Miss Julie,
Form And Structure:
The Play is set up in a very naturalistic way. Its structure is based on and follows perfectly the 3 unities, time, space and action, like an ancient Greek play or other naturalistic plays, abandoning the 3 part structure of other plays. The play takes place in the space of one day. So Automatically we get a very naturalistic feel to the play, and as the audience watch the play, they too will find the play the play to be more realistic because it appears as if it is real life going on the stage as they watch, engaging them further into the play. Also the continuous action taking place on the stage makes the play livelier and again, in addition with the 3 unities, this makes the play seem more naturalistic.
The play uses form and structure in specific ways, to create intended effects unto the audience. For instance, the use of monologues lets the audience see the language change, dramatically, from short clipped sentences/conversation to flowing, poetic sentences and monologues. For instance, before the act of sex, jean is still trying his best in seducing Miss Julie. He speaks as if he were of higher class, using sophisticated words and long sentences, and in some cases long monologues. This is also the case with Miss Julie, so the conversation between the two is rather sophisticated. For instance, when Jean speaks of his yearning to climb the social ranks, disguised in a “dream” that he had. He speaks of trying to get to the top of the tree, but cannot reach any branches to climb. This is all incorporated into one monologue. Miss Julie replies with an equally long monologue, saying that she wishes to fall, again, all in one monologue. These lengthy conversations make the audience sympathise with certain characters, and allows the audience to understand certain aspects more clearly. Also, the use of contradictory images, i.e. when Jean was a child he lay in a pile of weeds and was covered in faeces, he watched as Miss Julie walk past, through the rose garden. Here the pleasant and unpleasant images make the audience subtly see the social class barriers, and Jeans current position in the social classes, invoking the audience to sympathise.
