Stella Kowalski (née DuBois) is one of the main characters in

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

' play ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...

''. She is the younger sister of central character

Blanche DuBois Blanche DuBois (married name Grey) is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams' 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. The character was written for Tallulah Bankhead and made popular to later audiences with Elia Kaza ...

and wife of

Stanley Kowalski Stanley Kowalski is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams' play '' A Streetcar Named Desire''. In the play Stanley lives in the working-class Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans with his wife, Stella ( DuBois), and is employe ...

In the play

The play begins when Blanche comes to visit Stella and Stanley in New Orleans after having lost their family home, Belle Reve, and her job as a teacher in

Laurel, Mississippi Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,161. Laurel is northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat, which contains the first county ...

. We gather that Stella was a

Southern belle "Southern belle" () is a colloquialism for a debutante or other fashionable young woman of European heritage in the planter class of the Antebellum South, particularly as a romantic counterpart to the Southern gentleman. Characteristics Th ...

who left her home town to find work after her family fell on hard times. In New Orleans, she met her soon-to-be husband

, who just has returned from World War II, complete with decorations. It is apparent that Stella has been in New Orleans for quite some time before Blanche arrives. Stella is portrayed as sensual and deferring to the will of her husband. Stanley is prone to fits of rage in which he throws things and hits Stella, who often finds herself taking refuge with upstairs neighbor Eunice Hubbell (who is often abused by her own husband, Steve, as well), only to return to Stanley when he cries for her to take him back. Williams neither condemns nor condones this sort of love; it is the way Stella yields to her marriage. Blanche, who has arrived for a "visit," is horrified by her sister's situation and tries to convince Stella to divorce Stanley. Stella refuses, however, bound to Stanley by sexual attraction and her pregnancy with his child. Stanley, who prides himself on luring Stella away from her privileged background, dislikes the influence Blanche has over his young wife. When Stanley discovers that Blanche has lost the family estate and been forced out of her home town for promiscuity, he gleefully tells Stella, who initially refuses to believe him. Stella is more down-to-earth and a lot less vain than her sister. She is accustomed to the slightly less wealthy conditions in New Orleans and the poor treatment from her husband. The night Stella goes into labor, Stanley drunkenly happens upon Blanche and rapes her. This sends Blanche completely over the edge into a nervous breakdown. From what she says in the final scene, it is clear that Stella has chosen to believe that Blanche is lying about the rape. She acquiesces to his plan to send Blanche off to a mental institution. However, in the film adaptation, it is shown that Stella leaves him and takes their child (although it is ambiguous if she goes back to him). This, however, was required under the censorship code then in force. Later television versions restored the original stage version, which always has her staying with him.

In other media

Stella was portrayed by

Kim Hunter Kim Hunter (born Janet Cole; November 12, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar ...

in the Broadway production as well as the 1951 film adaptation. Hunter won an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for her performance. In the 1949 London production, Stella was played by

Renée Asherson Dorothy Renée Ascherson (19 May 1915 – 30 October 2014), known professionally as Renée Asherson, was a British actress. Much of her theatrical career was spent in Shakespearean plays, appearing at such venues as the Old Vic, the Liverpool ...

. In the 1984 TV movie she was portrayed by Beverly D'Angelo, and in the 1995 TV movie, she was portrayed by Diane Lane. The name is used for a recurring character, portrayed by Anne Marie DeLuise, in the 1994–1999 television series '' Due South''; the character is the ex-wife of character Detective Stanley Kowalski, namedin universein homage to

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

's portrayal of the character in the 1951 film adaptation.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kowalski, Stella Characters in plays Drama film characters Theatre characters introduced in 1947 Female characters in theatre Female characters in literature Female characters in film Literary characters introduced in 1947 Fictional characters from Mississippi Fictional characters from New Orleans Fictional victims of domestic abuse