42 Tennessee Williams One of the most prominent playwrights in United States after World War II. After a severe mental and physical breakdown in the 1960s, Williams's plays were more or less unsuccessful. Williams examined in his controversial and poetic plays turbulent emotional and sexual forces, physical and spiritual needs, and created such unforgettable characters as Maggie in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (195) and Stanley Kowalski in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1947). Site