University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

The theme of the aristocratic hero in "La vida es Sueno" and "A Streetcar Named Desire"

(USC Thesis Other)

The theme of the aristocratic hero in "La vida es Sueno" and "A Streetcar Named Desire"

PDF

Download

Open document

Flip pages

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content THE THEME OF THE ARISTOCRATIC HERO IN
LA VIDA ES SUENO
AND
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
by
Radmilla Gogo Bea
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(Comparative Literature)
January 1965
UMI Number: EP43082
All rights reserved
INFORMATION TO ALL USERS
The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted.
In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript
and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed,
a note will indicate the deletion.
UMI'
Dissertation Publishing
UMI EP43082
Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author.
Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC.
All rights reserved. This work is protected against
unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code
ProQuest LLC.
789 East Eisenhower Parkway
P.O. Box 1346
Ann Arbor, Ml 4 8 1 0 6 -1 3 4 6
U N IV E R S IT Y O F S O U T H E R N C A L IF O R N IA
T H E G R A D U A T E S C H O O L
U N IV E R S IT Y P A R K
L O S A N G E L E S 7 , C A L IF O R N IA
Co 8 36s
This thesis, w ritte n by
Radraill a, _ Gog_o _ Be. a..............
under the direction of h $ .T ...T hesis Committee,
and approved by a ll its members, has been p re
sented to and accepted by the Dean of The
G raduate School, in p a rtia l fu lfillm e n t of the
requirements fo r the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
Date Janua_ry__6 , 1965
THESIS COMMITT&E
C hairm an
2-63— 2M— G A
189? £
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
INTRODUCTION ...................................... 1
I. LA VIDA ES SUENO, CALDERON .................
5
Actions, Thoughts and Attitudes of a
17th Century Spanish Aristocrat ........
5
II. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, Williams ........
25
Actions, Thoughts and Attitudes of a
20th Century American Aristocrat .....
25
III. THE TRIUMPH OF A 17th CENTURY SPANISH
ARISTOCRATIC HERO AND THE DEFEAT OF
A 20th CENTURY AMERICAN ARISTOCRATIC HERO
45
CONCLUSION ........................................
73
BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................
77
INTRODUCTION
For many years the aristocracy has been in decline.
As great empires have fallen., so has fallen the influence
of the aristocracy. Palaees and robes and, consequently,
aristocrats have become incongruent with modern man. But
it is his personal outlook that has made the aristocrat
i
I
seem most incompatible with modern society. His inherent
aristocratic majesty is no longer looked upon with great
admiration by the general public. For pride in name and
background has given way to pride in self-accomplishment.
The rise of the common man typifies contemporary times.
Some might even say that the "noble savage" has taken the
place of the aristocracy. Literature today reflects this
j
| trend of the modern temper away from the aristocrat and
j !
| toward the eommon man. i
l
In this paper I shall attempt to show the aristo- j
i
eratic hero at what might be considered his epitome of j
glory, glamour, and admiration. He will be a reflection
1
2
of 16th and 17th century Spain, still living on its
glories and conquests. For the Spain of that period
thrived in the despotism of the era. It gloried in its
splendid past history and it had set before itself the
most grandiose ideas of action governed by a code that
was often fantastic and exaggerated even though it was
generous.
Fedro CalderSn de la Barca and his play La Vida
es Sueno reflect this period of Spanish history. Calderon
was the last great poet of Spain’s l } siglo de oro." His
death in l68l marks not only the end of Spain's great
literary period, but it also marks the end of Spain’s
great political influence upon the rest of the world.
Calder6n wrote his works at a time when the Spanish aris
tocracy was at its highest peak. It is from this peak
| that both Spain and her aristocrats have since fallen.
1
! But Spain is not unique in this sense. Most of the other
i |
western cultures have also fallen in much the same manner I
1
}
so that today we see the modern aristocracy throughout ;
i
the world without much concrete influence. |
!
A Streetcar Named Desire may perhaps be considered I
a representation of the aristocratic hero at his lowest
3
ebb in the modern world. Joseph Wood Krutch in “Modernism"
in Modern Drama has noted that for Tennessee Williams
"the existence of a decayed aristocracy was one of the
inescapable facts of society with which he was most
familiar.""*' A Streetcar Named Desire is an outgrowth of
that knowledge. The glory of the aristocratic ideals and
aims no longer exists. The aristocrat, in order to adjust
must yield to the loss of his ideals and aims because
there has been not only a breakdown of faith but also a
loss of tradition. Consequently, the so-called higher
aspirations no longer exist and as a result there is no
.
place for the aristocrat in modern society.
A Streetcar Named Desire is Tennessee Williams1
reflection of the above attitude. It is an attitude which
seems to gain more and more influence in our modern world.
Perhaps it is greater technical knowledge that makes aris- i
I tocratic aims and ideals seem outmoded. And gratification
of desire also seems to have taken the place of peace with
!
i
one's self, peace with one's country and peace with one's I
i
God. !
^Ithaca, New York, p. 127.
4
Chapter I of this essay will relate the plot of
La Vida es Suerio and will illustrate the actions, thoughts,
and attitudes typical of an aristocratic hero of 17th cen
tury Spain. Chapter II will relate the plot of A Streetcar
Mamed Desire and will illustrate the actions, thoughts, and
attitudes of a 20th century American aristocratic hero.
Chapter III will discuss the triumph of a 17th century
hero and the defeat of a 20th century heroine in relation
to their approaches to (l) honor, (2) their struggle with
environment, and (3) their struggle with destiny which
reflects their spiritual natures. Chapter IV will be the
conclusion to this study.
j
r
CHAPTER I
LA VIDA ES SUENO, CALDERQM !
Actions, Thoughts and Attitudes of a
17th Century Spanish Aristocrat
Seventeenth century Spain is sometimes called the
1 I
! baroque phase of Spainrs heritage. During this baroque
j period, many qualities combined to make the personality of j
; an aristocrat beside his inherent birthright. Although he'
I had a proud sense of his innate nobility and the conse-
: 1
quent respect due him, he realized that it was his contin-j
i
ual obligation to prove that he merited that respect.
Pride and humility, duty and loyalty to both king and counj
try, chivalry, and a sense of fairness all combined to
1
; make the ideal aristocrat an honorable man worthy of both \
1
; his birthright and the veneration of his people. He
struggled with both his environment and himself from day to
day but perhaps most important of all he was concerned with
5
6
his soul and his destiny. La Vida es Suerio centers around
each of the above-mentioned qualities and each of these
qualities is to be found in its text.
In the first scene of the play, Segismundo, the
aristocratic hero, is encountered in a cave by a young
woman, Rosaura, who is disguised in man’s clothing and
her servant, Clarin. Segismundo appears to be more beast
than man and Rosaura comments to her servant:
s£, pues a sus reflejos
puedo determinar, aunque de lejos,
una prision oscura,
que es de un vivo cadaver sepultura;
y por que mas me asombre,
en el traje de fiera yace un hombre
de prisiones cargado
y solo de una luz aeompanado.
Pues huir no podemos
j desde aqui sus desdichas escuchemos.
j Sepamos lo que dice.-1 -
!
Segismundo has been living in the cave since
I infancy. His father, Basilio, king of Poland, has impris-
i
j onned him there because of a terrible prophecy made on
the day of his birth. Segismundo knows nothing of his
; noble background or of the fact that he is the rightful
ipedro Calderon de la Barca, El Alcalde de Zalamea !
y La Vida es Sueftb (Madrid, 1959), p. 1^7*
7
heir to his father*s throne. He questions the miseries
he has had to bear:
!Ay misero de ndfj Ay infelicel
Apurar, cielos, petendo,
ya que me trat^is asx,
qu£ delito cometf
contra vosotros naciendo:
aunque si nacf, ya entiendo
qu£ delito he cometido:
bastante causa ha tenido
vuestra justicia y rigor,
| pues el delito mayor
! del hombre es haber nacido.
Solo quisiera saber,
para apurar mis desvelos
(dejando a una parte, cielos,
el delito de nacer),
j tqu& mas os pude ofender,
I para castigarme mas:
j £no nacieron los demas:
I Pues si los demSs nacieron,
ique privilegios tuvieron
que yo no goce jamas?2
Following the above lamentation, he questions the j
I
freedom of the birds, beasts, fish, rivers and streams.
Why should they be free while he suffers in his prison
cave? After all, he bellows, he is a man and that fact i
l
I
alone makes him more noble in soul, in instinct, and in |
|
will than they. This attitude is a reflection of Spanish |
j
thought during the baroque period. At that time, man was
2Calder6n, pp. 147-148.
8
considered great by the mere fact that he was a member of
the human race. Consequently, he was thought more endowed
with greater possibilities and potential than any of the
other members of the animal species.
Segismundo is shocked when he realizes that some
one has overheard the above monologue. He says that the
intruders must be killed because his weaknesses and laments
should be known to none other than himself. Here we see an
exaggeration of pride which is sometimes also considered
typical of the Spanish baroque mentality.3
Pues muerte aqux* te dare,
por que no sepas que se (Asela.)
que sabe flaguezas m£as.
Solo porque me has oido,
entre mis membrudos brazos
te tengo de haeer pedazaos.^
But for reasons unknown even to himself, Segismundo finds
it impossible to kill Rosaura and Clarfn. Segismundo and
Rosaura begin to commiserate their mutual misfortunes and
while they are doing so Clotaldo, Segismundo’s jailer and
tutor, enters. He has his soldiers lock Segismundo in his
3Gerald Brenan, The Literature of the Spanish
People.(Cambridge, 1951), pp. 300-301.
9
cell and he arrests Rosaura and Clarln. They beg for
their lives. The aristocrat, Rosaura, shows an abundance
of both pride and humility in her speech requesting
Clotaldo to spare her life whereas Clarin illustrates his
lowly background in his speech by admitting to a lesser
degree of both.
Rosaura
Ya que vi que la soberbia
te ofendi6 tanto, ignorante
fuera en no pedirte humilde
vida que a tus planta yace.
mulyate en ml la piedad;
que ser& rigor notable
que no hallen favor en ti
ni soberbias ni humildades.
Clarln
Y si Humildad ni Soberbia
no te obligan, personajes
que han movido y removido
mil autos sacramentales,
yo, ni humilde ni soberbio,
sino entre las dos mitades
entreverado, te pido
que nos remedies y ampares.5
I
The class difference between Rosaura and Clarln is
again seen when Clotaldo demands that they relinquish
t
I
their weapons. Rosaura hands her sword to Clotaldo for
she vouchsafes that he is the most noble among her captors.
Clarln hands his sword to a lowly soldier and acclaims
Scalderon, p. 155.
10
that a sword of his Is not worthy to be handed to anyone
of a higher rank.
Upon seeing Rosaura1s sword, Clotaldo realizes
that its owner must be his child. Many years before he
had given it to a mistress who was pregnant with his child.
.
At that time he vowed that the man who came before him and
showed him this sword would be recognized and treated as a
son should be treated. Clotaldo is unaware of Rosaura*s
I disguise. In a monologue Clotaldo shows that he too
possesses the qualities of a true aristocrat of the Spanish
baroque period. He is a demonstration of an aristocrat
i
bearing a great sense of loyalty. But in so doing he also
demonstrates a conflict of interests that the aristocrat
j of that era sometimes found inevitable. His sense of
loyalty tells him that he must take his prisoners to the
