Scene 3 Summary be poker should not played

Scene 3

Summary

be ‘poker should not played in a house ‘vivid slices of e with women’ watermelon on th y bottles ‘men at th e peak of table, whisk sses’ la l g a d t n n h a r e u t i r c o p n h ysical ‘lurid manhood’ brilliance’ rse and direct a o ‘c ‘the raw colours of rimary colours’ p s a childhood’s spectrum’ The Poker Night Why a poker game?

The Poker Night Thomas Hart Benton – ‘The Poker Night’ Does this fit with your idea of the evening?

He was looking throug h them drapes. [He jumps up and jerk s roughly at curtains to close them. ] s into re ie rt o p e th h g u ro th ly [Stanley stalks fierce radio e it h w ll a m s e th to s e s the bedroom. He cros oath, d te u o h s a h it W. le b ta and snatches it off the indow] w e th t u o t n e m u tr s in he tosses the [Stanley charges after Stella] ‘STELLLAHHHHH !’ Stanley to g n i o g s ' y d ‘Nobo be t ' n o d o s , get up worried. ’

[Blanche moves back into the streak of light. She raises her a rms and stretches, as she moves indolen tly back to the chair. ] in the e h c n la B f o t h ig s e th t [Stanley stops short a g. ] in h c in fl t u o h it w k o lo chair. She returns his [She has slipped on the dark red satin wrapper. ] ‘I can't stand a na ked light bulb, any more th an I can a rude remark or a vulgar action. ’ Blanche ? ’ k o o l I o d ‘How

Find quotations that suggest either masculinity or femininity. MASCULINITY FEMININITY What you think Williams suggests about masculinity and femininity? How does it affect characters’ identities – both in terms of how they see themselves and how they are seen by others?

1. 2. 3. 4. Stanley? Blanche? Stella? Other characters? Audience Response After the shocking end to Scene Three, how does the audience feel about:

1. Sympathise with Stanley? 2. Blame Blanche? 3. Criticise Stella? 4. ? Audience Response Flip your opinions. Can you:

‘Certainly, his women characters are among some of the finest ever portrayed. They are also among the most complex and anti-stereotypical. Blanche is both a villain and a victim, the cause of her husband’s suicide and the suffering widow as a result of it. She seeks her forgiveness and her penance in sexual pursuits that reverse her earlier aversion to sexuality outside of a prescribed code of conduct. She pretends that she wants to save Stella from her cave-age mate, but she appears interested in taking over either Stella’s husband or her life. She unconsciously invites the violence that destroys her, appearing as a masochist who seeks out her matching sadist to precipitate the final violence. ‘ Nancy Tischler, Student Companion to Tenessee Williams What evidence can you find from scene 3 to suggest that Blanche is a complex and contradictory character? Develop your response by exploring WHY Williams might have created such a character…why does she behave this way? Use the critical quotations to get you started.

"And if God choose, I shall but love thee better-after--death!" Why, that's from my favorite sonnet by Mrs. Browning!