Summary of works
In front of a dilapidated apartment building in New Orleans, Blanche came to her sister Stilla with elegant clothes but some nervousness. She didn't expect her sister to live in a slum, and her brother-in-law Stanley was rude and completely uneducated. Blanche's dress and the clothes and jewels in the box attracted Stanley's attention to his wife's property, but Blanche told him that the manor and house in his hometown had been mortgaged again and again, and Stanley didn't believe it. My brother-in-law's rudeness was exposed again in the conflict between gathering friends to play cards and Stilla. Unbearable, Blanche advised her sister to leave this animal-like person, but she was used to it and compromised because of the baby in her belly. Stanley bears a grudge against this. Although Mickey, Stanley's card friend, is clumsy in appearance, he still has some self-cultivation. In the conversation with Blanche, they made a good impression. Blanche told his story: 16 years old, married and found that her husband was gay. She mentioned this to her husband at a dance, and the ashamed husband immediately left the dance and shot himself. Mickey sympathized with Blanche, and they fell in love. But after investigation, Stanley told Mickey Branch about her misconduct in her hometown, her relationship with others and her expulsion from school. Mickey didn't come to the appointment, but Stanley gave Blanche a ticket to force her to leave, and took advantage of the opportunity that Stilla left home to live in the hospital to have a baby. The injured Blanche completely collapsed. She doesn't want to go to a mental hospital, but she can't struggle. Finally, they were taken away by cajoling and coercion.
selected works
Scene 10
A few hours later that night.
Blanche has been drinking since Mickey left.
She moved her suitcase to the middle of the bedroom. The lid of the box was opened and flowers and clothes were thrown on it. She cleaned up while drinking, and her mood was hysterical. She wore a crepe white satin evening dress, a pair of tattered silver slippers on her feet, and glittering decorations on her heels. At this time, she was wearing a fake diamond headdress in front of the mirror of the dresser, mumbling excitedly, as if talking to the ghosts of a group of admirers.
Blanche, how was swimming? How about swimming under the moon in the old stone field? If someone can drive after drinking! Ha ha! This is the best way to stop your brain from going crazy in the world! As long as you are careful, jump deep into the pool-if you hit a stone, you can't come up tomorrow. ...
Trembling, she raised the mirror, looked at it carefully, took a breath, and then threw it out with a bang, with the mirror facing down. She paused and tried to stand up.
Stanley came out of the corner. He is still wearing that emerald silk sweatshirt. When he turned the corner, deep music sounded. The music echoed softly throughout the play.
He went into the kitchen and slammed the door. He stared at Blanche and whistled softly. He drank several glasses of wine on the way and brought back several bottles of beer.
Blanche, how is my sister?
Stanley, she's fine.
Blanche, where's the baby?
Stanley (smiling) The baby won't be born until tomorrow morning, so they asked me to go home first.
Blanche: So it's just you and me here?
Stanley. Yes Just you and me, Blanche. Unless you hide someone under the bed. What are you doing in those fancy clothes?
Blanche: Oh, yes. My telegram came after you left.
Stanley, did you get the telegram?
Blanche, I received a telegram from a man who once loved me.
Stanley, any good news?
Blanche, yes. An invitation.
Where did Stanley invite you? Going to the fire brigade dance?
Blanche went to the Caribbean by yacht!
Stanley: Oh, great. what do you think?
Blanche, I never expected this in my life.
Stanley, I don't think you expected it.
Blanche, this is like a bolt from the blue!
Stanley, who did you say was on the phone?
Blanche is my old friend.
Stanley, the man who gave you the white fox skin?
Mr blanche shep huntly. I wore his air force training officer badge when I graduated from college. I didn't see him until last Christmas. I met him in Biskan Street. Later-now this telegram has just arrived-I was invited to visit the Caribbean! The problem is clothes. I rummaged through everything to see what tropical clothes I have!
Stanley then found that-dazzling-diamond headdress.
Is this antique Blanche? Ha ha! This is just a fake diamond.
Stanley. Yo. I thought it was Jin Gangzuan from Tiffany's jewelry store.
Anyway, Blanche, I want to be treated gracefully.
Stanley. Mm-hmm. We'll see. You don't know what it is yet.
Blanche, just when I thought I was in trouble-
Stanley made a surprise visit to this millionaire in Miami.
Blanche is not from Miami. He's from Dallas!
Is Stanley from Dallas?
Blanche: Yes, peanuts from Dallas.
Come on, Stanley, he's from somewhere anyway. (begins to undress)
Blanche drew the curtains before undressing.
