The Plays of Tennessee Williams - 1740 Words

Tennessee Williams was known as one of the greatest and most controversial playwrights in American history. He once said â€Å"I believe that writing or any form of creative work was never meant by nature to be a man’s way of making a living, that when it becomes one it almost certainly loses a measure of purity† (Lewis 54). This statement shows that Williams was a genuine writer who used his plays and poems to express his own thoughts. Williams was known for his Southern Gothic writing style. This is â€Å"a style of writing practiced by many writers of the American South whose stories set in that region are characterized by grotesque, macabre, or fantastic incidents† (â€Å"Southern gothic†). Some critics believe that Williams had sacrificed his†¦show more content†¦It is shown throughout the play that lying is something people do daily in order to conform to society’s wants. Big Daddy has made his life, rose up from beneath and became a rich and social man. His son, Brick, knows what his family expects of him and refuses to let them down by even contemplating the fact that he may be homosexual. He has not been true to himself or the world in the aspect of love. He knows that neither the world nor his family would accept him if it turned out that he was homosexual, so he buries that thought deep inside him. The denial of his friend Skippers’ love for him tore Brick down little by little on the inside until he began to hate the world, and felt disgusted for being a part of it. This play is just one more reason that Williams was known as a controversial playwright. At this point in time, in 1955, homosexuality was not discussed publicly. When Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was being made into a movie all hints of homosexuality were taken out of the script because it was considered to be a form of perversion. Williams himself had a long term partner in Frank Merlo, meaning that he himself was homosexual during the time w hen it was not fully accepted. Merlo acted as Williams’ manager, which in a way shows how Skipper was Bricks best friend but was actually in love with him. Some critics say that because Williams used a lot of the same themes in his works that he became predictable. Even Williams would admit to writing about the same themes,Show MoreRelatedDrama of A Streetcar Named Desire is Tennessee Williams Famous Play1499 Words   |  6 PagesThe drama A Streetcar Named Desire is one of Tennessee Williams most well-known plays. Blanche DuBois seeks refuge in her sister’s home after the loss of their ancestral home, the Belle Reve plantation. Her little sister, no more than a year younger than she, shares her home with her husband. During Blanche’s stay, she attempts to escape her past, start afresh, and attract a new suitor to settle down. However, she is tormented by her aggressive, unrelenting, and honest brother-in-law who eventuallyRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie By Tennes see Williams985 Words   |  4 Pagesfor the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going. ¨ This quote by the author of The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams, describes both The Glass Menagerie, a memory play, and the life of Tennessee Williams himself, for whom memories played a large role in his life. Within the play, many parallels can be drawn between the life of Williams and the life of Tom, the main character, such as a disdain for factory work. In addition, several characters in The Glass MenagerieRead MoreTennessee Williams And The Great State Of Tennessee1044 Words   |  5 Pages On March 26, 1911 the human version of the great state of Tennessee was born in Columbus Mississippi. His name was Thomas Lanier â€Å"Tennessee† Williams. Tennessee was one of the most amazing playwrights of the 20th century. Although he was one of the greatest playwrights of his time he had to endure many obstacles throughout his lifetime. He had to deal with the complicated marriage that he had with his wife. Also his parents’ marriage was very strained, and caused problems in his life as well. Tennessee’sRead More Tennessee Williams Essay545 Words   |  3 Pages Tennessee Williams nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Tennessee Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams on March 26, 1911 in Columbus, Mississippi. As a child, he lived with his mother and grandfather. When he was fourteen, Williams too first place in an essay contest sponsored by a national magazine, The Smart Set. At the age of seventeen, his first published story appeared in the August 1928 issue of Weird Tales. A year later Williams entered the University of Missouri but in 1932 he withdrew andRead MoreA Streetcar Named Desire By Tennessee Williams1109 Words   |  5 PagesDesire† is a play written by Tennessee Williams. Williams was born in Columbus, Mississippi but with a different name. He changed his name from Thomas Lanier Williams to what the readers know today as Tennessee Williams. (Forman). Williams is widely known for his plays, short stories, and poems across the world. He has won many awards for his work such as The New York Critics’ Circle Award and 2 Pulitzer awards. The play â€Å"A Streetcar Named Desire he won his first Pulitzer Prize. Williams uses his writingRead More Essay on The Glass Menagerie and the Life of Tennessee Williams957 Words   |  4 PagesThe Glass Menagerie and the Life of Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie closely parallels the life of the author. From the very job Tennessee held early in his life to the apartment he and his family lived in. Each of the characters presented, their actions taken and even the setting have been based on the past of Thomas Lanier Williams, better known as Tennessee Williams. Donald Spoto described the new apartment building that Williams and his family relocated to in St. Louis, MissouriRead MoreA Streetcar Named Desire By Tennessee Williams1442 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout Tennessee Williams’s play, â€Å"A Streetcar Named Desire† one can learn a large portion about his personal life. In the play the character, Blanche has a mental illness the same as his sister Rose had in her lifetime. Blanche’s ex-husband was also homosexual and he made the point to say that he left her for a man and Williams himself was also a homosexual. Tennessee chose for the story to be based in New Orleans, which was a crumbling town at the time and Williams was living a crumbling lifeRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams1534 Words   |  7 PagesThe Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Tennessee Williams, born Thomas Lanier Williams, wrote The Glass Menagerie, a play which premiered in Chicago in 1944. This award winning play, autobiographical in nature, represented a time in which Williams felt the obligation of his responsibilities in regards to the care of his family. Robert DiYanni, Adjunct Professor of Humanities at New York University, rated it as, â€Å"One of his best-loved plays...a portrayal of loneliness among characters who confuseRead MoreEssay Tennessee Williams Life and The Glass Menagerie1643 Words   |  7 Pages Tennessee Williamsamp;#8217; Life and The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie first opened on March 31, 1945. It was the first big success of Tennessee Williamsamp;#8217; career. It is in many ways about the life of Tennessee Williams himself, as well as a play of fiction that he wrote. He says in the beginning, amp;#8220;I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion; (1147). The characters Tom, Laura, and Amanda are very much like Williams, his sister Rose, and his mother Edwina. WeRead MoreTo What Extent Does Williams Present Desire as a Tragic Flaw in Scene Six of ‘a Streetcar Named Desire’1632 Words   |  7 Pageswhat extent does Williams present desire as a tragic flaw in scene six of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ In A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche’s flaws that lead to her downfall are abundant. If we are to view Blanche Dubois as a tragic heroine, then it is in scene six that her tragic flaws are especially evident, and in particular desire. They are so prevalent here as it is arguably the beginning of Blanche’s demise and as in Shakespearean tragedy; it is in the centre of the play that we see the