tennessee williams and the glass menagerie introduction notes
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Tennessee Williams and
The Glass Menagerie
Introduction Notes
![Page 2: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Thomas Lanier Williams
•Born March 26, 1911 in Columbus, Mississippi
![Page 3: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Thomas Lanier Williams
•Lived for several years in Clarksdale, Mississippi•Moved to St. Louis in 1918
![Page 4: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Family Life•Mother was a controlling woman• Father was abusive and hard on him
![Page 5: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Family Life•Father assumed he was raising a homosexual
•Williams always felt rejected by his father
![Page 6: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Family Life•His sister Rose became mentally ill and was lobotomized and committed to a mental institution
•Williams remained close to his sister
![Page 7: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Education•Attended the University of Missouri, but his father pulled him out and put him to work
![Page 8: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Education•Eventually went back to school and graduated from the University of Iowa
![Page 9: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
A Legend Begins•Changed his name to “Tennessee” and began to write controversial plays
![Page 10: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
A Legend Begins•First hit was Glass Menagerie
•Originally titled The Gentleman Caller•Story based partially on William’s home life
![Page 11: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
A Legend Begins
•Glass Menagerie was an instant success and the pressure began to surmount for Williams
![Page 12: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
The Legend Continues
•Williams found that New Orleans was an inspirational city to write in
•He also spent time in Key West and New York
![Page 13: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
The Legend Continues
•Williams won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for A Streetcar Named Desire•It was made into a movie in 1951
![Page 14: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
The Legend Continues
•Cat on a Hot Tin Roof gave Williams his second Pulitzer Prize in 1955
![Page 15: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
The Legend Continues
Other instant successes were:
•The Rose Tattoo•Baby Doll
•The Night of the Iguana
•Sweet Bird of Youth
![Page 16: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
The Legend Continues
•All of William’s plays touched on some controversial issue that had never been introduced in plays/movies before
![Page 17: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
The Legend Continues•Sexual frustration
•Homosexuality•Mental illness•Emasculation•Cannibalism•Nymphomania•Alcohol abuse
![Page 18: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
The Legend Changes
•Williams began to drink and take pills more frequently
![Page 19: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
The Legend Changes
•His partner died in 1963 and this event was the true turning point for Williams
![Page 20: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
The Legend Changes
•His drinking and drug use quickly heightened
![Page 21: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
The Legend Changes
•His work in New York/ Hollywood began to receive poor reviews
![Page 22: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
The Legend Changes
•Just like he had been rejected by his father years before, critics were now rejecting him
![Page 23: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
The Legend Changes
•Williams’ alcoholism took control and he became paranoid
![Page 24: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
The Legend Changes•Tennessee’s brother Dakin had him committed in 1969 to a mental institution because he suffered from alcohol poisoning and paranoia
![Page 25: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
The Legend Changes
•He began to drink and pop pills again after his three-month stay
![Page 26: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
The Legend Changes•Throughout these difficult times, Tennessee remained true to himself and never lost faith in his ability to write decent plays (despite the reviews)
![Page 27: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
![Page 28: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
The Legend Ends•Eventually Tennessee’s abusive behavior caught up with him and he died a lonely death at the age of 71 in a New York hotel room
![Page 29: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
The Legend Ends•The coroner’s report revealed that Williams died of asphyxia by choking on a top from a medicine bottle
![Page 30: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
The Legend Ends•In 1996, Rose Williams died in the mental institution that had become her home
•Her tombstone reads “Blow out your candle, Laura”, a famous line from The Glass Menagerie
![Page 31: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
The Legend Lives On•Williams’ plays continue to awe audiences everywhere both on stage and the big screen
![Page 32: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
![Page 33: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
The Glass Menagerie•Originally titled A Gentleman Caller
•Had a successful run in 1944 in Chicago •Debuted on Broadway in 1945
![Page 34: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
The Glass Menagerie•Williams’ first popular success•Williams received the New York Drama Critics’ Circle award as the best play of the season•Was called play of the century
![Page 35: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
The Glass Menagerie•It has become one of the most performed plays in
the repertory of American
community theaters
![Page 36: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
The Glass Menagerie•The movie version of the 1950’s starred the unknown actor Marlon Brando
![Page 37: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
The Glass Menagerie
•An updated version was filmed in 1987 and directed by Paul Newman
![Page 38: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
The Glass Menagerie•Play largely based on William’s own family - in particular his sister, Rose
![Page 39: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
The Glass Menagerie•One act play with seven scenes and only four characters
![Page 40: Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie Introduction Notes](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062423/56649ec15503460f94bcd2ba/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
The Glass Menagerie•Play is full of negative emotion