DOCSLIB.ORG

Women in the Plays of Tennessee Williams: Studies in Personal Isolation and Outraged Sensibilities

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Women in the Plays of Tennessee Williams: Studies in Personal Isolation and Outraged Sensibilities Women in the plays of Tennessee Williams: studies in personal isolation and outraged sensibilities Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors De Rose, Maria Eliane Moraes, 1941- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 01/10/2021 22:28:53 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/317927 _y WOMEN IN THE PLAYS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS: STUDIES IN PERSONAL ISOLATION AND OUTRAGED SENSIBILITIES by Maria Eliane Moraes »De Rose A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College 5 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 6 6 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfill­ ment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowl­ edgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judgment the proposed use of the material is in the inter­ ests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED; APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: An. Date Associate Professor of English ACKNOWLEDGMENTS X wish to express my appreciation and gratitude to my adviser, and friend, Dr * Cecil Robinson for his support, understanding and encouragement. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ........... v INTRODUCTION .................... 1 CHAPTER I. THEMES OF LONELINESS AND FAILURE OF COMMUNICATION AS DEVELOPED IN EARLY WORKS . 5 II . GENTILITY AT BAY ‘ ......... .............. 20 III. THE STONE ANGEL AND THE ANATOMY CHART .... 32 IV. BLANCHE DU BOIS . 43 V. OTHER GUISES ...... 62 VI. CREATURES OF THE EARTH ............ 75 CONCLUSION ..................... 85 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ..... 87 XV ABSTRACT The contention of this thesis is that Tennessee Williams has most successfully realized his principal themes through the portrayal of women who can be recognized as variations upon a basic character type* The underlying concept is that of a woman reared in the puritanical, genteel, graceful, and cultured tradition of the Southern aristocracy whose world has fallen away from her, leaving her a misfit in a materialistic and brutalized society* She suffers from loneliness and the inability to com­ municate « Her ultimate defeat results not only from her inability to cope with the neo-barbarism of modern industrial society but also from her inability to cope with the erotic aspect of her own nature. The enemy is without and within* V An element in the playwrightfs success in presenting this character type resides in his having developed foils in the persons of sex-centered women who appear in the same plays as do their spiritualized opposite numbers * However, in later plays Williams becomes increasingly interested in personalities for whom sex is a central principle of life* In this shift of interest, he reveals a significant ambiguity in his own philosophical outlook as he presents the drama of the battle of body and spirit, while wavering in his own allegiances * Although Tennessee Williams has v not resolved the conflict philosophically^ he has vivified it dramatically through the portrayal of some of the most memorable women in modern drama. INTRODUCTION The Southern aristocracy made a cult of the woman« She was not only the center of the household, but also the conscious or unconscious receiver of the benefits of a guilt complex on the part of the master of the house who frequently made her children the half brothers or sisters of the slave girl who attended her or worked in her kitchen * The hostile Northerner was aware of this situation and made use of it in his propagandistic attacks against the South, It was necessary, therefore, for the Southerner to show that the woman was respected, valued and honored in the South more than in any other place or culture by praising her in every way, by placing her on a pedestal above all things so that she could remain untouched, but also deaf and blind to the fact of his relations with the slave girl, Another important reason for the glorification of the Southern woman was the fact that she was the perpetnator of the white race, Wo I, Cash speaks of the cult of the woman in the following terms: She was the South’s Palladium, this Southern woman--the shield-bearing Athena gleaming whitely in the clouds, the standard for its rallying, the mystic symbol of its nationality in face oft the foe. She was the lily-pure maid of Astolat and the hunting goddess of the Boeotian hill. And— she was the pitiful Mother of God® Merely to 1 mention her was to send strong men into tears — or shouts o -There was hardly-a sermon that did not begin .and end with tributes in her honor 9 hardly a brave speech that did not open and close with th&" dTakhihg of shields and the flourishing of swords for her glory. At » the last 9 I verily believe, the ranks of the Confederacy went rolling into battle in the misty conviction that it was wholly for her that they fought,^ There is one type of feminine character in Tennessee Williams!s plays taken directly from this Southern tradi­ tion o It is the Southern gentlewoman. She is generally the last representative of a Southern aristocratic family, and like the aristocracy from which she has sprung she belongs to the past, has no place in the present and is only a shadow of something refined and cultivated. This type of woman has generally a neurosis of some kind, resulting from the conflict between the traditions she