GOOD FRIDAY- NOTES

TITLE

• Jesus' crucifixion- Christian importance; Rossetti's religious devotion- Betrayal & Pain

''Am I a stone, and not a sheep''

• Interrogative- insecurity showed through focus on state of being} analytical
• ''Stone''- Insentient, lacks empathy
• ''not a sheep''- Does not relate to the followers of Christ} self doubt

''That I can stand, O Christ, beneath Thy cross''

• Places herself beneath Christ- 'Fallen women'} Mary Magdalene

''To number, drop by drop, Thy blood's slow loss''

• Counting; detached, analytical
• Recognises the drag of his death- painstaking

''And yet not weep?''

• Emotionless
• Detached

''Not so those women loved''

• Unspecified, detached from the accepted disposition of women
• ''loved'' defined

''Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee''

• Over dramatic- reflects detachment of speaker from emotion} Extreme
• View emotion as excessive/ a triviality
• Critical

''Not so the thief was moved''

• ''Not so'' repeated, emphasises significance of a void/ lack of something

''Not so the Sun and Moon''

• ''Not so'' Alone in a new stanza, emphasises a greater scale/epic scale- the universe

''Which hid their faces in a starless sky''

• Shying away/turning away gaze- implies crying/ fear]
• Starless sky- without light or guidance, lack of beauty} void of meaning

''A horror of great darkness at broad noon''

• Emphasis of anxiety and loss
• Overwhelming/ Melodramatic

''I, only I''

• Lonely/Abandoned- Abandoned by God} Anxious, self absorbed, introspective
• Self detachment, nothingness
• Ugly line} Disrupts rhythm, irregular

''Yet give not o'er''

• Balances negative tone of poem
• Resolution & atonement
• Non- existentialist, not completely lost

''But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock''

• Internal rhyme- Sonal harmony} Resolution and clarity

''Greater than Moses, turn and look once more

And smite a rock''

• Biblical connotations
• Moses in the desert- water pours out of rock:
• Life vs Stagnancy
• Rossetti see's herself as the rock requiring smiting- needs a miracle

FIRST 3 STANZAS

• Doubt, fear} Negativity
• Outcast, fear,loneliness, focus on death

http://padlet.com/colup1/rossetti

ECHO QUESTIONS

1) The tone of ''come to me'' is commanding, creating a sense of power and assertion in the speaker in the midst of their struggling character.
2) They feel this entrapment and nostalgia due to the separation from their love- the memory of their experience binds them to feelings of negativity and loss.

3) They feel this entrapment and nostalgia due to the separation from their love- the memory of their experience binds them to feelings of negativity and loss.

4) In this speakers version of Paradise- despite the idea that Paradise is the most beautiful place in existance- the souls within Paradise appear to feel a sense of entrapment and controversially, unsatisfaction. In the souls ''thirsting, longing eyes'' it is revealed that despite their position in Paradise, the souls are somewhat unfufilled, as if something missing from their considered highly fortunate situation.

The speaker uses a tone of anxiety in order to emphasise the sense of entrapment and unsatisfaction, as they meticulously watch the door to Paradise open, close but ''let out no more''. This technique of anxiety emphasises the incessant longing and loss these souls feel, even if only for the sake of nostalgia.

WILLIAMS CHRONOLOGY

WILLIAMS CONTEXT- STREECAR NAMED DESIRE

Blanche, Stella & Stanley- KEY QUOTES ACT 1 SCENE 1 PART I

STANLEY

• ''Carries his bowling jacket and a red-stained package'' Association of colour implies violence and anger. Implication of the primitive and violent nature of Stanley's character
• ''[bellowing] Hey, there! Stella, Baby!'' Shows Stanley's dominant nature, view of superiority and possession over his life
• ''Meat! he heaves the package at her'' Violent, lugging, primitive- shows animalistic attitude, women are for the purpose of procreation & cooking

STELLA

• ''gentle young woman'' Completely contrasts the character of her husband- implies submissive nature
• ''She cries out in protest'' ''she laughs breathlessly'' Initial protest of violent/animalistic behaviour turns to exhilaration- reflects Stella's attraction to brutality 
• ''Can I come watch?'' Has to ask permission of husband to join in with him- Stanley's dominant nature controls her
• ''[She laughs but her glance at BLANCHE is a little anxious]'' Constantly checking for cracks in Blanche's facade- aware of her psychological history
• ''[carefully, pouring herself a drink]'' Stella always enacts a certain amount of caution/reservation- contrasts Blanche's overexposed & erratic nature 
• ''Aren't you being a little intense about it?'' Stella is painfully aware of how her environment completely contrasts the aristocratic society Blanche is accustomed to
• ''I just got in the habit of being quiet around you'' Refers to Blanche's psychological history, Stella has to always be guarded and vigilant, in case something triggers her
• ''You look just fine'' Stella is accustomed to reassuring Blanche's vanity
• ''[uncomfortably]: I never had anything like your energy Blanche'' Noticed Blanche's overly talkative, nervous disposition. The erratic energy Blanche displays concerns her
• ''[a little wearily]: It's just incredible, Blanche, how well you're looking'' ''[dutifully]: They haven't slipped one particle'' Ritualistic, Stella has to go through flattering and reassuring Blanche, due to her anxiety of ageing

BLANCHE

• ''valise'' Suitcase, shows she has intention of staying
• ''They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries'' Reveals the ongoing theme of the play- desire & the impulse of life vs consequence & death. Juxtaposition of themes relates to ''Death Alley'' and Rose's room in William's childhood
• ''Stella DuBois. I mean- Mrs. Stanley Kowalski'' Shows her utter rejection of the match, she cannot accept that Stella has married below her class- reflects Blanche's superiority complex in regards to class/wealth
• ''Belle Reve?'' Remains an idea throughout the play, a symbol of a privileged existence and a way of life that has been superseded. Intended to translate to 'beautiful dream' the house is a fantasy, a version of the Old South that was never real
•   ''stiffly'' ''shoulders slightly hunched'' Blanche's body language perfectly depicts her insecurity, anxiety and lack of confidence 
• ''legs pressed close together'' Gives her an appearance of frigidity- which we know in hindsight to be completely false
•  ''blind look goes out of her eyes'' Fades in and out of reality, portrays her psychological fragility
• ''carefully replaces the bottle'' Accustomed to hiding her true instability
• ''I've got to keep a hold of myself'' Blanche recognises her unravelling psychosis, she does not wish to alarm Stella and jeopardise her last chance of shelter
• ''I won't be looked at in this merciless glare'' Insecurity of her fading youth and beauty, wishes to hide from the light as it exposes her truth
• ''bottle nearly slips'' Blanche's instability manifests itself physically
• ''Only Poe!'' Blanche's comparison of Stella's home to the gothic, gloomy imagery created by Poe is extremely insulting. But captures the brewing sense of dread that escalates during the play *Fall of the House of Usher*
• ''I was on the verge of-lunacy'' Broken speech when explaining her lack of employment implies she is nervous, lying
• ''You haven't said a word about my appearance'' ''my looks are slipping!'' Blanches inferiority complex in relation to her ageing consumes her throughout the play
• ''beautiful self control'' Blanche has many things to be envious of in Stella- her youth, self control, marriage...
• ''you left Belle Reve'' Intended to cause guilt, accusation of abandonment- infers to the abandonment Blanche suffers at Stella's hands in the final scene