A Streetcar Named Desire

Author: Tennessee Williams
Year: 1947
Famous for: Violent men, helpless women, and a dramatic descent into insanity.
Main character: The drunk, down-and-out Blanche DuBois

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, isn’t exactly what you’d call a hopeful play. It begins when the aging debutante, Blanche DuBois, takes a streetcar named Desire to her sister’s place in New Orleans, where she hopes to find a refuge from a cruel and unforgiving world. Unfortunately for Blanche, her sister Stella’s place is anything but a sanctuary. Not only is Stella’s husband, Stanley, not buying Blanche’s damsel-in-distress routine, he’s also determined to bring her face-to-face with her recent indiscretions. Somebody cue the tragic ending!

But A Streetcar Named Desire isn’t all denial and despair. This play was actually Tennessee Williams’ call for change. See, Williams thought there was something wrong with a world in which a single woman’s only recourse was either a man, or a complete departure from reality. And thanks to Williams—and A Streetcar Named Desire —things have changed. For the better.