Tennessee Williams and Greek Culture

The main objective of this study is to examine and discuss the influence of the Greek classics and, particularly, the theatre of Euripides, upon the drama of Tennessee Williams. The study will investigate the general classical Greek and, specifically, Euripidean parallels in Tennessee Williams' plays "Orpheus descending", "A streetcar named Desire", and "Suddenly last summer", and will seek to determine the extent of the playwright's indebtedness to the ancient myth of Orpheus and Euridice, and to Euripides' "Medea" and "Hippolytus".