king. But he also knows that the king will kill the j
!
prisoners for having seen the secretly hidden prince. His !
obligations as a father conflict with his obligations to
1
his king. j
§ Pues que he de hacer jay de mil |
I en confusi6n semejante,
si quien la trae por favor,
para su muerte la trae,
pues que sentenciado a muerte
llega a mis pies?
11
• • •
4-qu^ he de haeer? Valedme, Clelos!
6que he de hacer?- Porque llevarle
al rey, es llevarle-lay triste!
a morir. Pues oeultarle
al rey, no puedo, conforme
a la ley del homenaje.
De una parte el amor propio,
y la lealtad de otra parte
me rinder.6
Clotaldo1s problem is easily resolved, however, for when
he arrives at the palace, he finds that the king has
revealed to the court the secret of Segismundo!s existence.
Basilio, having realized his advancing age, knows
that the time has come to name his heir. He has a niece,
Estrella, and a nephew, Astolfo, both of whom claim their
right to the throne of Poland. Up to this time, Estrella
and Astolfo have been under the impression that they were
the only rightful heirs. In announcing Segismundo's
esistence, Basilio again shows the aristocrat's great
sense of duty. Basilio is fully aware of his obligations
!
j to his people, the law, and to destiny. He knows that he,
as king, cannot shirk any of these duties.
Aqui hay tres cosas: la una
que yo, Polonia, os estimo
tanto, que os quiero librar
de la opresion y servicio
6calder6n, p. 158.
12
de un rey tirano, por que
no fuera seFIor benigno
el que a su patria y su imperio
puslera en tanto pellgro.
La otra es considerar
que si a ml sangre le quit©
el derecho que le dieron
humano fuero y divino,
no es cristiana caridad;
pues nlnguna ley ha dicho
que por reservar yo a otro
de fclrano my higo,
por que el delitos no haga,
vengo yo a hacer los delitos.
Es la dltima y tereera
el ver culmto yerro ha sido
dar credito f^cilmente
a los sucesos previstos;
pues aunque su incllnaci6n
le dlcte sus precipieios,
qulza no le vencerfm,
porque el hado m&s esquivo
la inelinacion mas violenta,
el planeta mas impio,
solo el albendrfo inclinan I
no fuerzan el albedno.f
After announcing Segismundo*s existence and the
| prophecy made at his birth, Basilio declares that he will j
; allow his son to reign for one day. He says that during
l
I
this twenty-four hour period both he and his people will j
i
|
see whether or not Segismundo will fulfill the dire pre- i
J
diction made at his birth. If the prediction is proved j
: ' I
J false, Segismundo will be allowed to take his place as the |
7Calder6n, pp. 168-169.
13
rightful heir to the throne. But if the prediction is
proved true, he will be returned to the cave to remain a
prisoner for the rest of his life, and Estrella and
Astolfo will be united in marriage in order that they may
jointly rule Poland.
At this point in the drama Rosaura tells Clotaldo
that she has come to Poland to avenge her honor upon
Astolfo, the Duke of Muscovy, and the same Astolfo who is
nephew to the king:
Rosaura
sabe que el contrarlo ha sido
no menos que Astolfo, duque de Moscovia |
Clotaldo
Si moscovita has nacido,
el que es natural senor
| mal agraviarte ha podido:®
j
| The above quotation again reveals 17th century
j
I Spanish thought because at that time it was thought im-
i
! possible by nature that a ruler could offend one of his j
| !
j subjects. The only possible recognizable offense was that j
of dishonoring a woman. Taking this into consideration,
I
Clotaldo suddenly realizes Rosaura's disguise. '
^Calderon, p. 175.
14
Rosaura requests that Clotaldo help her in aveng
ing her honor upon Astolfo. She claims that Clotaldo is
indebted to her because he has saved her life and certainly
it is more noble to give than to receive. She doesn't yet
realize that Clotaldo is her father. Clotaldo evades
Rosaura's plea but declares to himself that if the honor
of his daughter has suffered so then, necessarily has his.
Here again we see the anathema brought on by the nobleman's
sense of duty. Can he be both loyal to the prince and at
the same time can he allow the honor of his daughter to go
unavenged?
/QuS confuso laberinto
es este, donde no puede
hallar la raz6n el hilo?
Mi honor es el agraviado-,
poderoso el enemigo,
yo vasallo, ella mujer:
descubra el clelo eamino:
aunque no se si podr£t,
cuando en tan confuso abismo
| es todo el cielo un presagio
y es todo el mundo un prodigio.9
i
j
Clotaldo's confusion is later enlarged upon when Astolfo j
saves him from death at the hands of Segismundo. Now he
owes Astolfo a twofold allegiance. First, he owes him j
' I
^Calderon, p. 176.
15
allegiance because he is a loyal subject and second, he
owes him allegiance because he has saved his life. But at
the same time he also owes allegiance to his own child.
The problem will later be resolved.
Meanwhile, Basilio plans to have Clotaldo drug
Segismundo. Segismundo will go to sleep in the cave but
wake to find himself in his bed in the palace. Basilio
thinks that by so doing if he later finds it necessary to
return Segismundo to the cave because he proves true to
the ill-starred prophecy, Segismundo will think that his
one day rule was merely a dream. Before Clotaldo drugs
i Segismundo, he chats with him and compares him to a regal
i
bird and a shooting star thereby inciting Segismundo to
i
speak of his innate aristocracy. Although Segismundo has t
i I
I
never been told of his royal background he has always had
I
i
| an innate awareness of it. Innate awareness of nobility
I
I
I was also a prominent belief of the baroque period. [
1 i
i i
I que en tocando esta materia I
de la majestad, discurre j
con ambicion y soberbia;
porque, en efecto, la sangre j
j le incita, mueve y alienta
i atcosas grandes y dijo:
"i Que en la republica.inquieta
de las aves tambien haya
quien les jure la obedience;
En llegando a este discurso,
mis desdichas me consuelan:
pues, por lo menos, si estoy
sujeto, lo estoy por fuerza;
porque voluntariamente
a otro hombre no me rindiera.1 1
When Segismundo awakes in the palace, Clotaldo
tells him of the prophecy and of his consequent imprison
ment for so many years. He also expresses the belief that
a man of Segismundo*s stature should be able to accomodate
himself to his destiny through strength of will. During
the baroque period this was supposedly a common goal for
all mankind. A reconciliation was sought rather than a
battle between free-will and predestination. And this
same reconiliation was a constant source of argument be-
i
! tween the Jesuits and the Dominicans of that era.But
Segismundo does not heed Clotaldo. Instead he declares
faith in only himself, his pride, and his power. And he
i
promptly swears that he will see Clotaldo put to death. !
I !
I Upon encountering his cousins, Estrella and
I Astolfo, Segismundo is similarly brusque. He rebukes |
i !
Astolfo for not removing his hat in his presence; Astolfo'sj
10Calderon, p. 179-
l^Milton Buchanan, "Calder&^s Life is a Dream,1 *
PMLA, 47:1303-1321, 1932. •
IT
rank as grandee would actually allow him that privilege
even in the presence of a king. And to Estrella, he makes
ungentlemanly proposals; he even hurls a servant from a
balcony because he has dared to comment that such remarks
are not proper.
When Segismundo finally meets his father, Basilio,
he expresses his hatred for him. He condemns Basilio for
having kept him a prisoner for so many years. And he
declares that he feels no allegiance toward him. Basilio
warns Segismundo to take care for he may be dreaming and
not awake. But Segismundo^ vanity is unreasonable:
dQue quiza sonando estoy,
aunque despierto me veo?
No sueno, pues toco y creo
lo que he sido y lo que soy.
Y aunque ahora te arrepientas,
poco remedio tendrtas:
Si quien soy, Y no podras,
aunque suspires y sientas,
quitarme el haber nacido
desta corona hereder:-5 * 2
Gerald Brenan considers just such vanity or over-zealous
pride the greatest vice of the seventeenth century; he
considers it a result of the, beginnings of the break-up
l2Calder6n, p. 197*
18
of the social structure during that period.^ But
Segismundo1s vanity might also be considered the result
of a poor educational background with regard to knowledge
of his duties and obligations toward his social rank.
After his encounter with his father, Segismundo
meets Rosaura for the second time. Now her disguise is
gone and she is dressed as a woman. She rebukes Segismundo
for his attitude toward his father and she also refuses to
submit to his advances. Again Segismundo displays over
whelming vanity. He considers her refusal an affront to
his dignity and status and consequently decides to rape
her. Clotaldo interferes and is struggling with Segismundo
!
| when Astolfo comes to his rescue. The fight between
Astolfo and Segismundo is only halted when Basilio once
again appears on the scene. During the seventeenth century
all fighting was banned in the presence of a monarch. This
' 1^ - '
i was in accordance with Mla ley de la presencia real.1 1 j
i !
I
Drawn swords had to be sheathed upon the entrance of the
J-3The Literature of the Spanish People (Cambridge,
| 1951), p. 287.
f
li+Pedro Calderon de la Barca, Life is a Dream,
trans. William E. Colford (New York, 1958), p. 52.
19
king and it was assumed that both sides had regained their
honor; and a duel over that particular affair could never
be resumed.
Segismundo leaves the scene only after repeating
that he will make both Basilio and Clotaldo pay for his
unjust upbringing. But Basilio declares that Segismundo
will not get the chance to fulfill his threat. He an
nounces that Segismundo has certainly proved true to the
horrible prophecy and consequently he must be sent back
to his cave prison. And Basilio says that once Segismundo
is again ensconced in his prison he will think that all
that has recently happened is only in reality a dream.
The cave will again become Segismundo's reality, not the
court.
Once again Segismundo is drugged and returned to
his former condition. And even in his sleep he vents his
j
wrath toward both Clotaldo and Basilio:
Piadoso princfpe es
el que castiga tiranos:
Clotaldo muera a mis manos,
mi padre bese mis p i es.1^
15calderon, p. 220.
When he awakens in the cave* Segismundo tells
Clotaldo about what he now thinks was only a dream.
Clotaldo preaches that Segismundo*s actions, even though
r
only in a dream, should have been more noble. "Segismundo,
que aun en suenos/no se pierde el hacer bien."1^ It is at
this point that Segismundo*s revelation occurs and he says
to Clotaldo:
Es verdad, pues reprimamos
esta fiera condici^n,
esta furia, esta ambici"6n,
por si alguna vez sonamos;
y si haremos, pues estamos
en mundo tan singular,
que el vivir s6lo es sofiar;
y la experiencia me ensena
que el hombre que vive sueHa
lo que es hasta despertar
He realizes that since life may be only a dream, mankind,
no matter what his station, should live with a constant
j eye toward death and the true awakening. In death, all
i worldly things are left behind; it is the spirit that is
i
|
i of the greatest import. Consequently, man should be true
to his spirit through righteous and good actions while on
earth.
I
■^Calder^n, p. 223.
-^Calderon, p. 223.
21
It Is not long after his revelation before loyal
subjects of Segismundo come to his rescue because they do
not want Astolfo for their king. Segismundo again has the
opportunity to kill Clotaldo but he reiterates his newly-
acquired faith in the idea that life may be only a dream.
He knows that he should strive to do what is right whether
asleep or awake:
A reinar, fortuna, vamos;
no me despiertes, si duermo,
y si es verdad, no me aduermas;
mas sea verdad o sueno,
obrar bien es lo que imports;
si fuera verdad, por serlo;
si no, por ganar amigos
para cuando despertemos.4®
While Seglsmundo's army is forming in order that
he may conquer what is his, Rosaura comes to him to plead
his aid. She wants her honor avenged upon Astolfo; and
she tells Segismundo that the events of the last twenty-
four hours have not been a dream. He laments that now he
is so confused that he cannot separate the real from the
i
unreal. He resolves to turn his sights toward the Eternal.!
He is now completely convinced that only in the Eternal is j
f
true and lasting glory to be found: i
i
^Calderon, p. 234.
22
Si es suefio, si es vanagloria,
quien por vanagloria humana