inherited and the actual world in which she has to live* This world ignores those traditions and when it is aware of their existence, it either despises or is indifferent to them * Thrown into a hostile wor ld which she can neither understand nor accept she only lives in it physically* Her mind recreates the Southern plantation where she lived as a child or where her ancestors lived* She thinks that she solves the conflict where she simply decries the world of reality and takes refuge in the world of imagination* But 1* W* J * Cash, The Mind of the South (New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc * , 1954) , p ® 97 ° , 3 reality keeps touching her and she must support this re­ created world of dreams by trying escapes. They come in the form of alcohol, drugs, sex, visions, perversions, physical illness, distorted views' and use of religion or imaginary lovers. She uses the escapes until the world, which she does not accept, decides not to accept her any­ more and destroys her in different ways. This recurrent type of woman is contrasted with another type of feminine character: the woman who never even entered a Southern plantation, who inherited no tradi­ tion, who had no contact with aristocracy or refinement. She may come from a poor, barren, sometimes filthy and promiscuous background. Her previous or present conditions of living are not necessarily a problem or cause for a conflict® She is uninhibited and thinks of life in terms of sexual satisfaction. Once she gets it she forgets her surroundings and material needs and finds the meaning for existence. Very often we find both types in the same play. The clash resulting from their different social back­ grounds, their way of facing life or running away from it, offer strong contrasts and are interesting stud'ies:' of personalitieso This essay will undertake to examine the more important woman characters in the plays of Tennessee Williams, not only because some of them are among his most striking creations but because women in Williams 5 plays often are the conduits through which the playwright expresses most movingly and most profoundly the central themes of his work®. CHAPTER I THEMES OF LONELINESS AND FAILURE OF COMMUNICATION AS DEVELOPED IN EARLY WORKS The main problem that many of the feminine charac­ ters of Tennessee Williams have to face, the problem that is responsible for their emotional unbalance and conse­ quent and eventual destruction is the impossibility of communicationo The difference between their social back­ ground and that of the other characters is only one of the causes for it® There are many others, such as different values, extreme sensitivity on their part, hiding of feelings and emotions, physical isolation, and non­ adaptation to their environment® The main consequences of this impossibility of communication are loneliness and frustration® The character that best illustrates this problem is also one of Williams’ best creations, Blanche Du Bois, the heroine of A Streetcar Named Desire® However, in a way Blanche did not appear for the first time in this play. Tennessee Williams1 first heroines of her type are either a preparation for the final portrait of Blanche or they are Blanche herself at different stages of her life® 5 6 Since Blanche Du Bois is one of the key characters for Williams f whole work, a study of the characters in his early attempts to portray Blanche is necessary» The earlier attempts are found in two plays in 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, a collection of one-act plays * They are The Lady of Larkspur Lotion and Portrait of a Madonnao The former portrays Mrs » Hardwieke-Moore and the latter Lucretia Collins, both having very definitely Blanche1s personality traits and background.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Tennessee Williams and the Representation of Animal Images
    International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change. www.ijicc.net Volume 9, Issue 2, 2019 Tennessee Williams and the Representation of Animal Images Muslim Mohda*, Lehmood Al-Mamourib, a,bAl-Mustaqbal University College Hilla ,Babylon , Iraq, Email: a*[email protected] Since Aristophanes, playwrights have cast animals in roles where they represent human behaviour. These playwrights have chosen one or more animals to pinpoint behavioural tendencies of their characters. Ben Jonson (Volpone), Anton Chekhov (The Seagull), Henrik Ibsen (The Wild Duck) and Eugene Ionesco (The Rhinoceros) are such playwrights who use animal imagery to depict, and comment on, human behaviour. This paper does not deal with animal imagery as it is generally understood in similes and metaphors; in dialogue and descriptions. Instead, this paper deals with animals and their images as metaphors of characters in respective plays. Tennessee Williams was one playwright who employed animals as motifs. He never tired of experimenting with the idea that animals, properly selected and harnessed, could best capture the mental state of his protagonists. This paper is concerned with the "why" and "how" of his powerful fascination. Key words: Animal imagery, conflict, metaphor. Introduction In his personal life, Williams was a fond lover of animals and always had a pet in his house. Attention to this aspect of his personal life was drawn by an apparently trite reference in Richard F. Leavitt's The World of Tennessee Williams, a book prepared from material, both pictorial and biographical, supplied by the playwright himself. It is therefore regrettable that his biographers and critics have generally ignored this - shall we call it the animal side - of his personality.