Stanley (friendly) I'm going to take these off now. (Tearing open the package of the beer bottle) See the bottle opener? She walked slowly to the cupboard and stood with her hands folded. I have a cousin who can open the bottle cap with his teeth. (tapping the bottle cap on the corner of the table) This is his only ability. He can't do anything else-he's just a living bottle opener. Later, at a wedding banquet, he bit off his front teeth! After that, he was embarrassed Whenever a guest comes, he sneaks out of the house ... (The bottle cap suddenly opens and bubbles come up. Stanley smiled happily and held the bottle high. ) haha! Dew from heaven! (hands her the bottle) Let's have a round of wine and make up, shall we?
Blanche: No, thank you.
Stanley: Oh, tonight is a good night for you and me. You will have an oil millionaire and I will have a child. (crouching in front of the cupboard in the bedroom and digging out the things in the drawer below)
Blanche (flinches) What are you doing there?
Stanley, I have something for a special occasion like today. This is my silk pajamas on my wedding night! White. oh
As soon as Stanley's phone rang, they said, "You have a son!" " "I will tear the national flag to pieces when it flies! (shaking off a bright pajamas) I think we both have reasons to put on airs. (Put pajamas on your arms and go back to the kitchen)
Blanche, the thought of having another person makes me want to cry for joy!
Can Dallas millionaire Stanley leave you alone?
Blanche, it's not what you think. This man is a gentleman. He respects me. He just wants me to stay with him. Too much money sometimes makes people feel lonely! A literate woman, a smart and educated woman can enrich a man's life-it is immeasurable! I can give all these advantages, and they will not disappear. The beauty of the body will gradually disappear, which is a flash in the pan. But the beauty of the mind, the richness of the spirit and the gentleness of the heart-I have all these advantages-will not be taken away by others, but will grow! They will increase year by year! How strange it is to say that I am a poor woman! But I have these treasures in my heart. (SOB) I feel like a very, very rich woman! But I was so stupid-I sprinkled pearls in front of pigs.
Stanley pig, right?
Blanche, yes, pig! Pig! I mean not only you, but also your friend Mr. Mickey. He will come to see me tonight. How dare he come here in overalls! Slander me again and again, slandering me with the vicious rumors he heard from you! I gave him a marching order. ...
Stanley, did you do that? Hmm?
Blanche, but then he came back. He brought back a box of roses and begged me to forgive him! He begged me to forgive him. But some things are unforgivable. It is unforgivable to be cruel to others on purpose. In my opinion, this is the only thing that can never be forgiven, and it is also a crime that I will never, never commit in my life. So I told him, and I said to him, "Thank you." However, if I think it is possible for us to give in to each other, I would be foolish. Our lifestyles are so different that our attitudes are incompatible with our family background. We must be realistic about this kind of thing. So, goodbye, my friend! I hope there is no knot in our hearts. ...
Did Stanley say this before or after receiving a telegram from an oil rich man in Texas?
Blanche, what telegram? Don't! No, after that! In fact, the telegram happened to be-
Stanley doesn't have a telegram!
Blanche. Oh, oh!
Stanley has no millionaires! Mickey didn't bring roses back because I knew he was there-
Blanche. Oh!
Stanley fucking made it out of nothing. That's bullshit！
Blanche.
Stanley is full of bravado and boasting!
Blanche.
Stanley, look at yourself! Look at you in that old carnival dress! It was rented from a thrift store for fifty cents! Put on that crazy headdress! Where do you think you are the queen?
Blanche.-God ...
Stanley, I've been watching you from the beginning! You can't fool me once! After you come, sprinkle powder everywhere, spray perfume and cover the light bulb with paper; Hey, look, this place has become Egypt, and you have become the queen of the Nile! You sit on your throne and drink my wine! I see.-Ha! Ha! Did you hear that? Hahaha! (walks into the bedroom)
Blanche, don't come in! (The wall around Blanche presents a dark shadow, which is bizarre, as if someone is fighting. Panting, she ran to the phone and shook the hook. Stanley went into the bathroom and closed the door. ) operator, operator! I want to make a long distance call ... I want to speak to Shep huntly in Dallas. He is so famous that he doesn't need an address. Ask anyone-wait a minute! ! No, I can't find it now ... Sorry, you know, I-no! No, wait ... wait! Someone-nothing! Please don't hang up (put down the phone and walk into the kitchen carefully)
There are noises at night, like the howling of wild animals in Lin Mang. The falling shadows are as intricate as the flames on the empty wall. The back wall of the suite has become transparent and you can see the sidewalk outside. A * * * dumped a drunk. He caught up with her on the sidewalk and caught her. Suddenly there was a siren. These two people disappeared. Soon after, a woman in black appeared from the street corner, holding a metal scale leather bag left on the sidewalk, and excitedly took out the contents of the bag.
Blanche covered his lips with his fingers and slowly returned to the phone, whispering in a hoarse voice.
