streetcar/virginia woolf

A detailed Summary of streetcar/virginia woolf

In both, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "A Streetcar name Desire", the roles of sex and power are of paramount importance and are a constant feature throughout the play. The emergence of certain characters from these two plays are emphasised by the way they portray sex and power. These two concepts are of great importance individually to the plays, but they are also linked, and work in unison to create the situations and relationships which the authors intend to explore. Whilst there are similarities in which sex and power are used in both of these texts, there are differences, which create different impressions of the people in the plays. This integral role of the characters mean that sex and power can be explored in numerous ways which develop ideas of gender conflict, physical attributes as tools of power and also the varying scale of significance that sex and power can contribute.

At the beginning of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?", a description of the characters is given, something which is to be vital to the themes and ideas surrounding the play. This shows the sexuality of the characters by merely stating their appearance. By calling George, "thin; hair going grey" and Nick, "well-put-together, good looking", we

The descriptions make a difference when Martha is described as, "a large, boisterous woman, 52, looking somewhat younger. Ample, but not fleshy". This is because the audience may now think of her as bossy and loud. These thoughts are in mind right throughout the encounter with George which makes the balance of power shift to Martha. George's intellectual description, afore mentioned, gives the impression that he can't handle Martha. This shows that the reader automatically links sexual persona to power by using the sexual descriptions. In this respect, it can be interpreted as to who would hold the most power in the relationship.

Possibly the biggest dilemma between sex and power is the impact it has on people and life. Sex, in some respects within these two plays, is a microcosm of society. This is when the power of sex is only utilised in such a way that it only affects one person or one small group of people by means of a specific incident. For example, the sexual games that occur between George, Martha, Honey and Nick only works on a micro level. The reason for this being, whilst they do things that have consequences, it is confined to a small select group of people and is over within one night. However, some links between sex and power work on a macro level. In, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?" this is conveyed through Nick, who personifies the idea of creating a super-race by using science to clone a perfect human being, using himself as an example. He says, "I am going to be the wave of the future", and whilst this can be seen as a joke, it destroys all variety and art, something which George stands for. In this respect, this concept would have a far greater impact on the future of society and civilisation than all the amount of sexual games, including the, "fantasy" child.

As both plays progress, we sexuality becoming more important between characters. In, "A Streetcar named Desire", it is the battle of sexual power between Blanche and Stanley that is confronted. Whilst Stella isn't a particularly powerful character within the play, she is the only one who is emotionally linked with both Stanley and Blanche. In this respect, it gives her perhaps the strongest power because they are both in desperate need of her undivided attention, with Stanley needing it because he loves her and Blanche needing it for her own comfort. This is why Stanley feels threatened by Blanches arrival and ultimate competition for Stella. This battle culminates in the most vivid link between sex and power;- the rape of Blanche. It is Stanley's way of confirming his ultimate power over Blanche, and it is ironic that it should be sex that he uses to do this. The reason for that is because Blanche had always prided herself on her sexuality, so to have that exposed and her power taken away in one act was devastating. This ended Blanche's power for good and affected her mentally as well, so she left Stanley and Stella to themselves, which Stanley saw as a victory.

The descriptions of George and Martha, two main characters in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?", become very important within the opening few scenes. This is because a conversation takes place between the two, and it becomes a mini-power struggle in which Martha is loud and brash and George is controlled and well considered. Martha's fervour is highlighted by the way she, "impatiently" snaps at George. Such an instance occurs when they 'discuss' a particular film but can't re

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Approximate Word count = 2332
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels