I read on Adrienne’s blog on this poem and I disagree and agree with her. “So this poem is, from A Streetcar Named Desire point of view, living in the past. Nowadays, love is something practical, that follows a system- somewhere in the play it is said that Stella is following the usual pattern- find a guy, marry, have a baby. Blanche isn't, though.” Initially I agree with the idea that this poem shows “living in past” as it is adored by Blanche and Mitch because of their past. But I think some parts of the poem ring true to Stella and Stanley as well especially the parts on passion. I question the notion of modern love being “practical.” I think that Blanches relationship with a guy who was a “prince charming type” wasn’t functional because there wasn’t mutual sexual attraction, so in that sense it wasn’t practical. But Stella and Stanley, having a relationship driven by passion and sexuality, that is very functional, isn’t always practical. Both types of relationships have destructive elements and they are both driven by desire, though for different things.
The poem Sonnets from the Portuguese displays a perspective on love that can connect to the romantic and the realistic shows how the existence of love and passion transcend the state of society. The first thing to notice is that last lines of the poem are the ones engraved in Mitch's silver case. “ I shall love the greater after death.” Blanches appreciation for this line is a clear display of the Gothic, romanticism is found in decay and loss, it brings Mitch and blanche together. But this romanticism is severely undermined by Stanley’s rejection of Blanche due to her past, which is ironic because their romance happened mostly because they had similar pasts. Romance is considered here to be an illusion of the past and realism becomes more relevant. But despite the gothic elements of the poem, love and romance are still relevant to those characters that we would consider modern. “I love thee with the passion put to use, In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.” Doesn’t this apply to Stella and Stanley? In the famous “STELLAAAA!” scene, Stanley’s temper and negative emotions are used to express his love for Stella. And Stella returns this passion by taking him back which required her to be naively trusting of him to an extent. In the characters that represent realism, love and passion, exist just as the do in the gothic. No matter what sort of person the characters want or what vulnerabilities they have, both experience love’s intensity and backlashes. Love will continue after death and after societal change because it is a timeless universal force.
In reference to "love will continue after death and after societal change because it is a timeless universal force" how do you think this idea differs in the Tenessee's script and the movie of the play? In Tenessee's play, Stella chooses to live with Stanley while in the movie Stella leaves him.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, what love are you talking about? The love between two partners- Stella and Stanley, Blanche and her husband, even Mitch and his lost wife? What about love between sisters, even brothers (in Stanley and Mitch's case). Love is definitely a central idea in the play, but I think it is about a clashing of different types of love.
I think you mention some important things about different types of love, although I was primarily focusing on romantic love, family and friendship love are significant and add more conflicts and complexities to the play. I think Mitch and Stanley's relationship is important, it makes definitely makes Blanche and Mitch's relationship more complicated, friendships has the same difficulties as romantic love. I think Stella and Blanches sisterly love is important, it creates a conflict between maintaining loyalty to people in your past and finding a new life in the future. Blanche frequently tells Stella that choosing to marry an unrefined type betrays her upbringing, and not to hang back with the brutes. Stanley and Blanche compete in a sense for Stella's approval, showing the conflict between family love and romantic love. Who ever Stella chooses to believe or stay with, that love conquers. In the movie Stella leaves Stanley at the end, so that shows that family loyalty conquers romance. In the play Stella and Stanley have sex at the end, showing that romantic love conquers family loyalty.
DeleteIn the movie and the play, Blanche is sent off by herself. Could Tennessee be suggesting that those in the past who can't conform are left behind? What idea do you think this portrays?
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