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Psychology And Criticism In Miss Julie, By August Strindberg

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The play Miss Julie was written by August Strindberg in 1888 and is his most famous work. The play is a naturalistic play because it is realistic and really captures human behaviour and psychology and shows the motivations and dreams of the characters. What also makes the play a naturalistic play is that the conflicts in the play are life-altering and purposeful. August Strindberg, the playwright, full name was Johan August Strindberg and he was born born Jan. 22, 1849 in Stockholm, Sweden, and died on May 14th , 1912 in Stockholm. Strindberg did not finish university and in his early career he worked as a journalist and librarian before becoming a naturalistic playwright. Strindberg was born into a family of 10 his father worked as a shipping …show more content…

The play was written during the time the industrial revolution hit Sweden. The play, Miss Julie, takes place in Sweden at a Counts estate on a midsummers eve in the eighties. The play features three main characters, Miss Julie aged 25 who is a the Count's daughter, Jean aged 30 who is the valet for the Count, and Kristen aged 35 who is the cook. The play begins in the large kitchen of the swedish manor house with Jean and Kristin. Kristen is cooking and Jean enters the kitchen having just danced with Miss Julie and exclaiming that “Miss Julie’s crazy again tonight, absolutely crazy”. Kristen says that it's because she recently had her engagement broken off. Miss Julie now enters the scene and asks Jean to dance with her, he instantly become polite and advises Julie against it warning her that if she is seen dancing with him gossip could spread. However, he ends up going to dance with her anyway. Once Jean and Julie finish dancing they go back to the kitchen flirting and Julie commands Jean to kiss her foot which he ends up doing. After that Julie states a dream saying the she is descending in social position, however, Jean says that he had a dream where he was trying to improve his social …show more content…

He then tells her a story about him when he was a boy and how he saw her walking once on a rose terrace, and then the next Sunday he went to church so that he could see Julie again after that he tries to commit suicide because he thought he would never get her. Julie, who is moved by the story, asks if Jean would go with her to the lake but he refuses warning her of the danger it could cause her reputation. The guests are then heard coming towards the kitchen who Jean says are singing filthy songs about them. Jean and Julie now go to Jean’s room and it is suggested that they had sex. Jean then starts telling Julie that they should run away and start a hotel, but Julie begs that Jean says that he loves her, it is evident that at this point Julie is in love with Jean. However, Jeans true motives now begin to really show and tells Julie to pretend that nothing happened. Julie then points out that she has no money and Jean cancels the plans. Julie then starts acting hysterical and Jean does not comfort but instead insults her. Jean reopens the idea of running away together but Julie begins to take about her early

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