“Both Albee and Williams Use Their Male Characters to Explore a Link Between Virility and Status in Both ‘a Streetcar Named Desire’ and ‘Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf’.” Showing Appreciation of Context and with Close
“Both Albee and Williams use their male characters to explore a link between virility and status in both ‘A Streetcar named Desire’ and ‘Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf’.” Showing appreciation of context and with close analysis of structure, form and language, consider to what extent you agree with this assertion.
Through male characters’ Albee and Williams, assess the links between virility and status by analysing behaviour and their interaction with same-sex and female characters. The play Wright’s use of structure, form and language exposes the link between a character’s status and their virility. Set in 1940s America, Streetcar portrays men who use their virile nature to increase their status, whereas in Woolf, set in the early 1960s, George portrays a man with a damaged status from his weakened virility, demonstrating the evident link connecting status and virility.
Through structure, form and language Albee and Williams give clear evidence of the links between virility and status. From analysis with same sex and female characters the men in the plays can portray the insufficiencies of a man lacking status or virility. In Streetcar, set in 1940s America men are portrayed using their virile natures to increase their status, and in Woolf, set in the early 1960s Albee uses the male characters to demonstrate the closeness of virility and status as characteristics. Allowing both plays to show effectively that neither virility nor status exists without the other.
From analysis, both playwrights suggest that the male characters, by sexually dominating women, acquire a degree of personal status. The rape scene in Streetcar allows Stanley to prove himself sexually powerful through his rage and strength. This establishes him as ‘King’ of his territory, as he overpowers Blanche. ‘Since earliest manhood… his life has been the pleasure with women... giving and taking of it... with power and pride’; it is a power he can achieve over women that they cannot over him.
Through male characters’ Albee and Williams, assess the links between virility and status by analysing behaviour and their interaction with same-sex and female characters. The play Wright’s use of structure, form and language exposes the link between a character’s status and their virility. Set in 1940s America, Streetcar portrays men who use their virile nature to increase their status, whereas in Woolf, set in the early 1960s, George portrays a man with a damaged status from his weakened virility, demonstrating the evident link connecting status and virility.
Through structure, form and language Albee and Williams give clear evidence of the links between virility and status. From analysis with same sex and female characters the men in the plays can portray the insufficiencies of a man lacking status or virility. In Streetcar, set in 1940s America men are portrayed using their virile natures to increase their status, and in Woolf, set in the early 1960s Albee uses the male characters to demonstrate the closeness of virility and status as characteristics. Allowing both plays to show effectively that neither virility nor status exists without the other.
From analysis, both playwrights suggest that the male characters, by sexually dominating women, acquire a degree of personal status. The rape scene in Streetcar allows Stanley to prove himself sexually powerful through his rage and strength. This establishes him as ‘King’ of his territory, as he overpowers Blanche. ‘Since earliest manhood… his life has been the pleasure with women... giving and taking of it... with power and pride’; it is a power he can achieve over women that they cannot over him.