STELLA: You lay your hands on me and I’ll – .
[She backs out of sight. He advances and disappears. There is the sound of a blow. Stella cries out. Blanche screams and runs into the kitchen. The men rush forward and there is grappling and cursing. Something is overturned with a crash.]
– Tennessee Williams
A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 3. Stanley is a violent and aggressive man who embodies toxic masculinity. Disregarding Stella’s warning him not to lay hands on her, he strikes his wife so that the other men are forced to intervene, restrain him and force him into the bedroom.