pierde un divina gloria?
Qul* pasado bien no es sueno?
d Qui^n tuvo dichas heroicas *
que entre st no diga, cuando
las revuelve en su memoria:
sin duda que fu§ soflando
cuanto vi? Pues si esto toea
mi desengano.j si se
que es el gusto llama herraosa
cualquiera viento que sopla,
acudamos a lo eterno,
que es la fama vividora
done ni duermen las dichas
ni las grandezas r e p o s a n . ^
Segismundo*s army gains the advantage over the
army of Basilio. Basilio knows that his son can now ful
fill the promise he made before he was sent back to the
cave. But when Segismundo again meets his father, he tells
him of his revelation and new philosophy. He tells
Basilio that he should have squarely faced the prediction
made at his birth instead of trying to change the will of
| destiny. He points out that a person cannot stave off
I
i
harm even though he may know it is coming. His only pro- j
tection is resignation to that fate and a powerful desire
to become even stronger in character through experiencing
the ordeal. He also tells Basilio that he has great I
^Calderon, pp. 252-253.
23
hopes for a mutual understanding and a united future
together.
After settling things with his father, Segismundo
directs that Astolfo marry Rosaura in order to assure the
redemption of her honor. Astolfo declares the impossibili
ty of such a marriage because Rosaura lacks a noble back
ground. Clotaldo resolves this problem by announcing pub
licly that Rosaura is his daughter, hence her background
is worthy of being united with his. Marriages between a
nobleman and a commoner were considered impossible during
the seventeenth century. Such an impossibility was a
i
belief typical to both commoner and nobleman alike and
doubted by neither.
To the soldier who was responsible for the insur
rection on his behalf against the king, Segismundo awards
t
a life sentence in prison. For he points out that this
soldier was a traitor to both king and country. "imprison-
ment or death was the standard fate of traitors in Spanish
plays, since it would have been unthinkable to allow trea
son to go unpunished."20
. . . . . . . — - . . . . . . . i
i
g0Life is a Dream, trans. William E. Colford
(New York, 1958), p. 101.
Final happiness is found by Segismundo when he
announces his betrothal to his cousin, Estrella.
CHAPTER II
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, Williams
Actions, Thoughts and Attitudes of a
20th Century American Aristocrat
The twentieth century aristocrat places more value
on his inherited rights than on his own ability or obliga
tion to continue to merit those rights. Twentieth century
America still highly values honor, pride, humility, duty,
loyalty, respect, chivalry, and a sense of fairness. But
the so-called aristocrat in America today seems to have an
exaggerated sense of these qualities and this exaggeration
i
does not allow him a well-balanced adjustment in contem- i
i
porary society. He has become somewhat of an exile from |
I
the present-day world. His exaggerated struggles with his i
environment and with himself have taken precedence over
his struggle to believe in a God or Hereafter. Whereas,
the 17th century aristocrat was more concerned with the
25
26
latter, the 20th century aristocrat is more concerned with
the former. It is this same concern which differentiates
the aristocratic heroine of A Streetcar Mamed Desire from
the seventeenth century aristocratic hero of La Vida es
Sueno.
The Vieux Carre" district of New Orleans seems
hardly the place to find an aristocratic heroine.
William's stage directions introduce the Vieux Carre as
having a sort of low class and "raffish” charm about it.
Stanley Kowalski and Harold Mitchell fit into this environ-j
jment quite naturally. But the author points out that
[Stella, Stanley's wife, seems to be a bit out of place:
'
Stella comes out on the first floor landing, a gentle
young woman, about twenty-five, and of a background
obviously quite different from her husband's1
Stella's first dialogue immediately demonstrates her b&ck-
jground and breeding. She demands, but in a mild and
j !
I genteel fashion, that Stanley not "holler” at her. j
. . . . i
The reader's first glimpse of Blanche, Stella's sist
i
ter and the more important aristocrat in the plajj also canes
|
i 1 ™ " ;
i
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire (New j
York, 1947), p. 10...
28
Blanche: Why, that you had to live in these
conditions!3
In comparing Stella’s surroundings to a ghastly
imaginative tale by Poe, Blanche implies that even in her
wildest imagings she could not picture a sister of hers
living in such an ugly situation. She is fashionably
appalled. Her utter disbelief illustrates the fact that
she could perhaps never accustom herself to the environ-
i
ment in which her sister seems perfectly content. In fact
i
Stella has adapted so successfully that she is willing to
rationalize the situation to her sister. She does so but
she does not influence her sister’s opinion in the least.
In the years since the sisters separated, Blanche
has tried unsuccessfully to retain the family plantation,
Belle Reve. At first she gently reproaches Stella for
leaving her with all of the burden to carry. She explains
! that she not only had to support the plantation on her
i
meager teacher’s salary but that she also had to nurse and j
I
bury all of the relatives who came there to die. She had 1
i
hoped that at least one of them would leaverher enough
money or insurance to support the plantation but such was |
|
• ' -- i
^Williams, pp. 17-18. _ j
29
not the case. Instead she went further and further into
debt until finally she was forced to turn it over to her
lenders. During her explanation, Blanche eventually loses
all sense of her sisters feelings and ultimately begins to
blame Stella for the loss. She finally loses all control
and says:
Sit there and stare at me, thinking I let the place go!
1^ let the place go? Where were you! In bed with your
PolackH
But as soon as she has made the above statement, Blanche
realizes that she has gone beyond the bounds of good taste
and immediately asks her sister's forgiveness. Stella
retreats, in tears, to the bathroom.
While Stella is in the bathroom, Blanche hears
men's voices outside. She shows her anxiety and fright at
' the prospect of her first meeting with her brother-in-law
j i
; by hiding behind a screen. Williams offers a descriptive
\
analysis of Stanley which exemplifies him as being com- j
pletely the opposite of Blanche and completely at home in I
i
the Vieux Carr^.
Animal joy in his being is implicit in all his move
ments and attitudes. Since earliest manhood the center
of his life has been pleasure with women, the giving
!
_________^Williams, p. 26.______ J
£
30
and taking of it, not with weak indulgence, dependent-
ly, but with the power and pride of a richly feathered
male bird among hens. Branching out from this com
plete and* satisfying center are all the auxiliary
channels of his life, such as his heartiness with men,
his appreciation of rough humor, his love of good
drink and food and games, his ear, his radio, every
thing that is his, that bears his emblem of the gaudy
seed-bearer.5
When Stanley finally does meet Blanche, he immedi
ately shows his lack of refinement by removing his shirtj
!
breeding would demand that he keep his shirt on in front of
a woman no matter what the temperature outside. He seems
purposely to go out of his way to comment on his lack of
background: "I'm afraid I'll strike you as being the un
refined type.He also insults Blanche's profession as
an English teacher by using slang expressions such as:
"You going to shack up here?"? And in reference to
Stella's whereabouts: "Haven't fallen in, have you?"®
! But the final blow to Blanche's good taste comes when he
mentions her marriage. Blanche simply refers to her
5williams, p. 28.
^Williams, p. 31.
^Williams,
P- 30.
^Williams,
P. 31.
31
husband as having died but then announces in a rather wis-
pish fashion that she feels sick and would like to go to
bed. At this point in the play it is not clear whether or
not Stanley knows that Blanche's husband had committed
suicide. Later reflection upon Stanley's character would
indicate that he was well aware of the circumstances sur
rounding the death and that he deliberately wanted to hurt
*
Blanche.
J The following day Stella tells Stanley that Belle
| Reve has been lost. Stanley reacts as if he, personally,
^ has been swindled. He goes through Blanche's trunk, pull-
I
j ;
| ing out her jewels and furs and all the while declaring
I I
i I
! that Blanche has stolen from their estate. He cannot even
i I
! distinguish that the jewels and furs are all mere imita- j
i
I I
| tions. He insists that he will get friends of his to placel
I ' I
! a true value on them and thereby show his wife how they j
I
' have been swindled:
Stanley: All right. I'll wait till she gets through !
soaking in a hot tub and then I'll inquire '
| if she is acquainted with the Napoleonic J
i code. It looks to me like you have been |
| swindled, baby, and when you're swindled j
under the Napoleonic code I'm swindled too. j
And I don't like to be swindled.9 i
9willi ams ,_p_._36
32
Stella's reaction is more genteel:
Stella: There's plenty of time to ask her questions
later but if you do now she'll go to pieces
again. I don't understand what happened to
Belle Reve but you don't know how ridiculous
you are being when you suggest that my sister
or I or anyone of our family could have per
petrated a swindle on anyone else.1^
Obviously, Stella is insulted by the aspersions cast upon
her sister and consequently herself and her whole family.
i
Stanley: The Kowalskis and the DuBois have different
notions.
Stella: Indeed they have, thank heavensf--I'm going
outside.11
Stella seems actually glad that the Kowalskis and the
i DuBois do have different notions. Her upbringing has
I
j taught her that people of her class do not consider
i
thievery within the realm of possibility no matter how
difficult or base their surroundings may be.
i
| When Blanche emerges from her toilette, she immed- j
; i
; iately senses that something has been going on between
I
I
Stanley and Stella. She also observes her rifled trunk.
So that she may face Stanley alone, she diplomatically asks
10Williams, p. 36.
^Williams, p. 38.
33
Stella to fetch her a lemon-coke. She then Impishly tries
to flirt with him in order to appease his obviously irate
mood. But this does not work on a Stanley Kowalski the
way it did on some of her more elegant gentlemen friends.
She then decides to use a simple straightforward approach
in keeping with her own good taste:
You're simple, straightforward and honest, a little
bit on the primitive side I should think. . . . Well,
I never cared for wishy-washy people. That was why,
when you walked in here last night, I said to myself--
"My sister has married a man!”--Of course that was all
that I could tell about you.1?
Stanley cares nothing about etiquette. He ignores
both of Blanche's diplomatic approaches and immediately
demands to see all of the documents pertaining to the loss
of Belle Reve. Blanche willingly hands them over. But j
when Stanley also demands to see some old lover letters
from her husband, Blanche thinks that this is reaching
!
| beyond his proper bounds. As Stanley tries to examine j
them, she snatches the letters and they fall to the floor. |
I
She screams at Stanley: j
t
I hurt him the way that you would like to hurt me, but j
I
i
I
^Williams, p. 41.
34
you can't! I'm not young and vulnerable any more.
But my young husband was and I . . . .43
Blanche here implies that both she and her husband have
both had trouble with the brutes of society. She implies,
however, that although he did not know how to defend him
self, she is well aware of how to defend herself.
After the confusion over the letters, Blanche
hands Stanley all of the correspondence dealing with Belle
Reve and says:
Take them, peruse them— commit them to memory, even!
I think it1s wonderfully fitting that Belie Reve should
finally be this bunch of old papers in your big, cap
able hands! . . .44
And she comments to Stella who later tries to apologize
for Stanley's behavior:
Oh, I guess he's just not the type that goes for jas
mine perfume, but maybe he's what we need to mix with
