Sweet Bird of Youth

Compare two different adaptations of Sweet Bird of Youth. How do these adaptations change the play? What thematic elements do they highlight, and why?

To what extent is Chance Wayne an antihero? Does he have any heroic attributes?

Consider the relationship between Chance and the Princess through the lens of queer theory. How does this alter your interpretation of the play as a whole?

Analyze the role of race and racism in the plot of Sweet Bird of Youth. What is Chance’s attitude toward racism, and how does it contribute to his characterization and development?

What is the function of economic class as relates to The Universality of Exploitation and Transaction Relationships in Sweet Bird of Youth? How does the character of the heckler contribute to this theme?

What is the significance of the minimalism of the scenery, as described in the stage directions? How does it act as a counterbalance to the melodrama of the plot?

In an essay published shortly before the debut of Sweet Bird of Youth on Broadway, Tennessee Williams wrote, “I would say that there is something much bigger in life and death than we have become aware of (or adequately recorded) in our living and dying. And, further, to compound this shameless romanticism, I would say that our serious theatre is a search for that something that is not yet successful but is still going on” (xii). How does this comment relate to the themes and plot of the play?

How does Williams use metaphor and allusion, particularly as concerns Chance’s work and Heavenly’s operation? What is the thematic significance of this language?