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(Catherine, Eddie’s wife’s late sister’s daughter and Stanley, Blanche’s sister’s husband). Like Eddie, Blanche daintily drops hints that she is interested in her sister’s husband although at the start of the play we dismiss this as Blanche’s usual behavior as she has a tendency to flirt with anyone/everyone she comes across. The virility of Stanley’s character allows him to see straight through Blanche’s poised and false exterior, which means that he has very little respect for her, this is clearly shown by his actions towards her throughout the play and this leads to a highly charged atmosphere between the two of them, (and also between Stanley and Stella as she is aware of his complete disapproval of her sister, hereby creating great drama). For example, at the start of scene two, Stella and Stanley have an argument about Blanche which ends in Stanley asserting his authority by saying ‘You’re damn tootin’ I’m going to stay here’. Later in scene two Stanley acts upon his intuition and rifles through Blanche’s trunk which contains all her personal belongings clearly indicating his lack of respect for her possessions. Williams creates great tension between Blanche and Stanley during the play as, although there is hostility, I feel it contributes to the sexual tension felt between them; for example Stanleys ‘request’ when he says “My clothes’re stickin’ to me. Do you mind if I make myself comfortable? (He starts to remove his shirt)” reveals the sexual tension between Stanley and Blanche when they first meet and indicates that sexuality is a core part of his personality. He is portrayed as a sexual character from the beginning, whereas Blanche attempts to hide this side of her, however this in itself somehow subtly emphasises her true nature. Blanche is equally forward in the scene when she changes clothes in the bedroom which is only separated by drapes, she asks “Excuse me while I slip on my pretty new dress!!” and “Many thanks! Now the buttons”. Blanche purposefully flirts with Stanley and she wants him to get close to her, especially when asking him to do up the buttons. These various subtle and intimate moments work in unison to indicate the contrasts and similarities between Stanley and Blanche, which combine to create heightened sexual tension. Ultimately as they are both strong characters, one of the two has to come out a victor of their rivalry. Stanley is strong but Blanche successfully establishes a foothold in his house during the first third of the
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In Eddie's world, he imagines protecting Catherine from marriage or any male relationship and wants her for himself. While Eddie wavers and switches between communal and state laws and cultures to discriminate against Rodolpho, his motivations do not change, regardless of the fact it is often at the expense of others. Throughout the play, Miller creates uncomfortable situations for the reader/viewer, caused by the emergence of Eddie’s unusual ‘love’ for Catherine. This is shown in particular in act one, when Catherine lights Eddie's cigar in the living room, it is an event that gives Eddie unusual pleasure, as he then longingly ‘stands looking towards the kitchen for a moment’. This would normally be an innocent and loving gesture from a niece to her uncle, however due to the fact that the audience is aware of Eddie’s feelings about Catherine, the situation becomes uncomfortable, possibly bearing phallic connotations. Depending on interpretation by the actors and by the readers, this moment in the play may have more or less sexual undertones, heightening the tension gradually, with each intimate encounter between the two. Eddie pays great attention to Catherine, which often corresponds with his impotence in his own relationship with Beatrice; in scene one she confronts him asking ‘When am I going to be a wife again, Eddie?’, which can either be interpreted as a delicate way to address the sensitive subject of their non-existent sex life, or as a way of subtly and bitterly trying to make him see how he is behaving. Later on she also says "You going to leave her (Catherine) alone? Or you gonna drive me crazy?" she says this after Eddie has just argued with Catherine in the street over Rodolpho; it is another way of her trying to tell him what he needs to hear. Until the end of the play, the other characters are aware of
In Eddie's world, he imagines protecting Catherine from marriage or any male relationship and wants her for himself. While Eddie wavers and switches between communal and state laws and cultures to discriminate against Rodolpho, his motivations do not change, regardless of the fact it is often at the expense of others. Throughout the play, Miller creates uncomfortable situations for the reader/viewer, caused by the emergence of Eddie’s unusual ‘love’ for Catherine. This is shown in particular in act one, when Catherine lights Eddie's cigar in the living room, it is an event that gives Eddie unusual pleasure, as he then longingly ‘stands looking towards the kitchen for a moment’. This would normally be an innocent and loving gesture from a niece to her uncle, however due to the fact that the audience is aware of Eddie’s feelings about Catherine, the situation becomes uncomfortable, possibly bearing phallic connotations. Depending on interpretation by the actors and by the readers, this moment in the play may have more or less sexual undertones, heightening the tension gradually, with each intimate encounter between the two. Eddie pays great attention to Catherine, which often corresponds with his impotence in his own relationship with Beatrice; in scene one she confronts him asking ‘When am I going to be a wife again, Eddie?’, which can either be interpreted as a delicate way to address the sensitive subject of their non-existent sex life, or as a way of subtly and bitterly trying to make him see how he is behaving. Later on she also says "You going to leave her (Catherine) alone? Or you gonna drive me crazy?" she says this after Eddie has just argued with Catherine in the street over Rodolpho; it is another way of her trying to tell him what he needs to hear. Until the end of the play, the other characters are aware of