our blood now that we've lost Belle Reverb
In the above statement, Blanche indicates her
awareness of the difficulties of the aristocratic class
in a modern world. She apparently realizes that background
13williams, p. 44.
44wiiiiams, p. 45.
15williams, p. 46.
and breeding will not assure adjustment. And she implies
that perhaps Stella has done exactly the right thing in
uniting herself with a member of a lesser class and thereby
insuring their future heirs a better chance at a successful
adjustment.
The following evening, Stella and Blanche go to
the movies while Stanley has a few of his friends in for a
poker game. Stella comments to Stanley before the poker
game that she doesn't quite know how Blanche would react
to a group of beer-drinking poker players. She admits
that she tried to "gloss things" over a little in her
letters. The ladies return to the apartment before the
poker game has finished. Rather than welcoming them,
Stanley again displays his lack of good manners. When
Stella attempts to introduce her sister to the other men,
Blanche politely requests that they not get up. Stanley
immediately retorts; "Nobody's going to get up, so don't
be worried."1^
Stella and Blanche retreat to the bedroom.
-^Williams, p. 57.
36
Blanche starts to undress so that her silouhette is
reflected by the single overhead llghtbulb. She undoubt
edly does this purposefully for she has found one of the
guests rather Interesting. This action along with that
illustrated in her previous flirtation with Stanley reveal
a passionate side of Blanche that must necessarily conflict
with her aristocratic background. She accomplishes her
purpose and Harold Mitchell, ”Mitch,” is drawn into a con
versation with her. She traces her education and teaching
background and explains the translated meaning of her
name. She further tries to impress him with her background
by telling him that her first American ancestors were
French Huguenots. And she tries to impress him with her
gracious gentility by making remarks such as the following:
I bought this adorable little colored paper lantern at
a Chinese shop on Bourbon. But it over the light bulb!
Mill you, please? . . . I can't stand a naked light
bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar
action.^7 j
And further:
When people are soft— soft people have got to shimmer
and glow— they've got to put on soft colors, the colors!
•^Williams, P* 60.
37
of butterfly wings, and put a paper lantern over the
light. . . .18
Blanche even tries to add a little background
music to the conversation by turning on the radio.
Stanley become irate. He is half drunk and has been
irritated ever since the women*s return. He feels that
they have ruined the evening; for they have burst upon a
scene meant only for men and they have no right to be
there. The music is the final straw; he throws the radio
out of the window. At this point, Stella calls him a
’ ’ drunk animal thing.” He becomes more furious and charges
after her. The other men have to restrain him.
Blanche is so shocked by this scene that she
i
insists upon taking her sister to the upstairs apartment
of a neighbor for the night. The other men manage to
sober Stanley a little by making him take a shower. After
the shower he goes outside and literally bellows for his
wife to come to him. She does so weakly and submissively.
Blanche does not understand her sister's complete submis
sion to a man of such violence. She tells Mitch that she
is not used to such scenes and that they confuse her. She
l8williams, p. 89.
38
thanks him for being so kind for "I need kindness now.”
Here we see Blanche as a perfect example of a gentle soul
in what she might consider a cruel animal world. Blanche
tries to think of ways to escape the Vieux Carre with her
sister. But Stella expresses no desire to leave; Blanche
is shocked:
Blanche: I take it for granted that you still have
sufficient memory of Belle Reve to find this
place and these poker- players impossible to
live with. . . .
Stella: But there are things that happen between a
man and a woman in the dark--that sort of
makes everything else seem--unimportant.
Blanche: What you are talking about is brutal desire
. . . just . . . desire! . . . the name of
that rattle-trap street-car that bangs
through the Quarter, up one old narrow street
and down another ....
Stella: Haven't you ever ridden on that street-car?
Blanche: It brought me here--where I'm not wanted and
where I'm ashamed to be . * . . I am not
being or feeling at all superior, Stella.
Believe me I*m not! It's just this. This
is how I look at it. A man like that is
someone to go out with--once--twice--three
times when the devil is in you. But live
with? Have a child by?!9
i
19williams, pp. 78-79-
39
In the preceding we see Blanche*s mounting confusion. She
obviously feels that certain animal impulses need grati
fication. But for the sake of only this one part of human
satisfaction, she is unwilling to forget and turn her back
i
on the finer things of life which her background has made
aware to her. Tradition will not allow her to break her
bonds with the respectability of a past society.
She does, however, express the desire to marry
Mitch. She tells Stella of the impish ploys she has used
in trying to gain her objective. She has been over
whelmingly respectable in that she hasn't "put out." She
i
has lied about her age. Her desire has been to deceive
; him just enough so that he will want her to marry him.
She sincerely feels that such a marriage would solve all
of her problems.
\ i
I
J But Blanche's passionate nature, which has been j
previously implied, cannot be completely withheld. Finally
i
she demonstrates this completely contrary personality when j
i
J
she tries to seduce a newsboy who comes to the door. She ■
here illustrates that she can slip from a completely lofty
and aristocratic nature to a completely animalistic and
base nature. On the one hand, she is supposed to be a
4o
well-bred southern lady and on the other hand she appears
to be nothing more than a sexually maladjusted nymphoman
iac .
Blanche continues her deception of Mitch. She
uses all kinds of well-bred ploys. She obeys the law that
says that a lady must entertain a gentleman properly but
that advances must be rebuffed in a refined fashion:
Honeyj it wasn't the kiss I objected to. I liked the
kiss very much. It was the other little--familiarity--
that I--felt obliged to--discourage. . . ,20
But she does coquettishly boost Mitch's ego by telling him
that he is a natural gentleman* in fact "one of the very
few that are left in the world." She also praises his
capacity for devotion which is apparent in his conversation
i
concerning his sick mother.
It is this conversation which makes Blanche realize
i
I
| that he will understand her emotions concerning the suicide
I
of her husband. Blanche is truly honest in her recollec
tion of the suicide. This recollection is the only scene
i
in the play in which she shows a straightforward personal- J
ity. She explains how she came unexpectedly into a bedroom
20Williams, p. 98.
41
occupied by her husband and an older man. Later that
evening., at a dance, she told him how much he disgusted
her. He was so humiliated that he went outside promptly
and shot himself through the mouth.
.... And then the searchlight which had been
turned on the world was turned off again and never
for one moment has there been any light that's
stronger than this— kitchen— candle.21
Obviously, Blanche has never fully rid herself of
guilt feelings concerning her husband's death. Recalling
her previous statement to Stanley in which she said, ”l
I pp
j hurt him the way you would like to hurt me,” it becomes
i
apparent that Blanche sees a similar vindictiveness in both
her personality and that of Stanley; it is a common bond
which brings them uncomfortably close together. Mitch
tells Blanche that they need one another for mutual com
fort.
Stanley, however, will not allow Blanche and Mitch
their happiness. On Blanche’s birthday he exposes her
as a fraud to both Mitch and Stella. He tells them that i
Blanche was forced to leave the town in which she i
21Williams, p. 110.
22Williams, p. 44.
42
previously lived because of moral charges. In that town
she was known as ’ ’ out of bounds" to soldiers at the nearby
army camp; and she was also accused of having an affair
with one of her seventeen year old student is
Blanche is unaware of what Stanley has told Stella
and Mitch until after Stella leaves for the hospital to
have her baby and Mitch appears half-drunk many hours too
late for her birthday dinner. Mitch confronts her with
the news that Stanley has given him. He points out all of
her flirtatious little lies. Besides her past, she has
lied about her age and her drinking habits. She points
out that she doesn't want realism but that she wants magic
and that she tells what ought to be the truth rather than
what is the truth in order to attain that magic. She ex
plains her promiscuity by saying that after the death of
i
I
I her husband she was driven to intimacies with strangers j
f
for she was seeking some sort of protection against the |
dying relatives that surrounded her while not knowing j
exactly what kind of protection she was seeking. It is in
t
this context that she explains the affair with the youngs-
i ter. But then she speaks of her hopes upon meeting Mitch:
43
. . . I met you. You said you needed somebody. Well.,
I needed somebody, too. I thanked God for you, be
cause you seemed to be gentle--a cleft in the rock of
the world that I could bide ini But I guess I was ask
ing, hoping— tomuch!23
Mitch doesn't realize the depth and sincerity of Blanche’s
confession. He merely wants to go to bed with her; he
feels that this is the least that she can do for him.
Blanche’s hopes for any kind of future have been shattered.
It is at this point that Blanche begins to retreat really
into insanity.
But Stanley will not allow her a peaceful exit
into madness. That same night he rapes her. He has now
completely destroyed Blanche in much the same way that
Blanche had destroyed her husband. Pure revenge was the
motive for both of them. And even though Blanche thought
she knew how to protect herself, she was wrong. But even
I
in madness, Blanche is led away to a state institution
r
I
in the manner of an aristocrat and a lady. Her final line j
!
addressed to the doctor indicates that even though her j
I
mind may be gone, her breeding never can be lost. ;
23williams, p. 137-
44
Whoever you are . . . I have always depended on the
kindness of strangers.24
24
Williams, p. 165,
CHAPTER III
THE TRIUMPH OF A 17th CENTURY SPANISH ARISTOCRATIC
HERO AND THE DEFEAT OF A 20th CENTURY
AMERICAN ARISTOCRATIC HERO
In past generations the general public perhaps
genuinely believed in the "greatness of the aristocracy."
But this popular belief no longer seems to exist. Perhaps
this is the case because the gratification of the modern
aristocrat seems to be derived from the "naiver desires
I
1 111
expounded by Freudian psychology. The gratification of
the aristocratic hero no longer includes his peace with
God which was an important desire of the 17th century
Spanish hero. Contemporary aristocratic heroes are more
interested in triumphing over self and environment only.
But the 17th century Spanish aristocrat was expected to
triumph more nobly than the average man not only in his
^J. W. Krutch, "The Tragic Fallacy," The Modern
Temper (New York, 1929)>p. 129.
__________ 45____________________________________
46
struggle with environment and self but also in his search
ings for a universal unity. A greater triumph was due to
his greater innate qualities and gifts. A tremendous sense
of honor was an outgrowth of these greater innate qualities
and gifts. Honor was a necessity to each of his actions
on the road to a successful life.
By virtue of his rank at birth, 17th century
i
Segismundo was honor-bound to defend and maintain the
traditions and standards of many generations of aristo
cratic breeding. His actions had to uphold those many
years of breeding which made him gifted with greater
innate qualities and capacities. Those qualities included
| pride, humility, duty, loyalty, respect, chivalry, and a
t
i
I sense of fairness. In order to have a successful life,
