​Ruhi Kumar

Given Circumstances

 

Where am I?

Blanche Dubois is a schoolteacher from Laurel who has come to live with her sister and her husband in their New Orelans apartment. Blanche has just lost her family estate and fortune Belle Reve. Though Blanche does not seem to have enough money to afford a hotel, she is disdainful of the cramped quarters of her sisters two-room apartment and of the apartment’s location in a noisy, diverse, working-class neighborhood. The entire play is set in 1947, two years after World War II. 

 

When am I? Time of day? Season?

What is the social class of your character?

What is the relationship between your character and other characters in the play?

What is the emotional state of your character? 

 

Monologue work:

 

Chosen Monolouge:

 

BLANCHE:

I, I, I took the blows in my face and my body! All of those deaths! The long parade to the graveyard! Father, mother! Margaret, that dreadful way! So big with it, it couldn't be put in a coffin! But had to be burned like rubbish! You just came home in time for the funerals, Stella. And funerals are pretty compared to deaths. Funerals are quiet, but deaths--not always. Sometimes their breathing is hoarse, and sometimes it rattles, and sometimes they even cry out to you, "Don't let me go!" Even the old, sometimes, say, "Don't let me go." As if you were able to stop them! But funerals are quiet, with pretty flowers. And, oh, what gorgeous boxes they pack them away in! Unless you were there at the bed when they cried out, "Hold me!" you'd never suspect there was the struggle for breath and bleeding. You didn't dream, but I saw! Saw! Saw! And now you sit there telling me with your eyes that I let the place go! How in hell do you think all that sickness and dying was paid for? Death is expensive, Miss Stella! And old Cousin Jessie's right after Margaret's, hers! Why, the Grim Reaper had put up his tent on our doorstep!... Stella. Belle Reve was his headquarters! Honey--that's how it slipped through my fingers! Which of them left us a fortune? Which of them left a cent of insurance even? Only poor Jessie--one hundred to pay for her coffin. That was all, Stella! And I with my pitiful salary at the school. Yes, accuse me! Sit there and stare at me, thinking I let the place go! I let the place go? Where were you! In bed with your--Polack! 

 

Inner Monolouge: 

 

Why don’t you think I’m telling the truth about Belle Reve? Unlike you I actually stayed in Laurel, and was forced to endure all this suffering all ALONE! I watched everyone go and you...you went away to become someones wife and build a new life hidding from everything I was forced to deal with. I lost everything. I lost Belle Reve, my teaching job, and my reputation! (Speed up) The only time I ever saw you was when you came back for the funerals and funerals are nothing compared to death. I was the one that had to care for them, I was the one that had to stay here. I can’t believe you’re taking Stanley’s side over me you're dear old sister! IM NOT HIDING ANYTHING FROM YOU. BELLE REVE IS GONE AND NOBODY IS MORE TORN UP ABOUT IT THAN ME. 

 

Everyone died! Father, Mother and Margret! There was nobody left for me to turn to. I had to manage everything A girl like me can't deal with all these bills without a man by her side. It was all so expensive the little boxes they packed them all in, the ceremonies who do you think had to finance that? Me! You just came for the lovely service I was there through it all so before you sit there and take your Polack's side think about what i've been through your poor little sister who's been at it all alone for all these years only to find that her sister does not believe her. 

 

(Changes tone to be more soothing and calm) Listen Stella you know its unlike me to go off on you but can you blame me? Everything I thought I had has been ripped out of my palms. I've lost control, oh Stella I've lost complete control theres no going back to the old days when...when I had it all and now as much as it pains me to admit all I have is you. So please, please don't give up on me Stella. When you believe Stanley over me it makes me feel like I've truley lost it so please be my sister and take care of me because I need you, I need someone. 

 

Reflection on Inner monolouge

After creating an inner monolouge I feel that I am able to analyse my character in more depth as I am able to explore Blanche's feelings and actions and what influences her. In my case Blanche is begining to battle with facing reality as in this scene she begins to show signs of dellusion. In my interpretation of this I showed Blanche getting defensive about loosing Belle Reve, however I wanted to truley encapsulate her confusion and disatisfaction with what her life has become in contrast to her sister Stella who represents an 'ideal' female of the time. In my opinion I feel like this excerise allowed me to dig deeper into why Blanche tends to conceal her true thoughts and it gave me some ideas on how she would move and act in the scene, this will be very helpful when creating my final performance. After creating the inner monolouge it changed the way I delivered Blanche's original monolouge as I focused more on her facial expressions and the pace and volume that she would deliver the lines. For example to illustrate Blanche osilating between sanity and madness I decided to incorporate more pauses and increase her pace during some of her lines. I feel like this will be effective in communicating her confusion as I would like to deliver her lines almost at the speed of thought to not only make the audience devlop a sense of sympathy towards her, but also to illustrate how she is a character who clings onto the past in order to escape the realities.