For centuries, theatrical performances have presented mythical plays that have endured the test of time, exploring stories as ancient as Shakespeare himself and tackling central themes of power and dominance within a patriarchal society. Both William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” exemplify these timeless themes of literary critique as the main characters grapple for power within their distinct life contexts. Correlating to this, Hamlet explores the concept of power by seeking revenge and justice. In contrast, Stanley asserts his dominance over women to establish patriarchal power within his household. This stark contrast between the characters highlights varying degrees of masculinity and their pursuit …show more content…
The concept of power is exemplified by Stanley’s character, who attempts to achieve dominion over others by dominating and manipulative behaviour. Stanley’s desire for power is evident through his actions, such as his attempts to assert dominance over Stella during poker nights. As depicted in the passage, he charges after her, as shown in the quote: “Stella, watch out, he’s [Stanley charges after Stella]” (Williams, 62-63). Additionally, Stanley, being Stella’s husband in a patriarchal society, seeks to establish dominance over her. This is illustrated when he drunkenly attacks his pregnant wife during a poker night, revealing his volatile temperament and questionable moral principles. His abusive behaviour highlights his yearning for power and control, aiming to be the dominant figure, the “King” of the household, as he exercises authority and exhibits toxic masculinity. As a result, both Hamlet and Stanley represent distinct degrees of masculinity through their desire for power and how they exert or plan out acts to acquire it. Similarly, Hamlet and Stanley are contrasted by their differences in the topic of power as they both attempt to gain control inside their kingdoms, Hamlet as a king and Stanley as the major male provider in the patriarchal society. Throughout the play, Hamlet acts to establish power through revenge for his father, but as seen in the quote, he frequently overthinks or procrastinates the tasks that will lead to the gain of power, implying that he is unsure about his decisions and only wishes to kill Claudius or commit sinful acts for justice. Furthermore, this contrasts with Stanley, who desires and achieves authority to display his masculinity and be recognized as the “King” of his home. Stanley’s dominance is demonstrated in the passage by his controlling and manipulative behaviour, as evidenced
Up until the denouement, the relationship between Stella and Stanley enables Williams to demonstrate that power is a means of control. When Stanley says “’Every man is king’” there is a suggestion that Stanley uses power in order for him to be able to control the outspoken Stella that has seemingly been influence by the femme fatale ideology of Blanche. This is because the intertextual reference to Huey Long is a means by which Williams can effectively show his male character as using power to show that he is the authoritative figure that will not tolerate female defiance. Furthermore, what further demonstrates that Williams wanted to present power as something that allows control is Stella’s attitudes to Stanley where prior she states “Stanley’s
During scene 3 of A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley exercises power over his wife and friendships in multiple ways. Ways in which he exercises power over his friends include when he made Mitch feel bad for wanting to leave to check on his dying mother. In this scene, Mitch states that he has to go home to put his mother to bed, and Stanley’s response of “Shut up” (pg. 47) did not get the reaction from Mitch that he was hoping for, which was for Mitch to stop talking. Instead, Mitch continues, and Stanley tries to make him feel bad for going in the first place when he asks, “Then why don’t you stay home with her?” (pg. 48).
Stanley is a blunt, practical, and animalistic man who has no patience for subtleties and refinement. His animalistic character shows the moment he meets Blanche, when he, moving with “animalistic joy” (24), “sizes” Blanche up with “sexual classifications” and “crude image” in his mind (25). Under his stare, Blanche draws “involuntarily back” (25), a movement that foreshadows their later conflict and her subsequent demise. His practical and straightforward side shows when he interrogates Blanche about the sale of Belle Reve to make sure that his wife is not swindled. His straightforward, practical nature makes him “boom” out of impatience (46) and demands Blanche to cut straight to the point when she tries to talk in an indirect, subtle manner as befit a Southern gentlewoman.
There are many times throughout the play where Stanley shows signs of having a napoleonic complex to have authority over women such as Blanche and Stella. Napoleonic Complex is overly aggressive domineering behavior. Many times in the play where Stanley shows his domineering behavior. “I don 't want no ifs ands or buts! Whats all the rest of them papers?”
“In the state of Louisiana we have the Napoleonic code according to which what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband and vice versa” (22). Although he sounds like is supporting Stella in the fact that she was “cheated” out of her property, he is really being self-considerate. This quote shows that Stanley feels entitled to whatever Stella owns. Stanley is a man of the working class, and with this estate and the wealth that comes with it, Stanley feels as though he is also wealthy. With this wealth, Stanley would feel and act more even more superior than
In Scene 3 of "A Streetcar Named Desire," Stanley exercises his power through his control over the enviroment around him, which he views as his territory. Stanley takes ownership of the space, making it clear to Blanche that he is the one in charge. For instance, he asks Blanche to stop playing the radio, saying, "Hey, sister, how about cutting the re-bop" (pg 49). This represents the legitimate power he holds over the apartment and everyone in it.
