In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Scandinavian theater was ahead of the rest of the theatrical world, experimenting with new styles and exploring unique themes that defied tradition. The works of August Strindberg, Henrik Ibsen, and Hjalmar Soderberg have stood the test of time, taking on the dramatist heavyweights, whether it is Tennessee Williams or Arthur Miller.
A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, Peer Gynt, The Father, and The Dance of Death. The list of brilliant Scandinavian output is impeccable. But one play demands a reading - and more than once, too.
Strindberg's masterful Miss Julie was a production like no other, even to this day. It became the standard-bearer of the naturalist movement in European drama that creates an illusion of reality on stage, blending the concepts of Darwinism, class hierarchy, feminism, and caving (or suppressing) our thriving biological urges.
Based on a story he once heard, Strindberg's Miss Julie is about a mistress of the house who is attracted to a senior servant, Jean, who is engaged to another servant in the manor, Christine. On the surface, it is a simple story that sees two main characters swapping their master-servant roles in life. Underneath that surface, it provides the audience with something deeper.
Strindberg summarized his play as being about two main characteristics engaging in a Darwinian life and death battle and survival of the fittest: “Life is not so idiotically mathematical that only the big eat the small; it is just as common for a bee to kill a lion or at least to drive it mad.”
Whether it is his intention or not, there is so much more to unravel in this captivating play, even though its length is on the shorter side.
Strindberg assesses the old and the new in society. The psychology of an impetuous woman shifting from fun temptation to desperate desire. And, perhaps one that makes it a must-read amid today's gender-obsessed society: a woman's place in the world, especially when the lead character's father keeps telling his daughter to "think like and act like a man" – he never appears in the play but his gloves and boots are on stage as a reminder of his power in the home.
The ending is mind-bending. Julie, who has sacrificed her will, tells Jean to command her to commit suicide, ultimately transforming her into a submissive and a social equal. However, at the same time, Julie still possesses a modicum of power over Jean as she orders him to do so.
“Pretend that you're him, and that I'm you. You were such a good actor a while ago, when you were kneeling before me. You were the aristocrat then. Or else—have you ever been to the theater and seen a hypnotist? He says to his subject. ‘Take this broom!’ and he takes it. He says, ‘Now sweep!’ and he sweeps.”
Like A Doll's House, the social mayhem and emotional turmoil depicted in Miss Julie were controversial at the time. There is a moment in the play when Julie compares sex with Jean to bestiality. This single line resulted in a temporary ban of the play.
Be it reading the play, watching it on stage, or catching the 2014 film adaptation from legendary Swedish thespian and filmmaker Liv Ullman, this Scandinavian drama should certainly be consumed in any incarnation.
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Read more from Andrew Moran.
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