    [Show full text]
  • PLAYS of TENNESSEE WILLIAMS Fulfillment of the Requirements For
    / 1h THE FUGITIVE KIND IN THE MAJOR PLAYS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS THESIS Presented to the Graduate Council of the North Texas State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS By John 0. Gunter, B. A. Denton, Texas January, 1968 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page - I I. INTRODUCTION . 1 II. VAL IN BATTLE OF ANGELS. 13 III. KILROY IN CASINO REAL. 21 IV. VAL IN ORPHEUS DESCENDING. 33 V. CHANCE IN SWEETBIRDOFYOUTH..0.#.0.e.0.#.0.0.045 VI. SHANNON IN THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA . 55 VII. CONCLUSION . .0 . .......-. 68 BIBLIOGRAPHY. - - . - - - - . - - 75 iii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION There are numerous ways to approach the works of a playwright critically; one is to examine the individual writer's "point of view" in order to define what the man is trying to "say" from his chosen vantage point. This tactic seems as appropriate as any in approaching the works of Tennessee Williams. The plays of Tennessee Williams are written from an in- dividual's point of view; i. e., none of the plays are con- cerned with a social or universal outlook as such; rather each play "takes the shape of a vision proceeding from the consciousness of the protagonist."1 In other words, each one of Williams' plays "belongs" to one central "camera eye" character. Everything that happens is directly related to this character and his perception of and his subsequent adjustment to his environment. Furthermore, the majority of these central characters fall into certain categories which recur in the Williams canon. Some of these categories have been critically labeled and defined, but none of the studies Esther Merl6 Jackson, The Broken World of Tennessee Williams (Milwaukee, 1965), p.
    [Show full text]
  • Scenic Design for Tennessee Williams' Summer and Smoke
    Scenic Design for Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Victor E. Shonk Graduate Program in Theatre The Ohio State University 2010 Master’s Examination Committee: Professor Dan Gray, M.F.A., Advisor Professor Jimmy Bohr, M.F.A. Professor Mark Shanda, M.F.A. Copyright by Victor E. Shonk 2010 Abstract Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams is being produced by The Ohio State University Theatre Department in the autumn quarter, 2009. The production will be in the Thurber Theatre and directed by faculty member Jimmy Bohr. As the scenic designer, I will provide the atmosphere and environment of the play as well as the physical requirements determined by the action described in the script. This document records my involvement in the production process. Briefly, Bohr’s concept for this production is focused on the love story that happens between the characters Alma and John. The story is set in a small fictitious town in Mississippi named Glorious Hill, just before World War I, a time when the last of Victorian social propriety was becoming extinct and the world was about to change forever. This love story is a bittersweet description of that loss of innocence. The director is focused on the “Poetic Realism” of Williams’ writing. Aesthetically, it is important to the director that the heat of the Deep South is represented on stage. I will accomplish this with a canopy of trees, Spanish moss, and other plant life indigenous to Mississippi.
    [Show full text]
  • Night of the Iguana - Die Nacht Des Leguan
    NIGHT OF THE IGUANA - DIE NACHT DES LEGUAN Jens Bjørneboe in English Online Archive A Bjørneboe Reader Home | Site Map Jens Bjørneboe The Forests Behind The Night of the Iguana Translated from the Norwegian by Esther Greenleaf Mürer Jens Bjørneboe, "Skogene bak Iguana-natten." Originally published in Dagbladet, 1962. In Om Teater (Oslo: Gyldendal, 1977). Samlede Essays: Teater (Oslo:Gyldendal, 1996), 101-107. 1996 by Pax Forlag A/S. Used by permission. English translation 1999 by Esther Greenleaf Mürer. After winning America's most prestigious literary prize, the Pulitzer Prize—and the Drama Critics' Prize as well—with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Tennessee Williams achieved one of his great popular successes with The Glass Menagerie. He later commented on the event in an essay, "The Catastrophe of Success." Since that time, especially in the last few years, he has had great difficulties; at a certain point all of America turned against him, so to speak, in a flood of public attacks, both in the daily press and in literary magazines. After being a popular literary golden boy he suddenly stood alone, truly with his back to the wall, against the dreadful power which resides in an almost univocal press. The burden of the attack was that he was "unhealthy," "negative," "un-American," that he "rooted around in filth," etc., etc. People no longer liked his latest works, his pessimism, his portrayal of the U.S., his "immorality," his cultural criticism, etc. The campaign against Williams was so violent and so destructive that for awhile it looked as if he had broken down under it.
