How does Williams create a sense of tension and drama for the audience in this extract? (30 marks)
Tennesse Williams published 'A Streetcar Named Desire' in 1947 which was the same year the play was set. There are many similarities to his personal life and his plays, almost like Williams takes part of himself to breathe life to his iconic characters. For example, Willaims was born in the state of Mississippi like Blanche and, similar to Blanche, he was isolated when his family moved states when he was twelve because he stood out and therefore was sadly never accepted. This allows tension and drama to build before the exrtract as Blanche is under a lot of pressure in order to fit in with a world entirely new to her. The previous scenes depict how shaky Blanche is feeling and her excessive drinking problem which foreshadows that she will crack soon. The extract is set after a violent poker game where Stanley physically abused Stella. Williams' father was a travelling salesman and was quite similar to Stanley as he was prone to drink a lot and had a pretty vulgar personality. This creates tension and drama in the extract because the audience knows that Stanley has a temper and is wonders when Blanche's actions could push him over the edge.
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