The Glass Menagerie by Tennesse Williams, Essay Example

In his play, Tennessee Williams provided extensive staging directions for theaters, in order to make sure that the family of the Wingfields is representing all the social and economic aspects of the play. The below discussion will try to examine the role of different staging instructions in delivering an accurate account of the events, emotions, and socio-economic issues.

The most important aspects of the setting are related to the apartment’s furnishings and the clothing of the characters. The author indicates that the first set is in the apartment within an “overcrowded urban centers of lower-middle-class population” (Williams, 1944, p. 57). Further, it is very important for the author to ensure that the important objects are included in the scene, such as the typewriter with the shorthand notes, the photograph, and – of course – the glass animals which have a special role in the play. As the author indicates, the main reol of the scene setting is to indicate the level of “human deprivation” in the neighborhood. The representation of the characters’ personality is also important for Williams, who describes Laura’s outfit in detail in the second scene.

The elements of the scene description provide a social background for the events, and they are important, as they are not clearly revealed by the text of the play. The overall darkness of the scene instructions and the differentiation between the “memory play” and present serve as a tool to create an overall “mood” and “feeling”  about the author’s memories. Further, as music plays an important role in the play, and timing is important, indicating the exact music and time when they have to play, just like the lights to be added will represent the change in mood and topic. When the cover of a glamour magazine appears in Scene Four, it has a specific importance, as Amanda is talking about magazine subscriptions, and thinks about a better life.

The setting symbolizes the conflicts, in particular the difference in the rooms. Laura sleeps in the living room, and her only companion is the typewriter and book, apart from the glass figurines. She seems to be excluded, and not a part of the family. The fire escape also has a significance in the play: Tom uses it to “get away” from the reality of the home. When he smokes, he leans against the grill, trying to breathe a different air, as if it was suffocating him. When the rain starts, Amanda says: “I think we may – have grace – now…” (Williams, 1944, p. 116). Likewise, when Laura is sobbing on the sofa, the light on the stage dims out slowly, representing the character’s loss of hope.

The screen instructions are somewhat restrictive, as there are plenty of instructions for facial expressions, movements, and gestures that are generally not provided by authors. This, indeed, would restrict actors’ and directors’ creativity, and make the play extremely focused around well defined characters. Williams is likely to provide detailed instructions to ensure that the behavior of the characters is fully in line with the message he is intending to deliver about them.

The screen instructions are designed to represent the desires and motivations of the characters, in particular the “legends”. When talking about girls’ role of being pretty, the legend on screen shows: “pretty trap”, representing Amanda’s desires for Laura. At the same time, Laura wants the “trap” to be discovered, that is her motivation.

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