    [Show full text]
  • The Night of the Iguana (1986)
    San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Productions 1980-1989 Theatre Productions Fall 10-17-1986 The iN ght of the Iguana (1986) San Jose State University, Theatre Arts Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/productions_1980s Part of the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation San Jose State University, Theatre Arts, "The iN ght of the Iguana (1986)" (1986). Productions 1980-1989. Book 54. http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/productions_1980s/54 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Theatre Productions at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Productions 1980-1989 by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY PRESENTS 1ff!H91E ~3Gf!H91f Off 1ffH9fff ff3GUA~NA~ -"'*"'""""'- ~ by tennessee williams Oct. 17~ I8 22 thru 25 UNIVERSITY THEATRE 8 p.m. ~ '\ TICKETS: UNIVERSITYTHEATRE BOX OFFICE ---· . 5th & SAN FERNANDO- Mon-Fri 1-5 p.m. '\W.- 6:30-8: 15 SHOW NIGHTS. 277-2W ~ - ~ I Hal J. Todd, D irector has acted and directed for regional professional theatres such as the Pittsburgh Playhouse, the Seattle Repertory, the San Francisco Actor's Workshop and the American Conservatory Theatre; for Shakespeare festivals at San Diego, Ashland, Oregon, and Boulder, Colorado; at Universal and M.G.M. Studios; and at Carnegie Tech and Northwestern Universities. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, the Director's Guild and the Screenwriters Guild. He has been an SJSU faculty member since 1964 and was Department Chair between 1964 and 1982. His recent SJSU productions include The Country Wife, Dracula, and last season's Dark of the Moon.
    [Show full text]
  • May 1987 Beazley Is Approved
    CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE THE FINAL FOUR FILM ADAPTATIONS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in MASS COMMUNICATION by Kimberly Brandewie Beazley May 1987 Beazley is approved: California State University, Northridge ii To MA and PAPPY: For all your love, support, wisdom, and humor during this endeavor and the past twenty-four years. May the next quarter of a century be as good. In Memory of GEORGE EDWARD BRANDEWIE JR. Oct. 11, 1925 - Dec. 28, 1966 "It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, just so long as you don't forget it and you ain't ashamed of it." William Faulkner iii ~\ ' "Nowadays is, indeed, lit by lightning, a plague has stricken the moths, and Blanche has been 'put away. ' " Memoirs "Then what shall I say? That I know that I am a minor artist who has happened to write one or two major works? I can't even say which they are. It doesn't matter." Where I Live iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT • . ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................ 1 Introduction ••.•••• 1 Purpose . ........... 5 Research Questions .. 6 Hypothesis .•. 7 Design •••••• 8 Methodology •••••••• 9 Literature Review .. 11 Introduction .• 11 Books . ....... 11 Articles ...•. 21 Dissertations .. 24 Conclusion ..•• 25 Endnotes ••••. 27 Bibliography. 33 CHAPTER 2 THEATRE/FILM/ADAPTATION 38 Introduction •. 38 Plot/Story •.•• 41 Idea/Theme •.••.• 42 Mood/Atmosphere. ... 43 Character .••••.• 45 Dialogue .. ......... 47 Spectacle/Staging. .. 49 Concl us ion ••••. 51 Endnotes 53 CHAPTER 3 =IN~FL:...=..;U~E::.:.N.:...::C~E:::=S;..,_,:;O.:..:N--=.;TE=N:..:..:N:..:..:E:.:S::..::S~E::.::E::.-.:.;W:.:I=L~L=I:..::AM=-S .•.•..•• 55 Introduction •• 55 Fa.Illily .