Blanche operator! Operator! Never mind the long distance. To the western union telegraph office. No time-western union-western union telegraph office! (anxiously waiting) Western Union Telegraph Office? Yes! I want to write this message: "Urgent! Help me! Fall into a trap. Fall into-"ah!
The bathroom door suddenly opened and Stanley came out in his pajamas. He wore a fringed belt and grinned at her. She was so scared that she quickly dodged the phone. He stared at her for a long time, counting from one to ten. Then the phone clicked.
Stanley, you didn't hang up your headphones.
I deliberately walked over and hung up my headphones, then stared at her and grinned. He blocked Blanche's way to the gate.
The faint "Blues Piano Music" gradually sounded. Then came the rumble of approaching locomotives. Blanche squatted down, clenched his fist, covered his ears and waited for the locomotive to pass by.
Blanche (finally standing up) Get out of the way and let me pass you!
Stanley, why don't you step aside? Of course. Let's go (back to the lintel)
Blanche, you stand over there! (pointing further)
Stanley (grinning grimly) Now you have enough room to walk through here.
Blanche, you can't stand there But I have to get out!
Stanley, do you think I'm in your way Ha ha!
"Blues Piano Music" sounded softly again. She turned blankly and made a vague gesture. All kinds of strange phone calls from Lin Mang. He approached her and bit his tongue.
Stanley (softly) think about it-maybe it's not bad to be in your way. ...
Blanche went through the door and went back to the bedroom.
Blanche, back off! You come one step closer to me, and I'll-
What about Stanley?
Something will happen to Blanche! Something will happen!
Stanley, what are you pretending to be?
They all went into the bedroom.
Blanche, I'm warning you, stay away, it's dangerous!
He came closer. She picked up the bottle on the table and broke it at once, holding up half a broken bottle to deal with him.
Stanley, what are you doing?
Blanche, I'm going to hit you in the face with glass!
Stanley, I believe you can do it!
Blanche, of course I can do it if you-
Oh, so you want to make a scene in the house! All right! Then let's make a scene! He jumped on her and knocked over the table. She let out a cry and tried to hit him with a broken bottle, but he grabbed her by the wrist. ) Tigress-Tigress! Put down that half-broken bottle! Put the gun down. You and I made an appointment from the beginning of our date!
She let out a cry, threw away the broken bottle and knelt down. He lifted her weak body and carried her to bed. "Fotis" came the passionate music of trumpet and drum ensemble.
(translated by Qi Qing)
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A Streetcar Named Desire is tennessee williams's most famous work. It is also a classic in the history of American drama in the 20th century. 1947 12.3 premiered at the Barrymore Theatre in new york City, with 855 performances in a row, breaking the record of the most American drama performances at that time, including the new york Drama Review Award, pulitzer prize for drama and Donald Mori Susumu. At the end of the premiere, the audience stood up, applauded and cheered for half an hour. 195 1 The movie A Streetcar Named Desire, based on the drama of the same name, ranked first among the top ten movies of the year. So far, this play has been staged all over the world and enjoys an enduring reputation.
Williams continued his southern theme in the play and described his frustrated women in the south. Different from the glass zoo, he put them in a sharper and more dramatic situation, and "homosexuality", "sex" and "* * *" began to appear in his plays, which contained more social contents and expressed more profound thoughts.
The play mainly shows the contradiction between Blanche and Stanley. As Williams said: "The significance of this play lies in the fact that the brutal and cruel forces of modern society have destroyed those gentle, sensitive and elegant people." Blanche is the most unique, complicated and touching figure in A Streetcar Named Desire, and also the figure that Williams deeply sympathizes with.
There are eleven scenes in the whole work, and the structure adopts the traditional realistic creation technique-open architecture. The plot organization is smooth and ups and downs, and the conflict is pushed forward step by step to * * *. The contradiction between Blanche and Stanley runs through the whole play, but the author makes it appear and disappear. There is a long story of Blanche and Mickey falling in love in the middle, which makes conflicts break out one after another, but the superficial calm hides further intense conflicts inside. In the last three dramas, the drama conflicts are fierce, and the characters fall into the abyss of tragic fate step by step, which makes people breathless. In the ninth inning, Mickey, who thought he had been cheated, came to settle accounts with Blanche. Instead of believing Lan Qi's explanation, he insulted her and told her that the two made a clean break, which was even worse for Blanche, who had been forced by Stanley. The tragic fate of the characters began to appear, and this scene prepared for the next * * *.
