ENG1300 Composition. Analysis of a play by Tennessee Williams’s “The Glass Menagerie”,

Setting and Stage Directions

Response of at least 150-200 words to the Discussion Area.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We’ll focus this week specifically on the elements of speech, setting, plot, character, and genre, and Tennessee Williams’s play, The Glass Menagerie

Prompt: The setting (space, place, and time) forms the backdrop and defines the atmosphere for a play. Settings sometimes symbolically present plot and character issues. For example, a locked door could represent an obstacle within a character’s life. At other times, the setting can limit or permit the characters’ actions.

Think about the setting in the play you read. Consider these aspects:

• Physical space in which the story is placed (confined or open, small or large, limited to one place or not)
• Cultural and social landscape in which the story is situated
• Time in which the action takes place (time of day, year, era, or century)
• Stage directions, including lighting, music, and placement of props

Discuss the setting and stage directions in the play you read. Does the setting produce certain responses from the audience? In what ways does the setting influence the events? Does the setting constrain or liberate the characters? How does the setting reflect the central ideas of the play?

Tips: Remember to provide evidence for your claims in the form of quoted passages from the play. Quotations, paraphrases