t tell Stanley that Blanche is coming, doesn’t stand up to him, flatters Blanche, little sister expecting to be looked after/led?
Speech style: formal polite, mildly reproaches Stanley

7. Stereotypes Prevalent societal view of what constitutes the genders:
Hegemonic masculinity
Hegemonic femininity
Melodrama: characterised by stereotypical characters, exaggerated emotions and language, morality and conflict

8. Exploring Conflict
Gender Conflict
Marital Conflict
Williams plays on gender stereotypes and hegemonic gender roles to create conflict between Blanche and Stanley. She values her looks, he values his sportsmanship. She gets what she wants through flirtation and manipulation, he is more direct and aggressive.
Stella and Stanley have different roles within their relationship and different expectations of each other. Consider how Stanley is bringing home the meat in the first scene, acting as the provider for Stella. When does the tension start?

9. Identify Stereotype
Complete Activity 15 on page 233 of the course book

10. Speaking in Verse or Prose
Elevated speech, signifying a character of higher rank, class or education.
This is a convention of Shakespearean plays
May signify lower rank if used in contrast to characters speaking in verse.
Equally, higher register prose contrasting a lower register can be used to signify different character traits or status.

11. Convergence of Speech
A speakers accommodation of other speakers means they adapt their speech and behaviours to match others’.
Upwards convergence: emphasising the prestige of standard forms
Downwards convergence: emphasising non- standard forms
Read page 228 of the course book.

12. Speech Styles
Idiolect: speech characteristic of a particular individual
Sociolect: speech characteristic of a particular society

14. Power Positional: status Knowledge: expertise affords power
Personal: influence drawn from charisma, admiration, fear etc.
Which kind of power do the main characters in Streetcar have?

15. Presenting Power
Stage setting and location: on whose territory is the scene set?
Body language; Proxemics and Kinesics: position on stage, dominance by height/stance, facial expressions, gestures etc.
Action: what happens and in what order

16. Identify Power Activity 18 on page 236 of the course book.
In stage directions
In language
Activity 18 on page 236 of the course book.
Read on page 236 and complete Activity 19.

17. Address
How characters address each other reveals their attitude toward each other.
Copy the key terms box on page 237 of the course book.
Complete Activity 20

18. Power Shifts
The downfall of the hero in a tragedy is presented through their loss of power.
Compare Blanche’s interactions with Stanley in Scene 2 and Scene 10.

19. Saving Face Positive Face Need: need to be appreciated
Negative Face Need: need to be independent
Face threatening Act: a speech act that may damage someone’s self esteem
Politeness strategies can be used to minimise the loss of positive face.

20. Character Analysis
Answer the questions on pages

21. Impoliteness Strategies
Insults
Dismissals
Condescension
Insincerity/ sarcasm
Non-verbal gestures (staring, not shaking hands etc.)

22. Polite and Impolite
Compare Mitch and Stanley’s interactions with Blanche (Scene 3, 9-10).