Building contains two flats, upstairs and down.
Faded white stairs ascend to the entrances of both.
white frame, weather gray house
quaintly ornamented gables
Atmosphere
Lively
Beginning of Scene 1, before the
appearance of Blanche
Tense
Mood
Characters
Blanche
Former teacher
I'm an old maid schoolteacher
"...So Mr. Graves--Mr. Graves is the high school
superintendent--he suggested I take a leave of absence."
Lost all of her
properties
moves into Stella & Stanley's house
Widowed
Sisters
lost
Belle Reve
(Mississippi)
Mentally ill
She tries to run away - unable to
accept that it is the doctor and
matron instead of the Dallas man
Scene 11: "Doc, you better go in."
During the preceding scenes, the Matron catches hold of Blanche's arm and
prevents her flight. Blanche turns wildly and scratches at the Matron. The heavy
woman pinions her arms. Blanche cries out hoarsely and slips to her knees.
I was on the verge of--lunacy, almost!
She thinks that she is not a lunatic.
Emphasis on the word "verge" and "almost"
a "tiger"
Scene 10: "Tiger--tiger! ..."
has traits of a tiger?
Stanley
Polish
Married
Bowling/ Poker
Mitch
Takes care of his
sick mother
single
Steve
Married
Eunice
lives in a upstairs flat
lives in a two-room
downstairs flat
Two rooms can be seen, not too clearly defined. The one
first entered is primarily a kitchen but contains a folding
bed to be used by Blanche. The room beyond this is a
bedroom. Off this room is a narrow door to a bathroom.
"She's got the downstairs here and I got the up."
Pablo
Stella
Pregnant
Sisters
left
Plot
Rising Action
Initial Incident
Stella is hospitalised
with a baby
Scene 10: "The baby won't come before morning so they
told me to go home and get a little shuteye."
Stenley and Blanche
are alone at his flat.
Scene 10: "Yep. Just me and
you, Blanche."
Stanley thinks that Blanche is
out to swindle him and Stella of
their properties.
Scene 2: "All right, I'll wait till she
gets through soaking in a hot tub
and then I'll inquire if she is
acquainted with the Napoleonic
code. It looks to me like you have
been swindled, baby, and when
you're swindled under the
Napoleonic code I'm swindled too.
And I don't like to be swindled."