A Streetcar Named Desire as a tragic comedy A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams is considered by many critics to be an "imperfect" masterpiece. This is because William's work beautifully uses and blends both tragic and comic elements that serve to hide the true nature of the hero and heroine, thus not allowing the reader to judge them on solid reality. For this reason Williams has been compared to writers like Shakespeare who, in literature, created a sense of ambiguity and uncertainty in finding a single "point of view or aspect" in their works. Due to the highly tragic elements encountered in Streetcar, many immediately label it a tragedy. However, the immense comic circumstances encountered in the play contradict the exclusive role of tragedy and leave the reader to ponder the true nature of the play, the question is whether it is a tragedy with accidental comic episodes or a comedy with weak melodramatic incidents . It has been said that the “double mask of tragicomedy reveals the polarity of the human condition” (Adler 47). The opposition of forces in the work serves to reinforce the sense of both the reality and the drama that are present in everyday human life. The comedic elements of the play serve as a form of determined self-preservation just as the tragic elements add to the concept of self-destruction. This is the true nature of a tragicomedy. By juxtaposing two irreconcilable positions, ambiguity is produced in the judgment of the main characters, in particular Stanley Kowalski and Blanche Dubois (Riddell 83). The ambivalence in the play is largely caused by the relationship between Stanley and Blanche. They simultaneously produce both frightening and attractive trends. Both characters show elements or... in the center of the sheet... possible forces come face to face. The two opposing forces are destined to be trapped in a stranglehold and society will be the loser. Works Cited Adler, Thomas P. A Streetcar Named Desire: The Moth and the Lantern. New York: Twayne, 1990.Baym, Nina et al, eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1995. Falk, Signi. 20th century interpretations of a streetcar called Desiderio. Ed. Giordano Miller. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1971. Riddell, Joseph. 20th century interpretations of a streetcar called Desiderio. Ed. Giordano Miller. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1971. Szeliski, John T. von. 20th century interpretations of a streetcar called Desiderio. Ed. Giordano Miller. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1971. Williams, Tennessee. The Tennessee Williams Theater. New York: New Directions, 1971.