The Rose Tattoo
by Tennessee Williams
summary
of notes
, TENNESSEE WILLIAMS (1911-1983)
The Rose Tattoo [1951]
Tennessee Williams emerged as one of the most important and prolific writers of the
American drama in the 20th cen. For him writing was personal and constituted a kind of
“katharsis”. Yet, besides the autobiographical elements that prevail in his works, we
recognize a need to expose the universal truth about the myth of suffering that
characterizes the human condition. Just like O’ Neill who dealt with the tragedy of human
life, he also found inspiration in the ancient Greek rituals out of which the form of tragedy
and theatre itself sprang. More specifically, he employed the myth of the “dying god”
Dionysus, which portrays the most appropriate archetypal image of suffering and even
though its has been reenacted a lot, most famously in the Christian ritual and passion
plays, still remains a rather accurate approach to the sufferings of modern man. In his
effort, Williams made use of the insightful interpretations offered by the psychoanalytic
theories of Freud, of the Jungian and Nietzschean views on the power of art in man’s
reconciliation with the absurdity of life, and finally of his own private and painful
experiences that made him what he was.
The Rose Tattoo (1951) is a three-act play of mixed genres because it blends together
distinct dramatic forms. The play synthesizes comic elements, elements borrowed from
the ancient Greek tragedy, and elements that invoke ancient Greco-Roman
celebrations of the god Dionysus. The play’s comedy rests upon its bawdiness and the
ridiculous predicaments in which the characters find themselves. Its nod to the classic,
tragic form is that Serafina, the protagonist, has a major flaw, like all tragic heroes.
Finally, the play on the whole follows & celebrates the cyclical pattern of the
Dionysiac rite.
Dionysus’ cult has an exceptional place in Greek mythology. His place is secured due to
the uniqueness of his origins, of the new religion he advocated, of the revels he
introduced, of his female votaries and mostly due to his myths of death and rebirth.
Dionysus has always been the god of extremes and his dual nature takes on many
antithetical forms. Even from his birth, divinity and mortality, masculinity and femininity
blend amazingly in his image. He is the god of immediate confrontation and
simultaneous absence, of all plant and animal life, of the most sacred drink [wine], of
ecstatic revels and bloody killings. He is the god, who dies the cruel death of
dismemberment only to be resurrected again. In his myth of the suffering god, there is a
procreative power in his “sparagmos” that generates life and rebirth. And the practice of
the annual rites of his religion, stress this regenerative power as they reflect nature’s
annual circle and the rotation of the seasons.
by Tennessee Williams
summary
of notes
, TENNESSEE WILLIAMS (1911-1983)
The Rose Tattoo [1951]
Tennessee Williams emerged as one of the most important and prolific writers of the
American drama in the 20th cen. For him writing was personal and constituted a kind of
“katharsis”. Yet, besides the autobiographical elements that prevail in his works, we
recognize a need to expose the universal truth about the myth of suffering that
characterizes the human condition. Just like O’ Neill who dealt with the tragedy of human
life, he also found inspiration in the ancient Greek rituals out of which the form of tragedy
and theatre itself sprang. More specifically, he employed the myth of the “dying god”
Dionysus, which portrays the most appropriate archetypal image of suffering and even
though its has been reenacted a lot, most famously in the Christian ritual and passion
plays, still remains a rather accurate approach to the sufferings of modern man. In his
effort, Williams made use of the insightful interpretations offered by the psychoanalytic
theories of Freud, of the Jungian and Nietzschean views on the power of art in man’s
reconciliation with the absurdity of life, and finally of his own private and painful
experiences that made him what he was.
The Rose Tattoo (1951) is a three-act play of mixed genres because it blends together
distinct dramatic forms. The play synthesizes comic elements, elements borrowed from
the ancient Greek tragedy, and elements that invoke ancient Greco-Roman
celebrations of the god Dionysus. The play’s comedy rests upon its bawdiness and the
ridiculous predicaments in which the characters find themselves. Its nod to the classic,
tragic form is that Serafina, the protagonist, has a major flaw, like all tragic heroes.
Finally, the play on the whole follows & celebrates the cyclical pattern of the
Dionysiac rite.
Dionysus’ cult has an exceptional place in Greek mythology. His place is secured due to
the uniqueness of his origins, of the new religion he advocated, of the revels he
introduced, of his female votaries and mostly due to his myths of death and rebirth.
Dionysus has always been the god of extremes and his dual nature takes on many
antithetical forms. Even from his birth, divinity and mortality, masculinity and femininity
blend amazingly in his image. He is the god of immediate confrontation and
simultaneous absence, of all plant and animal life, of the most sacred drink [wine], of
ecstatic revels and bloody killings. He is the god, who dies the cruel death of
dismemberment only to be resurrected again. In his myth of the suffering god, there is a
procreative power in his “sparagmos” that generates life and rebirth. And the practice of
the annual rites of his religion, stress this regenerative power as they reflect nature’s
annual circle and the rotation of the seasons.