all of these qualities had to be successfully combined in
| an honorable fashion. Segismundo was able to attain such
I
1 success. 20th century Blanche also believed in the same
I
j inborn qualities but she did not feel honor-bound to work
i
J at them as did Segismundo; consequently, she developed a
i
I sense of them which left her a misfit in the contemporary
i
world. Honor in the contemporary world has grown to have
47
a different meaning than it had in the 17th century.
During 16th and 17th century Spain, honor might be
considered on two levels: (l) vertical and (2) horizontal.
Vertical honor was inherent and it existed through birth
and meritorious actions. Horizontal honor was honor gained
O
through reputation and the opinions of others. Eventually
Segismundo successfully worked toward a combination of
both. But before he realized that successful combination,
Segismundo showed an exaggeration of pride which was an
outgrowth of the latter.
Edwin Honig notes that during Spain’s 17th century
baroque period "pundonor” or point of honor became ritua
listic. 3 He blames this on the fact that Spain had always
been governed by a king and the church, or an oligarchy
j and the church. Consequently, public ceremonies, class
1
j distinctions, social codes and other external forms some
times took precedence over good sense. An exaggerated
sense of pride sometimes resulted from this over emphasis
j
___________________ 1
!
2Gustavo Correa, "El Doble Aspecto de la Honra en j
el Teatro.de Siglo XVII,".Hispanic Review, XXVI (1958), j
pp. 98-106........... - - j
3f , The Seizures of Honor in Calderon,” Kenyon
Review, XXIII (1961), p. 428.
48
on external forms and practices.
Segismundo certainly illustrates this exaggeration
when he is first released from the cave. He vows to kill
Clotaldo; he throws a servant from a balconyj he insults
Estrella;, and finally he announces his lack of allegiance
to his father. All of these people had offended nothing
more than an exaggerated sense of pride in its external
manifestations to the rituals of honor.
Besides giving away to pride, honor could also
sometimes confuse the individual conscience. Clotaldo's
dilemma in which he owes both vengeance and allegiance to j
Astolfo illustrates this point. He owes Astolfo vengeance j
for defiling his daughterls honor. And he owes him
allegiance for saving his own life at the hands of Segis-
j mundo.
| As William Colford says:
I
! "Calderonlan honor” is an expression that has passed
| into the Spanish language as indicative of a relent-
j less, implacable sense of duty to a rigid code of
behavior........ The many ramifications of the code !
involved the relationships between a subject and his
king, among nobles, and especially toward women,
married and unmarried. These customs were a composite
of medieval chivalry and Moorish usages, which resulted
49
in a severity that seems excessive from the modern
viewpoint.
But this confusion is eventually resolved through a suc
cessful combination of reason and circumstance which
allowed both Segismundo and Clotaldo to finally solve the
problem while still retaining honor.
The 20th century aristocrat, Blanche, also
believes in her greater innate gifts of pride, humility,
duty, loyalty, respect, chivalry, and a sense of fairness;
but honor is a static quality to Blanche whereas it was
dynamic to Segismundo. Blanche avoids action rather than
combining honor with reason and circumstance. She chooses
to sit back and let those innate qualities stand by them
selves. Inaction in this case is even worse than Segis
mundo *s wrong actions. She is defeated because she can
| make no action, be it good or bad. She feels no compunc-
I
I
tion to adjust her aristocratic nature to the world around j
!
her. Honor and the qualities innate to the aristocrat, I
hence, are symbolically dead for Blanche. For those
i
innate qualities and goals of honor are a part of the past j
I
1
____________________________________________________________________________ I
4pedro Calderon de la Barca, Life is a Dream, !
trans., William.E. Colford, (New York, 1958)3 p. x. j
50
which cannot be restored in modern society.5
We, therefore* see that for Segismundo honor was a
living, vital thing, necessary in his daily routine. But
for Blanche honor is merely another one of her innate qual
ities to which she feels no great obligation. Segismundo
desires to work and strive to deserve the greater gifts
bestowed on him. Blanche does not. Blanche is an ana
chronism in modern society because she would like to ad
here to codes and traditions that are no longer valid and
yet she knows of no way of combining those codes and tra
ditions with the modern world. It is a reflection of these
two distinct attitudes which makes Segismundo succeed and
Blanche fail in eventually adjusting to their mutual sur
roundings .
Acute awareness of aristocratic backgrounds pro-
;
j vides special problems for Segismundo and Blanche in ad-
I
I
| justing to their environments. This problem of adjustment
I '
t
to environment is universal to mankind; it is not unique to;
i
i
either Segismundo or to Blanche. We must all strive to j
i - j
! reconcile our lives in a world of contradiction. I
i
5r. e . Jones, "Tennessee Williams 'Early Heroines,'"
Modern Drama, 2:211-219* December 1959.
51
The problem of adjustment for an aristocrat is somewhat
more complex than that of the ordinary man because he
sometimes is so conscious of the past that he finds it
difficult to adjust to the present.
At first Segismundo*s noble idealism questioned
his ugly environment. He asked why the birds, beasts, and
fish had their freedom and he did not. He exclaimed that
he merited freedom more than they just by the mere fact
that he was human and therefore inherently much better
j than they. But upon his release from the cave, Segismundo
•
shows no noble inclinations whatsoever. He sees only a
world of contradiction and evil and he resolves to act in
conjunction and accordance with the evil that he sees.
Segismundo only adjusts when he accepts man "for what he
is, and what he can be is envisaged as the best combina-
. i
( T !
tion of existing possibilities." When he realizes that t
I
successful combination within himself, Segismundo saysj
Pues que ya veneer aguarda
mi valor grandes vistorias, j
hoy ha de ser la m£s alta I
veneerme a mi.7 j
c '
°Lester G. Crocker, "Hamlet, Don Quijote, La Vida j
es Sueno: The Quest for Values," PMLA, March, 1954,p. 297J
7calder£n, p. 263.
52
And valorous and lofty actions in keeping with his herit
age finally reconcile Segismundo to his environment.
Milton Buchanan says that Segismundo is the
development of "an imprisoned soul with its Promethean
Q
promptings and untried energies. Segismundo does not
become discouraged by the contradictions of life. Instead
he developes a belief in its non-existence* hence* the
theme that "life is a dream" He adjusts his life to this
theme. He resolves to curb his less noble inclinations
and impulses because not being convinced that life is
reality or dream; he becomes convinced that life in the
hereafter must be real. Consequently, he decides that
| his earthly life must be lived well in order that he might
I
deserve a good life in the hereafter.
Es verdad* pues reprimamos
| esta fiera condici6n,
I esta furia* esta ambici^n*
; por si alguna vez sonamos;
j y si haremos* pues estamos
en mundo tan singular*
que el vlvir solo es sonar;
y la experiencia me ensena
que el hombre que vive suena
lo que es hasta dispertar.9
i
^Milton Buchanan, "Segismundo1s Sililoquy on Liber-i
ty in Calderon *s La Vida es.Saefio,” PMLA, 23:252* 1908.
. 1
^Calderon* p. 223.
53
Men who distinguish themselves by leading good and virtuous
lives deserve special attention in God’s world. Because
God has given him greater gifts., he is expected to obtain
greater results.
Blanche, however, cannot accept the world in both
its good and evil forms. She does not possess the "Pro
methean promptings” of a Segismundo. She cannot find it
within herself to follow either of the positive alterna
tives offered her class after the American Civil War. At
that time southern aristocrats had three paths to follow.
They could (l) accept the changes and conform to soeiety,
(2) they could migrate to the far west and start their
lives again, and (3) they could completely retire from an
active life.10 Blanche chose the third alternative while
her sister chose the first.
Stella manages to adjust to her environment and
i
conforms to a soeiety which is completely alien to her
background and breeding. She has become content to live
in the slums and she has found emotional release through
10R. E. Jones, "’Tennessee Williams’ Early
Heroines, ’ " Modern Drama,. 2:211-219,. 1959.
54
sex more important than her allegiance to her class. 11
Her sexual release becomes the solution to her environmen
tal adjustment. Her personal dignity and dreams are sub
merged to Stanley*s terns.12
Stanley: When we first met., me and you, you thought I
was common. How right you was, baby.’ I was
common as dirt. You showed me the snapshot
of the place with the columns. I pulled you
down off them columns and how you loved it,
having them colored lights goingJ1^
i
Stanley is right. Stella does love ’ ’them colored lights.”
.
They mean much more to her than any long-since dead tradi-
| tions and conventions. Butiiperhaps Stella's adjustment
I
| and descent are too abrupt and consequently inconsistent
with her background.
Stanley is aware of a possible maladjustment when
| he answers the above statement: "And wasn't we happy
I ” - j it
j together, wasn't it all okay till she showed here? H
^Allan Lewis, The Contemporary Theatre (New York, j
1962), p. 291. |
1
1
12Benjamin Nelson, Tennessee Williams: The Man J
and His Work (New York, 1961), p. 147,. |
^Williams, p. 129. j
1
^Williams, p. 129.
55
Stella was seemingly oblivious of the motley surroundings
of the Vieux Carre until Blanche came to live with her.
Nancy Tischler thinks that Williams wants his audience to
believe that although Stella is wrong in loving Stanley*
she is right in living with him: "For all his animalism.,
Stanley is all that keeps Stella from decaying like Blanche.
Without him, she too might sag into a tragic-comic carica
ture of the outdated aristocrat. For Stanley provides
a socially accepted way of satisfying the same needs that
eventually drive Blanche mad.
Stanley*s sexuality and values and those of the
Vieux Carre are put to trial .With Blanche’s arrival.
Joseph Riddel compares the Vieux Carr£ area of New Orleans
I to a pre-Christian paradise. There life is pursued on a
i
! primitive level beyond good or evil.^-6 Riddell also con-
i siders such sexuality a deliberate outrage against conven-
! S .
i
i tional morality. Does Stella adjust to life in the Vieux ;
Carre too easily? i
^Tennessee Williams: Rebellious Puritan (New
York, 1961), p. 137.
l6j0seph Riddel, "A Streetcar Named Desire--
Nietzsche Descending," Modern Drama, 5:^21-431 |May 1962).
56
Certainly Blanche seems more consistent with her
breeding by being properly shocked and taken aback upon
her arrival in the Vieux Carre. She understands or pre
tends to understands its crudeness, decay and lack of re
finement. For the Vieux Carr£ typifies all of the things
that her background abhors; but interestingly enough it is
these same things that brought her here in the first place.
She dramatizes an irreconcilable split between animal
reality and moral appearance. She considers her sister's
marriage to the product of such an area detestable. It is
also interesting to note that Mitch, also a similar pro
duct, is Blanche's last hope for adjustment. When Stanley
finally ruins all hope of a union between Blanche and
Mitch, she is completely broken. For rather than accept
the real world around her, she submits to a world of illu
sion. Ironically she slips into the world of illusion in
the finest traditions of an aristocrat. Her final line in j
the play typifies aristocratic politeness: "Whoever you
are--I have always depended on the kindness of a
stranger."1? j
-^Williams, P- 165-
57
We have seen Segismundo successfully adjust to the
world around him while Blanche becomes so completely a
misfit that she must be sent to an institution. But it is
not only their prospective struggles with their environ
