A Streetcar Named Desire
Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire is mastery of the use of lighting, setting, and sound to add to emotion and meaning to a play. Throughout the play, he uses different appearances to convey characters and enhance the importance of actions and dialogue. Williams constantly changes what the audience hears and sees to control their response to the action taking place in the play. By using different sounds, lighting, and settings, Williams is able to add to the emotional impact of the play. Music and sound effects often make up as much of the emotion in the play as the characters' actions and words. Towards the end of the play, the "Varsouviana" begins to play more often. As the reader knows, that was the song playing at the time that Blanche's husband shot himself. By it playing in her mind more often, it shows that the state of agony in which she is living is increasing. Other sounds begin to increase in frequency as well as volume. When Stanley "clears the table" it shows his anger at the moment as well as the anger built up towards Blanche throughout the play. Stanley's built up rage could have just as easily been expressed with shouting alone, but the addition of dishes smashing against the wall add to at
By paying close attention to these fine points, the reader or audience member can actually draw much more meaning from the play. It also seems that living next to such a wild place has added some spice to their lives. It seems that the time of day and lighting situation has a major effect over the characters and mood of the play. It also shows that she is soft and fragile. The music coming from the bar could not be heard if the bar were far away. Williams obviously put much time, effort, and thought into the way a person perceives what he/she is actually seeing and hearing and worked to complete the emotional possibilities of the play. The only time that Blanche goes out with Mitch is well after dark so that her features appear softer and younger. When the two-room apartment is first described, it gives off the feeling of being a nice place to live. When she goes out with Mitch, she is confident in the way things are handled. Being next to the Four Deuces seems to act on the characters. The apartment shows how comfortable Stanley and Stella are in their current conditions while Blanche is utterly put-off by its homeliness. It seems that the minor details of music, sound effects, lighting, and setting were actually some of the most important points of A Streetcar Named Desire. As Blanche is introduced and begins to complain about the place seeming cheap, it seems to begin to fall apart. Williams utilizes the fact that blues piano is very flexible and, therefore, used it in a variety of situations. In the beginning of the play, it expresses the "the spirit of the life" in New Orleans while later on, it just as easily coincides with difficult times.
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Acceptance Essays