    [Show full text]
  • Evocation of the Old South in Film Adaptations of Tennessee Williams: the Space As a Narrative Element
    Revista de Comunicación de la SEECI. (Noviembre 2016). Año XX (41), 82-103 ISSN: 1576-3420 INVESTIGACIÓN/RESEARCH Recibido: 23/08/2016 --- Aceptado: 04/10/2016 --- Publicado: 15/11/2016 EVOCATION OF THE OLD SOUTH IN FILM ADAPTATIONS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS: THE SPACE AS A NARRATIVE ELEMENT Valeriano Durán Manso1: Universidad de Cádiz. España. [email protected] ABSTRACT: The south of the United States plays a decisive role in the literary work of the American playwright Tennessee Williams. This universe, which is centered on the main city of Louisiana, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Delta, has an important cinematographic representation thanks to the adaptations of the main works of the writer, carried out between 1950 and 1968. Thus, the southern space has a notable prominence in these films, and in some cases it acquires the nature of character, due to its relevant narrative weight and the constant evocation that characters make of it. With the objectives of emphasizing the Old South as poetic and romantic in the classic American cinema, reflecting on the relationship of Williams with his place of origin, and approaching the representation of the southern universe in its main film adaptations, this paper intends to show how the South influences the construction of the themes and characters of the playwright. In this sense, films like A Streetcar Named Desire, Baby Doll, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Suddenly, Last Summer or Sweet Bird of Youth, among other prominent movies, share the same scope despite carried out in different locations of southern United States. From these considerations, this paper aims to reflect on how the south inheriting the Old South stands as a narrative element that determines the dramatic evolution in the film adaptations of Tennessee Williams.
    [Show full text]
  • Night of the Iguana Program
    CSU Theatre presents THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA by Tennessee Williams Directed by Walt Jones Scenic Design by Taylor Webster Lighting Design by Price Johnston Costume Design by Maile Speetjens Sound Design by Alex Billman Hair/Makeup Design by Siobhan Gleason Properties Design by Annaleigh Timmerman Production Stage Manager Keili Elliott The veranda of the Costa Verde Hotel, outside the fictional town of Puerto Barrio, a cheap tourist hotel perched on a cliff at the edge of the jungle on the Sea of Cortez on the west coast of Mexico, September 1940. Act One, Scene One: Late afternoon Act One, Scene Two: A few hours later, supper Act Two: A few hours later, about 10:00 p.m. Act One will run approximately 80 minutes. Act Two will run approximately 85 minutes. There will be a 15-minute intermission between Act One and Act Two THE CAST (in order of appearance) Pepe . Jordan Granath Shannon’s current tour group: a cabana boy who works at the Costa Verde Hotel Judith Fellowes . Annie Booth Maxine Faulk. .Meghan Connor on the faculty of Baptist Female College in Blowing Rock, TX the owner/manager of the Costa Verde Hotel, recently widowed Charlotte Goodall . Megan Chambers Pedro . Jacob Brooks her ward, a vocal student, 16 years old the other cabana boy who works at the Costa Verde Hotel Baptist school teachers from the college: The Reverend Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon . Ryan Miller Miss Peebles . Katie Rose a former Episcopal minister, now a bus tour conductor on the staff of a second-rate travel agency, Blake Tours, Houston, Texas Miss Dexter .
    [Show full text]
  • The Battle Between the Flesh and the Spirit in the Dramas of Tennessee Williams
    Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Honors College at WKU Projects 2009 "Survival with Honor": The aB ttle between the Flesh and the Spirit in the Dramas of Tennessee Williams Kirby Watkins Western Kentucky University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Watkins, Kirby, ""Survival with Honor": The aB ttle between the Flesh and the Spirit in the Dramas of Tennessee Williams" (2009). Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects. Paper 272. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/272 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors College Capstone Experience/ Thesis Projects by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “SURVIVAL WITH HONOR”: THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT IN THE DRAMAS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS by KIRBY WATKINS A Capstone Experience/Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of University Honors College at Western Kentucky University 2009 2 “SURVIVAL WITH HONOR”: THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT IN THE DRAMAS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS by KIRBY WATKINS Under the Direction of Walker Rutledge ABSTRACT Tennessee Williams struggled his entire life with sexuality and spirituality. His view of God and sex were continuously intermingled in confusion, and the resulting chaos found its way into many of Williams’ plays. This thesis focuses on Williams’ entire career, from his very first plays to some of his last. The theme of flesh versus spirit is examined closely.