ment that have made Segismundo succeed and Blanche fail.
Their mutual struggles with their inner selves must also
be included in this study; for the struggle with self has
great influence on man's success in life. Sensuality and
passion can sometimes overule good sense and reason. And
such a struggle is dominant in the lives of both Segismundo
and Blanche.
I By molding, fashioning and conquering his senses,
j
I Segismundo shows that he is a true prince and heir, and
I
that he is prepared to take over his kingdom. He is
eventually able to make rational use of his passions.**-®
t
i He could have taken advantage of Rosaura when he was
liberated for the second time merely because he still
I
I
desired her. But good reason told him that the wise, j
!
honorable, and right thing for him to do was to have her j
i
marry Astolfo. He could have again attempted to kill i
!®R. C. Trench, The Life and Genius of Calderon
(London, 1886), p. 162.
58
Clotaldo but instead he set him free. Passion and revenge
could.have also guided Segismundo into the vengeful murder
of his father. If passion had continued to be his guide*
he would have fulfilled the dire prophecy made at this
birth. However his good reason aided him in successfully
overcoming and adjusting to that destiny.^9 Segismundo
knows that Basilio was at fault for attempting to fool
the fates but he also knows that his father was misguided
rather than evil.20
Mi padre* que esta presente*
por excusarse a la sarfa
de me condici6n* me hizo
un bruto* una fiera humana;
de suerte que euando yo
| por mi nobleza gallarda*
i por mi sangre generosa
por mi condieion bizarra
hubiera nacido d6cil
y humilde* s6lo bastara
I tal g€nero de vivir*
j tal linaje de crianza
! a hacer fieras mis costurabres!
!
■ ...
No antes de venir el dano
se reserva ni se aguarda
quien le previenej que aun que
puede humilde (cosa es clara)
i
■^Lester G. Crocker* “Hamlet* Don Quijote* La Vida !
es Sueno: The Quest for Values*’ ’ PMLA* 69:278-313 (1954).
20A. E. Sloman* Dramatic Craftsmenship of Calderon
(New fork* 1929)J p. _264. ___________________________
59
reservarse del, no es
slno despu^s que se halla
en la ocasi&n, porque aquesta
no hay camino de estorbarla.2^
Segismundo illustrates the fact that men need not
be subservient to their senses. He realizes that even the
mighty aristocracy must practice self-restraint. For even
the aristocracy must be made to see that the sovereign
attributes of power may prove as fleeting and as tenuous
as the shadowy scenes and figures in a dream.22 Here
again, we see the recurrent theme of the "life is a dream”
theory and how.it has helped Segismundo successfully re
solve his life. Segismundo does not actually know whether
life is reality or dream but he intends that in either
case his actions will be lofty and fitting to his position
when he says:
mas sea verdad o sueno,
obrar bien es lo que importa,*
si fuera verdad, por serlo;
si no, por ganar amigos
para cuando despertemos.23
2lCalder^n, pp. 260-262.
22J. D. M. Ford, Main Currents of Spanish
Literature • (New York, 1919)., p. 168.
23calder6n, p. 234.
60
Blanche, however, is not as successful as Segis
mundo in the conquest of her inner self. She represents a
past culture which cannot adjust to a world without beauty
and refinement, a world which is based mainly on sensual
pleasure. Stanley personified that world of sensual de-
bauchment. Blanche is a sensitive aristocratic spirit
caught in a battle between the quest for beauty and the
ugly reality of the Vieux Carre.^ Hence, the conflict be
tween Stanley and Blanche becomes a battle between two
kinds is civilizations— the cynical world of today and the
! almost dead aristocracy of y e s t e r d a y . it is also a con-
I ' I
I flict between a "dream world" the world which "actually" is.!
I
Life and contemporary society come to represent i
passion to Blanche while the past with its culture and re-
!
! n
j finement come to represent death: Desire is an escape
!
j ’ Ofs j
j from death, a means of forgetting it." ° Consequently, thej
i ■ !
i ;
------------------- I
David Sievers, "Tennessee Williams and Arthur ;
Miller," Two American Tragedies, ed. John D. Hurrel (New j
York, 1961), pp. 139-1^5. - - i
i
25Nancy Tischler, Tennessee Williams: Rebellious 1
Puritan (New York, 1961), p. 138.
2%*. e. Jones, "Tennessee Williams ’Early j
Heroines,’" Modern Drama, 2:217, 1959*
61
irreconcilable inner conflict. She finds the physical
side of life both socially and verbally repulsive because
of her background, but still it presents a powerful fas
cination. She succumbs to sexuality and yet her f t psycho-
logical ingrown virginity” will not allow her enjoyment.27
For Blanche cannot allow herself to make what she considers
a barbaric adjustment similar to that of her sister. She
shows her disapproval of just such a barbaric adjustment
when she says of Stanley:
He acts like an animal, has an animal*s habits!
Eats like one, moves like one, talks like one!
There*s even something . . . sub-human . . . something
not quite to the stage of humanity yet! . . . Maybe
we are a long way from being made in God's image, but
Stella . . . my sister . . . there has been some pro
gress since then! Such things as art— as poetry and
music— such kinds of new light have come into the
world since then! In some kinds of people some
tenderer feeling, have had some little beginning!
j . . . Don't--don't hang back with the brutes!2®
I
1 Even though Blanche sees the decay in society, she cannot
i
j face it squarely. Her husband's suicide has so terrified
! her that she has attempted to retreat into a world of
)
I
I
I
27joseph Riddel, Streetcar Mamed Desire— j
Nietzsche Descending, " Modern Drama, 5:^27 (May, 1962). |
• - . - 1
28williams, pp. 80-81.
62
dreams. Blanche needs more than a world of dreams; con
sequently she succumbs to all of the things she thinks
decadent. In fact, she succumbs to the kind of decadence
which is even disapproved by proletarians such as Stanley
and Mitch, for she is being hypocritical. On the one hand,
she is supposed to be a well-bred southern lady and on the
other hand she appears to be a sexually maladjusted
nymphomaniac. Joseph Wood Krutch says that within her
obsession that she is "a lady*’, "she has . . . the sense
that her parents and her remoter ancestors lived in accor
dance to some code to which she herself would like to be
loyal but which no one with whom she comes in contact
acknowledges, is so strong as to appear crucial."29 She
succumbs to an over-indulgence in sexuality and drink only
because she has fanatically refused to accept the normal
j life among people she considers unrefined.
I
i
j Consequently, Blanche is in a constant state of
anxiety. In fact, "A Streetcar Named Desire is a clinical j
!
study of Blanche’s moral and emotional descent into ]
29Joseph W. Krutch, "Modernism" in Modern Drama,
(1953), P- -136.
63
whoredom and insanity, as she clings to her pretense.'‘3°
Stanley provides the final blow which releases Blanche once
and for all from reality. Since Stanley realizes that
Blanche presents a threat to his way of life, he decides to
defend himself with the only weapon he has available, force
and rape. Stanley is as guilty of crucifying Blanche as
she was of cruicifying her husband; vindictiveness has made
them both choose victims really too weak to defend them-
i
selves. The difference between the two victors is obvious,
however. Stanley glories in his conquest while Blanche was
horrified by hers.
But perhaps the greatest difference between
Segismundo and Blanche is in their respective attitudes
towards an Almighty. Segismundo feels an obligation toward
a God. Such an obligation is never mentioned by Blanche.
All of Segismundo*s lofty actions are guided by his faith
in God and the hereafter. God becomes a crutch which
!
helps him toward a successful life. But Blanche has no !
such crutch to lean upon in determing her actions. She
sees only the world around her; she does not like it; she
backs away from it. She retreats into madness because she
30Allan Lewis, The Contemporary Theatre (New York,
1962). p. 270._________:_________________ ____________________
64
can find no comfort either in this world or even perhaps
in another. Segismundo is redeemed to society because he
can adjust his life according to his belief in God.
Blanche is not redeemed because she has no such belief to
rely upon.
Modern man and Blanche face a problem which did
I not confront Segismundo. Today men must find a workable
basis for values that will embrace the reality of our
| egoistic or ’ ’animal" impulses and yet justify and direct
j our higher aspirations. Crocker calls this the problem of
"utilitarianism versus mystical revelation."31 Since
mysticism is not necessarily satisfying and scienee can
i
J sometimes be discouraging, modern man is caught somewhere
I
! in the middle. Segismundo does not have this problem be-
i
I
| cause he submits himself to a transcendental impera-
j tive.
i
!
A "transcendental imperative" in this context may
J be considered to be an intuitive belief in a God, His
1 1 . j
3lLester G. Crocker, "Hamlet, Don Quijote, La
Vida es Suefio: The Quest for Values, " -PMLA, (-March* 1954),
p. 312. . .
32crocker, p. 279.
65
faith in God helps Segismundo to determine the meaning of
his life. It provides a way to face reality which permits
positive and successful action. But faith in this play
provides even more than a method of facing reality. As
its title implies, La Vida es Sueno presents an interaction
between reality and Illusion. If this life is a dream,
then the afterlife must be real. If the afterlife is real,
then this life must be determined by some greater illusory
Being. Hence, the interaction broadens to include free
will versus predestination.33
The play implies that man has innate rights to
freedom of action once he has been placed in a situation
by destiny. He can govern his actions within the frame
work of destiny but he must not and cannot attempt to
change destiny in any way, for he will be unsuccessful.
Basilio exemplifies just such a disastrous attempt to
I . ■
| !
i change destiny. Man must work out his own salvation within*
the confines of destiny. He must discover through exper- j
I
ience and disillusion the path to salvation.34 j
i
i
- - !
■ " ■ ■ i
!
33Milton Buchanan, "Calderon's Life is a Dream,"
PMLA, (1932) 47:1303-1321. .
34a . E.Sloman, Dramatic Craftsmenship of Calderon
(New York. 1929). pp. 275-277._______________________________
66
Segismundo was constantly awed by the workings of
Providence, When he was released from his prison cave
the first time, his pride and actions were overzealous.
As a result, he was returned to the cave; it was at this
time that he became conscious of the futility of life for
he was neither convinced that life was reality or that it
was a dream. But it is this same disillusionment which
convinces him that the hereafter must be real. Humility,
consequently, took the place of overzealous pride.
J que el vivir solo as sonar;
j y la experiencia me exsena
que el hombre que vive sueTla
la que es hasta dispertar.35
l
Segismundo eventually becomes the prince and heir I
truly worthy of taking over his father's kingdom. He
assumes the belief that error is punished and virtue re
warded, if not in this world, then in another. His sal-
!
! vation is determined by the manner in which he faces his
destiny. He eventually doesn't find reality totally dis- j
illusioning and he knows that he must try to demonstrate |
I
i
his worthiness in times of stress. But the chief good •
I
for Segismundo is to submit to God’s will, to be satisfied
35calderon, p. 223.
67
with man, as imperfect as he is, and to do the best for
himself.”^ Segismundo is a perfect model of triumph over
destiny. Crocker goes on to call this play:
. . . truly tragedy, in a wider concept* in its pro
tagonist* s conscious confrontation of his destiny, his
struggle with fate, and in its ultimate effect of
leaving the spectator with an augmented and elevated
view of man.37
Few aristocratic tragic heroes disintegrated with
out first proving that man's possibilities were great dur
ing the time of Calderon. But in the same respect few mod
ern aristocratic heroes are distinguished by admirable
moral and/or intellectual qualities. Classical aristocra
