The Glass Menagerie

This play is often mistaken by critics as a so called 'Masterpiece " and "Classic". It is about a hysterical Matriarch named Amanda who has two children. Tom , her son is a part time alcoholic who works in a factory and her daughter Laura is a self absorbed introverted girl who just wants to listen to her old worn out records all day and play with her glass menagerie of animals.No doubt Amanda never heard the saying"Don't bite the hand that feeds you (literally)". Amanda despairs at Laura's lack of Employment and Social skills so she enrols her in Secretarial School in the vain hope that she might one day GET A JOB and stop being a leech and parasite on Tom who is the only Breadwinner in this family. This play is characterized by the usual hysterical dramatic outbursts of needy, pathetic, nuerotic characters which was a signature of many of Mr. William's works. The Late , Great Sir Lawrence Olivier described Mr. William's plays as "rather sordid pieces of work from a troubled mind" and I must agree with this fine actor's opinion. It is also interesting to note that Sir Olivier did his utmost to dissuade his wife Ms. Vivien Leigh from starring in another one of Mr. William's plays.Who can judge the quality of a Play better than The Greatest Actor Of The 20th Century? As it turned out his highly mentally unstable wife Vivian Leigh was awarded an Oscar for her performance in "A Streetcar Named Desire". This only goes to prove that one can deliver a great performance in a piece of trash just like Renee Zelwigger did in "Chicago" which was a movie of "all flash and no substance " which is a lot like Mr. Williams'works.Ms. Leigh was like Blanche insofar as they both shared similarly unstable personalities which is well documented by her various biographers. One can only come to the conclusion that this is why she was able to portray the hysterical, nuerotic Blanche so well. So I guess Sir Lawrence was correct after all.Perhaps one can understand the erratic behaviour of the people in this play when one stops to consider that Mr. Williams was an alcoholic and a barbituate addict.I also do suspect that this play may have been written in a Dramatically Altered State Of Consciousness due to the abuse of these substances. Mr. Williams' departure from this "Mortal Coil" was also quite unique.I give this play 5 stars because it is always most amusing for me to find a play about people who just can't "make it through the dark night" without an Irrational,Hysterical and Dramatic Outburst or ten.

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This is one of the greatest Broadway plays, it's pure Tennessee Williams. The mother Amanda, is classic, she imbodies the faded Southern Belle who can't quite come to grips with where life has left her. I find Tom very easy to relate to, his wanted to get out, just to go anywhere, but the guilt of leaving his mother and sister is overwhelming. It is said that Tennessee Williams based this play loosely on his life and it shows in the writing, you really feel like the dialog is stream of conscience. This play will touch every reader on some level and if it does not it probably means the reader has either lived a very charmed life or is too young to relate. I highly recommend it.

This is a very sad play, but I believe it leaves the reader with some hope for the future. It's very easy to read and understand so take the time to read it!! I think you'll like it.

This play is one of the many "classics" that english teachers and literary critics seem to love; all of these classics have the defining characteristic that they bring out the worst in human nature and undermine the values of hard work, sacrifice, courage, and love. This play can stand right beside "Death of a Salesman" as a depressing, pessimistic propaganda on how to deal with life's challenges.