    [Show full text]
  • Tennessee Williams
    Tennessee Williams Project By: Kirsten, Mariam, and Collin Drama and Poetry • The word drama defines a genre, or style of writing. Drama is a play that can be performed for theatre, radio or even television. These plays are usually written out as a script, or a written version of a play that is read by the actors but not the audience. • Poetry is defined as literary work in metrical form, often employing meter and rhyme as well as descriptive and imaginative language. Drama is literature that focuses on dialogue and conflict, written to be performed on a stage. Short stories are prose fiction pieces that can be read in one sitting. Background • Birth name is Thomas Laner Williams • Born on March 26, 1911, in Columbus, Mississippi • His mother “Miss Edwina” the daughter of an Episcopalian minister • His father, Cornelus, traveling salesman • Worked away from the home a great deal and when he was home he was a violent drunk • result Williams turned inward and started to write • He is the second child of Cornelius and Edwina Williams‘. They had three children. Whom were all predominantly raised by their mother. Background Continued • Williams was sick as a child which made his mom even more protective over him. • In the summer of 1916, at the age of 5, Williams contracted diphtheria and nearly died from the respiratory illness. • Never married or had any children but had many lovers • William was a homosexual • Religion (non denominational) • Had many jobs Later Years • In 1929, Williams studied at the University of Missouri for 2 years, studying journalism.
    [Show full text]
  • PLOT SUMMARY Tennessee Williams' BABY DOLL
    New Stage Theatre presents Tennessee Williams’ Baby Doll Screenplay by Tennessee Williams Adapted for the stage by Pierre Laville and Emily Mann Directed by Rus Blackwell October 24-November 5, 2017 For tickets: 601-948-3531 or newstagetheatre.com Sponsored by TABLE OF CONTENTS To the Educator ………..……………………..………………………………………………………… 3 A Note to Students: What to Expect at the Theater……………………………….….……………… 4 New Stage Theatre …………………….…………………………………………………….…………. 5 About the Author………………….………………………..………………………………………….. 6 From the Page to the Stage ……………………………………..…………………………………….. 7 Meet the Players ………………………………………..………….………………………..….…….. 8 Plot Summary …………………………………………..…………………………..…….……………. 9 Article: Tennessee’s Mississippi Muse (Discussion Questions and Writing Prompts)……..…10-11 Article: Williams’ Women ……………………………………………………………….….……12 The Art of Costume Design: A Journey Back in Time …………………………….…….…….. 13-14 Post-Show Activities………………………………………………………………….…………… 15-19 If You Have One Day To Prepare …………………………………………………………………….. 20 Teacher/Student Evaluations …………………………………………….……………………… 21-22 Explore and Learn More! ……………………………………………..……………………………… 23 DEAR PARTNER IN EDUCATION We are thrilled to have you and your students at New Stage to experience Tennessee Williams BABY DOLL! Thank you for taking the time to arrange for your school to attend a student matinee! BABY DOLL has only been produced by three other theatres in the world! We are elated to attain the rights to bring this rare production to the stage! This study guide is to help prepare you and your students for the performance. We have included writing prompts, discussion questions and classroom activities to invite your students into the world of Mississippi born playwright Tennessee Williams and BABY DOLL. We want to prepare them to experience live theatre set in a different time period, to understand their role as audience members, and to gain a deeper knowledge of the story’s themes and characters.
    [Show full text]
  • The Critical Reception of the Works of Tennessee Williams Jennifer Banach
    The Critical Reception of the Works of Tennessee Williams Jennifer Banach In 1944, a dramatic work written by a young playwright named Ten- nessee Williams debuted at Chicago’s Civic Theatre and shortly there- after opened on a Broadway stage. The play, titled The Glass Menag- erie, told the story of the struggles of the Wingfield family through the eyes of the son, Tom, a young man hoping to escape his life in St. Louis and realize his dream of being a poet. It was hugely successful, win- ning over critics and audiences and catapulting the author to fame. To- day, Tennessee Williams is recognized as one of the most important playwrights in the history of American drama, owing largely to the success of this play, which has come to be considered one of Wil- liams’s signature works and continues to be studied in classrooms and performed on stages all over the world. When The Glass Menagerie premiered in 1944, critics were struck by the personal nature of the story, which bore an undeniable re- semblance to the young playwright’s own life. They praised Wil- liams’s ability to create dynamic characters of enormous depth, such as Laura, a fragile young woman modeled on Williams’s own sis- ter, Rose, and Amanda, a well-intentioned but suffocating mother who, abandoned by her husband, clings to her faded past as a south- ern belle. The breadth of thematic concerns treated in the work was also lauded. Williams was able to depict simultaneously the struggle of the American family within the urban life of a newly industrial- ized society and the contradictions inherent to the genteel way of life associated with the antebellum American South.
    [Show full text]