tic heroes accepted destiny, whereas, modern aristocratic
heroes seem to run away from it.3® Aristocratic heroes
such as Segismundo face destiny squarely, with the hope of
proving their worthiness for admittance into a more beauti
ful afterlife. But modern aristocratic heroes and
|
heroines such as Blanche seem to be frightened by destiny. |
|
They choose not to consider it in their daily routines or j
! !
36crocker, p. 309. !
i
I
37crocker, p. 280. j
38jones, p. 218.
68
even in their overall philosophies of life. In fact they
seem to ignore it. There is little to learn of the "great
ness of man" through the philosophy or beliefs of the
modern aristocratic hero; but there is a great deal to
learn about the social group which casts these modern
aristocrats aside.
Modern literary heroes says Sean O'Paolain are
"never able to see any pattern in life and rarely its
destination."39 Aristocratic heroines such as Blanche
provide a better example of just sueh a failure than does
the average man or woman. Since it is generally believed
that the aristocrat is more abundantly®’ blessed through
heredity and environment than the average man, he has more
J to lose and his fall is probably more interesting.
I
! Blanche provides an elemental protest against life
»
i
! which has not given human nature the chance to find some-
; thing greater than itself.^0 She provides nothing more
I
| than an "elemental protest" because she does not have the j
j 39gean O’Faolain, The Vanishing Hero (New York, !
1949), P. 17. ■ !
I
^Philo Buck, Directions in Contemporary Literature!
(New York, 1942), pp. 125-148. j
69
strength, ability, personality, or philosophy which would
allow her to rationalize and adjust to the world around
her. Consequentely, she becomes an example of frustration
pushed to disaster. Tennessee Williams is perhaps imply
ing that the more basic human needs are gaining influence
over a formerly cultured civilization. Self-satisfaction
today has taken precedence over beauties and refinements
of yesterday and over the possibilities of cultured to
morrows. Blanche's innate instincts are noble but her
incapacities combined with the age in which she lives have
placed her in a tragic dilemma, "If we don't watch out the
apes will take over.
Perhaps the growth of science and technology has
| also contributed to the breakdown of faith. Consequently
j we have a self-gratification philosophy in contemporary
‘ 210
I society. ^ Blanche cannot adjust to such a philosophy.
j She does not want to become a part of what she considers
i
“barbaric.“ Williams seems to be implying that the “bar- ;
I barians” or the proletarian class is the only group in !
i • !
i _ i
t |
^Tischler, p. 138.
^2Lewis, p. 291.
present day society which truly knows where it is going.^3
; He makes his case even stronger by showing how the aristo- 1
! . I
cratic Stella has been actually rejuvenated by her union
with the "people/” Stella submerges her personal dignity
I
and dreams to Stanley’s terms. Although Stella found a j
I i
; socially acceptable form of gratifying the same drives !
' that eventually drove Blanche mad, she is no more admirable
i
j than Blanche, for Blanche is idealism debauched. Elia
i
j Kazan says of her:
j We see the final dissolution of a person of worth, who ,
' once had great potential, and who even as she goes i
down has worth exceeding the coarse-grained figures
who are killing her. ^
| Williams doesn't acknowledge an “individual unity
!
' with a universal unity," and consequently "brokenness is
I
the root condition of the universe to which especially the
; gentle fall prey."^ Blanche doesn't battle her destiny
because she doesn’t actually even have the capacity to
realize its meaning. And because she doesn’t have a chance
i
| to illustrate the "greatness of man" she cannot be
i
i
^Nelson, p. 153.
I
^Tischier, p. 138.
I
^Nelson, p._ 153. ;
71
considered a tragic hero as was Segismundo.^7 For a
truly tragic hero would demonstrate "the nobility of tri
umph over d e s p a ir ."^8 Blanche was defeated even before
her appearance; Williams never gave her the chance to
accept outward defeat for inward victory. She merely
exemplifies a psychic cripple who has been degraded and
J broken by society. Tennessee Williams clearly perceives
i
the social and mental pressures exerted on the aristocrat
in modern soeiety and David Siever says that the insight
and hope to be gained from a play such as A Streetcar
Mamed Desire lies in the fact that modern psychiatry can
help people such as Blanche.^9 But Joseph Wood Krutch
would rather go back to the classical plays such as La
Vida es Sueno in which the gratification of the hero is
!
! his peace with a god and not with Freud.50 Krutch finds
|
i
i .. ......-i. ■ -I-1 i i
|
| ^7r . E. Jones, "Tennessee Williams ‘Early
I Heroines.,'" Modern Drama- (December, . 1959)* P- 218.
^8j. W. Krutch, "The Tragic Fallacy," Two American i
Tragedies, -ed. John D. Hurrell (New York, 196l), p. 8. J
»
- 1
^9David W. Sievers, "Tennessee Williams and Arthur J
Miller," Two American Tragedies, ed. John D. Hurrell (New j
York, 19iJ), p. 141.
50Krutch, pp. 6-16.
72
the nobility of triumph over despair in older literature J
i
(
more gratifying and enervating than modern literature which
sometimes gives a feeling of depression. He says that the
conflict between the old and the new lies in the fact that j
I
s
the older aristocratic heroes were thought noble and such
a concept is no longer possible for modern men and writers
I
i
CONCLUSION j
!
As Rene Welleck and Austin Warren have said, the 1
j
problems of a comparative study actually ’ ’ begin when we j
! i
evaluate, compare, and isolate the individual factors.n !
I
Since this study is mainly concerned with the aristocratic j
hero and his seeming demise in the last few centuries, I I
I
chose two plays which might make for a more obvious compar-i
l
I
ison. For La Vida es Sueno demonstrates an aristocratic ;
,
hero at his greatest and A Streetcar Named Desire demon
strates an aristocratic heroine at her worst.
I
Segismundo was a dynamic aristocratic hero to his j
(
creator, Calderon, whereas Blanche was a static heroine to ;
I
„ ' t
her creator, Williams. Calderon was perhaps overly fair .
and just to Segismundo, whereas Williams was just the
opposite to Blanche. The same ingredients that went to :
make Segismundo a successful aristocratic hero in the handsj
■ ^ • Theory of Literature (New York, 1956), p. 61.
73
74 .
of Calderon also proved the downfall of Blanche In the
hands of Williams.
Both Segismundo and Blanche had all of the innate
t
gifts which would give them a better chance in achieving I
a successful life. Segismundo achieves that better life
while Blanche dissolves in a mental holocaust. Segismundo
defeats every difficulty put in front of him while Blanche j
goes down in sad defeat. Segismundors actions were !
i
governed by honor and duty; Blanche had no such guidelines.]
i
In fact, Blanche does not act at all; she is rather acted
upon. She becomes the vanquished rather than the victor.
Calderon allows Segismundo to face his surround- j
*
ings squarely. He allows him to see his environment in i
its most miserable state. But he also allows him positive
t
actions so that he can adjust and accept a life worth liv- |
I
ing in that same miserable world. Williams does not allow j
i
Blanche to face her environment squarely. Instead, she is j
an anachronism in modern society. And consequently, she !
I
can do nothing but reject the world around her. Calderon !
I
demonstrates the aristocrat’s ability to adjust in 17th
century society while Williams demonstrates that a similar
inherited ability is useless in a 20th century society.
75
Calderon*s hero is not as sexually dominated as
Williams heroine. Perhaps this is a sign of two distinct
eras. Segismundo is able to control the physical side of
his nature. Perhaps it was inconceivable to Calderon that
I
his aristocrat could be dominated by such a minor part of |
i
I
his character. To Williams, the sexual part of man's ]
i
character plays more than a minor part. In fact, his j
heroine is somewhat dominated by h&f» sexual make-up. j
Her aristocratic qualities are no help in overcoming this
i
'side of her character.
; I
But most important of all is the fact that
iCalderon's aristocrat is able to achieve success because
|of an inner and unreasoning faith in a God. Blind faith
i
in a God did not allow Segismundo to question what was
i
right and wrong. Nobility of purpose and act was right
and anything that was contrary was wrong. He did not
[question the seeming unfairness of God; he only resolved
I
ito act in a noble fashion so that he would be worthy in
i
j i
!the eyes of God.
Blanche had no such faith to guide her. She had
no comforting God to turn to for assistance. Williams does
not even allow her an awareness of such a possible comfort.
76
seeing that she does not have a logical mind that would
allow her an objective analysis of her situation, she
must necessarily go down in defeat. No amount of aristo
cratic qualities are allowed to help her.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bocao, Fernando. Iberismo de Lope de Vega. Madrid, 1935.
Brenan, Gerald. The Literature of the Spanish People. :
Cambridge, 1951. I
Buchanan, Milton. "Calderon^ Life is a Dream,1 1 PMLA, I
47:1303-1321, 1932. .... j
________ . "Segismundo1s Soliloquy on Liberty in Calderon*s
La Vida es Sueno," PMLA, 23:240-253, 1908.
iBuck, Philo M. Jr., Directions in Contemporary Literature.
New York, 1942.
Cabal, Juan. Los Heroes Universales de la Llteratura
Espanola. -Barcelona, 1942.
Calderon de la Barca, Pedro. El Alcalde de Zalamea y La
Vida Es Sueno. Madrid, 1959.
Cioranescu, Alejandro. El Barroco o El Descubriemiento
del Drama. Tenerife, Islas Canarias, 1957.
Correa, Gustavo. "El Doble Aspecto de Honra en el Teatro
! de Siglo XVII," Hispanic Review, 26:98-106, 1958.
iCrocker, Lester G. "Hamlet, Don Quijote, La Vida Es Suefio:1
The Quest for Values," PMLA, 69:278-313, March, .■
Davidson, Donald. Still Rebels. Still Yankees. Louisiana,
1953.
78
79
Falk, Signi. "The Profitable World of Tennessee Williams,".
Modern.Drama, May 1958# PP- 172-180.
• - f
________ . "The Southern Gentlewoman," Tennessee Williams. !
New.Haven, 1961. j
Ford, J. D. M. Main Currents of Spanish Literature. New
York, 1919.
Gariz, Arthur. "The Desperate Morality of the Plays of
Tennessee Williams," American Scholar, 31*278-294.
. i
Gibbs, Wolcott. "Lower Depths, Southern Style," New J
Yorker, December 13, 1947# PP* 50+. • |
________ . "The Theatre: Well, Descending Anyway," New 1
Yorker, March 30, 1957# PP• 84+.
Honig, Edwin. "The Seizures of Honor in Calderon,"
Kenyon Review, 23:426-477# 1961.
Hume, M. Spanish Influence on English Literature.
London, 1905.
Jones, R. E. The Alienated Hero in Modern French Drama.
Athens, Georgia, 1962.
,
________ . "Tennessee Williams* 'Early Heroines,1"
Modern Drama, 2:211-219, 1959*
Krutch, Joseph W. "Modernism" in Modern Drama, 1953,
pp. 124-.129. j
1
________ . "The Tragic Fallacy," The Modern Temper. New
York, 1929, PP. 115-143*
i
________ . "The Tragic Fallacy," Two American Tragedies, ed.
John D. Hurrell-(New York, 1961), pp. 6-l6. j
Lewis, Allan. The Contemporary Theatre. New York, 1962.
Life is a Dream, trans. William E. Colford, New York, 1958.
80
Nelson, Benjamin. Tennessee Williams: The Man and His !
Work. New York, 1961. !
' t
O'Faolain, Sean. The Vanishing Hero. New York, 1949. ;
1
Riddel, Joseph. HA Streetcar Named Desire— Nietzsche ;
Descending,' * Modern Drama, 5:421-431, 1982.
Sievers, W. David. MTennessee Williams and Arthur Miller,”
Two American Tragedies, -ed. John D. Hurrell. New
York, 1961. - i
Sloman, A, E. Dramatic Craftsmenship of Calderon. New
York, 1929.
I
Taylor, Harry, ”The Dilemma of Tennessee Williams,” Two |
Modern American Tragedies. New York, 1961 *
;Tischler, Nancy. Tennessee Williams: Rebellious Puritan. \
: New York, 1961.
Trench, R. C. The Life and Genius of Calderon. London,
1886.
Watson, Curtis Brown. Shakespeare and the Renaissance
Concept of Honor. New Jersey, i960.
I
'Welleck, Rene and Warren, Austin. Theory of Literature. ;
! . New York, 1956.
i
jWilliams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. New York,
: . 1947.
University of Southern Californio