This paper chooses the tenth scene of the script, which is also the * * * scene of the script. As a complete drama, it also has a complete dramatic action-that is, it presents the fiercest conflict between the two main characters Blanche and Stanley, and vividly embodies the theme of the work that the author said that sensitive and elegant people were savagely treated. However, at the beginning of the play, Williams did not go straight to the point, but carefully wrote down the last face-to-face contest between the two men, trying to put them in a close balance. This is the so-called dramatic conflict view of "not writing about Song Wu beating dogs, but writing about Song Wu beating tigers" and "Twelve widows crying over graves, writing about Twelve Widows' Western Expedition". But at this moment, poor Blanche, who lives in her sister's house, has been hit by a series of blows. In addition to despising each other mentally, she is no match for Stanley in all aspects of material strength, and it is really hard to be called equal to Stanley's strength. But we are surprised to see that Tennessee Williams carefully conceived the "imaginary lover call invitation" for Blanche. This is really a very clever stroke, which not only conforms to Blanche's mental state of being in a trance and thinking because of the blow, but also strengthens the temporary power contrast in the conflict between the two.
But lies are lies after all. It is like a sword of Damocles hanging over Blanche's head, which also creates suspense in the play. We don't know when this sword will fall, nor how it will fall. We are worried that Blanche's defensive lies will be seen through by Stanley, but the unexpected plot is not that Stanley saw Blanche's flaw, but that in the confrontation between the two, Blanche, who is in a trance and not good at lying, forgot what he said before and exposed his flaw. This is in line with Blanche's character, but it angered Stanley even more. He didn't expect to be cheated by Blanche, so he saved double his anger and attacked Blanche violently. The dramatic situation turned sharply against Blanche, and quickly rushed to * * *-Stanley, like an animal, could not overwhelm Blanche mentally, but could only overwhelm the other side with physical aggression.
To * * *, Williams arranged a small delay, let Blanche desperately shake the phone, called "operator! Operator ",let the operator pick up her millionaire; And add all kinds of sounds-all kinds of noises at night, the howling of wild animals in Lin Mang; There are also images-drunken people in the street and the pursuit of * * * rendering atmosphere. This is the momentum of "coming events cast their shadows before them". But when the real "* * * Action" was about to begin, the playwright added the voice of the blues piano music to various voices. The disharmony between beautiful music and noise and howling symbolizes the conflict between people in the play. This kind of drama treatment will remind us of the "violence aesthetics" of film director John Woo, and here is Williams' "sex aesthetics".
* * * Before, Stanley said the last thing to Lan Qi: "You and I have made a reservation since this date!" Is this a date between two people? Indeed, on the surface, Stanley and Blanche are both sensitive to "sex". The author arranged Stanley's first appearance in the play: Stanley shouted his wife's name upstairs when he came home from work, and then threw a bloody piece of meat wrapped in paper at his wife. Choosing a piece of meat instead of other objects has a sense of foresight, inadvertently linking "rudeness" and "* * *" with Stanley intuitively. Besides working to earn money, his life is entertainment and sex. Moreover, Blanche also has a strong demand for the opposite sex, sometimes intentionally or unintentionally teasing Stanley. Even while she was waiting for the arrival of her lover Mickey, she couldn't help flirting with the young man who came to collect the newspaper. She not only praised him for looking like the little prince in The Arabian Nights, but also took the initiative to kiss him, making her feel frivolous. But through these superficial behaviors of the characters, Williams reveals the anxiety and loneliness in the characters' hearts. As Blanche explained to Mickey, after Allen's death, she "seems that only meeting strangers can make up for her inner emptiness" ... fear drives (me) to change people one by one and seek protection. In other words, flirting with men is actually her unique way to relieve anxiety and loneliness. For Blanche, "sex" is a way to seek comfort and is more defensive; For Stanley, "sex" is a new way for him to show his strength and invade others. Maybe they will meet at a certain point, but the starting point is definitely different. Therefore, Blanche, who is aware of Stanley's sexual assault attempt, wants to stop him from approaching himself and raises the bottle to defend himself. And said a "agree" reason for his * * * behavior, which is just Stanley defending his barbaric behavior!
The plot of the drama that eventually led to "sexual assault" was not sudden, but laid out bit by bit. First, there are two dialogues. When Blanche saw that Stanley didn't come back with his sister, she said sensitively, "So it's just us here?" Stanley's answer is: "Yes. Just you and me, Blanche. Unless you hide people under the bed. " Then when Stanley undressed in front of Blanche, there were two more conversations. Blanche asked Stanley to close the curtains before taking off his clothes. Stanley's answer was, "I'll take these off now." Later, Stanley added, "Tonight is a good night for you and me. You will have an oil millionaire and I will add a child. " The phrase "tonight is a good day for you and me" has a pun meaning.
A Streetcar Named Desire inherits Williams' consistent style and is full of symbolism and poetry. The title of the play itself is symbolic; Blanche's name means "white"; The contrast between White Moth, Bathing, Candlelight and Sunshine, and Polka Dance all have special images, which are intriguing. These elements are very harmoniously combined with the content of realism, which brings rich aesthetic enjoyment to the audience.
(Zhou Baodi)