As readers begin to follow Blanche Dubois into the deep heart of Louisiana, A Streetcar Named Desire introduces Blanche’s sister’s world in none other than New Orleans. There, southern charm, precious couples, chummy friendships, and unbreakable family ties become apparent immediately, yet under the surface, more than just a hint of dark, buried social issues overflow. As Blanche’s experience with her sister Stella and brother-in-law Stanley progresses, readers come face-to-face with sugar coated portrayals of domestic violence, alcoholism, and rape. As A Streetcar Named Desire appears throughout American high schools, administrators and school boards must debate whether they should ban this dicey play or not. Despite the fact that some high school audiences may be able to handle the mature motifs seen throughout the play, schools should ban A Streetcar Named Desire from curriculums due to the insubstantial depictions of these serious social issues.
From the moment that Blanche enters the Kowalski’s apartment, it’s clear that she and Stanley have opposing personalities and desires. Blanche, a woman in her thirties who comes from a wealthy family, wants to maintain her illusions of majesty and refinement. On the other hand, Stanley, who represents the working-class, has a more practical and realistic approach to life. He is direct and straightforward in his communication, and he values hard work and physical strength. The tension between the two is heightened by their differing attitudes towards truth.
Tennessee Williams wrote “A Streetcar Named Desire” (Williams, 1947) It is based in New Orleans a new cosmopolitan city which is poor but has raffish charm. The past is representing old south in America 1900’s and present is representing new America post world war 2 in 1940’s. Past and present are intertwined throughout the play in the characters Stanley, Blanche, Stella and mitch. Gender roles show that males are the dominant and rule the house which Stanley is prime example as he brings home food and we learn of one time when he got cross and he smashed the light bulbs.
In scene 3 of “A streetcar named desire” Stanley exercises power by using his power abusively and aggressively. While playing a game of poker Stanley gets upset that Stella and Blanche are playing music way too loud and just talking really loud. He tells the girls to stop talking loud and to be quiet. Stanley bursts out, “You hens cut out that conversation in there!”(pg. 54), but it's also Stella’s house and she can do whatever she wants. She says, “This is my house and I'll talk as much as I want to!”(pg. 54).
He is verbally and physically abusive towards his wife, Stella, in order to establish his power over her. He is described as giving a ‘loud whack of his hand on her thigh’ to which she merely retaliates ‘That’s not fun, Stanley.’ Whilst ‘the men laugh’. This shows how abusive behaviour towards women is normalised and accepted within this patriarchal society as the men simply choose to ‘laugh’ along with Stanley.
A Streetcar named Desire written by American playwright Tennessee Williams is a Marxist play that depicts the socio economic status of the characters and people living during that time. The play was written in 1947, two years after the second world war. The historical time leading up to the Second World War known as the Interwar period from 1918-1939 was an era classified with economical difficulties for a majority of American citizens. After the new economic system based upon capital emerged succeeding the Industrial Revolution, the United States saw a massive prosperity in the early twentieth century only to be demolished by the stock market crash of 1929 also known as Black Tuesday (source). These unsuccessful stock markets were one of the signs that showed that the new system, which depended on an extensive labor force and an open and unregulated market, was not as reliable as previously thought, this period was known as the Depression.
The Fight for Dominance In today’s society, gender norms convince men that unless they are able to control women, they are weak. Considered the inferior gender, women must find new ways to prove their own strength, whether it be through manipulation or their sexuality. The battle between the two continues as men strive to remain dominant, often by immoral means, and women attempt to gain the upper hand. In the screenplay, “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams, the sexual tension and struggle for dominion between Blanche and Stanley is evident, and as the play continues, Blanche's promiscuity and Stanley's predatory nature foreshadow an inevitable confrontation.
During this time men brought in the money for the household, while the mother’s would stay at home and watch over the children of the family. With this came a sense of pride and authority for the men. Throughout the film Stanley continually abuses Blanche and even goes to the extreme of raping her. He depicts an animal-like man with no awareness of morals. When he gets angry he has no control of his reactions and results to physical violence.
Throughout the play as a whole Tennessee Williams creates conflict between the two genders. Particularly in Stanley, the concept of masculinity is associated with a brutish, aggressive, primal force as well as sexual sensuality. Throughout the play, his raw power is regularly highlighted, and he fiercely displays his supremacy by loud actions and violence. Even his wardrobe exudes power. The "sub-human" has a strong connection to Stanley's masculinity.