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

A study of hypocrisy: A comparison of French and American variations of treatment in selected dramas

PDF

The influence of Moliere on three of Dryden's comedies

PDF

The influence of Greek tragedy upon Eugene O'Neill

PDF

An analysis of the Virgin Mother figure in Dante's "Divina Commedia" and Goethe's "Faust"

PDF

A study and translation of selected Japanese short stories

PDF

English opinion of Rousseau as expressed in the intimate writings of his contemporaries

PDF

The function of the historical novel as explained in authors' prefaces

PDF

An analysis of the foreign influences on the dramas of Jose Echegaray emphasizing the influence of the dramas of Henrik Ibsen

PDF

Women in the folk epic

PDF

The American criticism of Andre Gide

PDF

The educational ideals of Jose Rizal

PDF

A consideration of Til Eulenspiegel as picaresque fiction

PDF

The antiwar propaganda novel

PDF

Catholic thought as reflected in some modern novels

PDF

Biography in its newer aspects as conceived by Gamaliel Bradford, Lytton Strachey and Andre Maurois

PDF

Certain literary conceptions of Satan

PDF

A study of the new humanism with special reference to the work of Irving Babbitt, Paul Elmer More, and recent French criticism

PDF

Human comedy as a reflection of the social conditions of its period

PDF

Original translations of selections from the Armenian of Daniel Varoujean with an introduction and prefactory notes to each poem

PDF

The sense of beauty in certain folk epics

Asset Metadata

Creator Bea, Radmilla Gogo (author)

Core Title The theme of the aristocratic hero in "La vida es Sueno" and "A Streetcar Named Desire"

Contributor Digitized by ProQuest (provenance)

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Comparative Literature

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag communication and the arts,language, literature and linguistics,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c26-288800

Unique identifier UC11223912

Identifier usctheses-c26-288800 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier EP43082.pdf

Dmrecord 288800

Document Type Thesis

Rights Bea, Radmilla Gogo

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA