Historical Background, Dramaturgy, and Design

A painting of a girl curtsying — Julia Thecla, *Evening Bow*; courtesy of the Art Collection from South Side Community Art Center.

Explore the historical context of Miss Julie, its dramaturgy, and the design of Court Theatre’s production.

Historical Background

Enrich your understanding of the context in which the play was written. Learn about the playwright, the Midsummer festivals taking place offstage, adaptations, and how this play connects to broader conversations about class and gender.

August Strindberg: Study up on the famed Swedish playwright, 1849-1912.
- Playwright Profile: August Strindberg by StageAgent (2:01)
- Symbolism, Realism, and a Nordic Playwright Grudge Match: Crash Course Theater #33 by CrashCourse (13:08)
Adaptations: Watch the trailers for both the 1999 and 2014 cinematic versions of Miss Julie.
- Miss Julie Official US Release Trailer (2014) – Colin Farrell, Jessica Chastain Drama
- Miss Julie (1999) trailer
Midsummer History and Traditions: Sweden is one of the nations that celebrates the longest day of the year, when the sun never sets: the summer solstice.
- Midsummer in Sweden by Visit Sweden (2:17)
- Swedish Midsummer for Dummies by Sweden (3:55)
- The Real History of Midsommar | Sweden’s Summer Solstice Celebration by Jan van Dijk (9:43)
Class, Servitude, and Gender: Explore the theory and history of socially-constructed hierarchies that envelop, titillate, and drive Jean and Miss Julie.
- Upstairs Downstairs and the Politics of Work by Joe Moran (The Guardian)
- The Real Downtown Abbey – Servants’ Lives Below Stairs by Claire Hopley (British Heritage Travel)
- Servants: A Life Below Stairs by Lucy Wallis (BBC News)
- The Roles and Responsibilities of Female Victorian Servants by Ruthbro (Owlcation)
- The Life of a Woman in Service for the Upper Classes by Murielle Schlup (Swiss National Museum)

August Strindberg, a white man wearing a woolen coat, sits in a high-back leather chair. He has a large mustache, curly hair, and a serious stare. — Playwright August Strindberg.

Image courtesy of https://www.steppenwolf.org/artists/august-strindberg/

A white man wearing white robes and sporting a tall floral crown made of foliage, flowers, and butterfly figures holds a wooden staff adorned with more flowers. He has feathers in his hair and smiles as the sun lights his face. — A man is dressed to celebrate Midsummer.

Photo by Christopher Ison, Alamy. Image courtesy of https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/how-to-celebrate-midsummer-europe

A group of 15 adults wearing brightly colored skirts, slacks, and vests hold hands in a circle around a tall wooden pole adorned with flowers while a crowd of children and adults look on. — Swedes dress in traditional folk clothing during the raising of a Midsummer pole.

Image courtesy of https://adventures.com/blog/midsummer-in-sweden/

Hans Christian Andersen, the author of The Swineherd, which is the loose inspiration for Strindberg’s Miss Julie.

Photo by Thora Hallager. Image courtesy of https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=127727290

The country of Sweden on a world map.

Image courtesy of https://www.worldatlas.com/maps/sweden

A hierarchy of domestic servants shows where a valet (like Jean) might sit in relation to a cook (like Kristine) within the household.

Image courtesy of https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19544309

A painting shows a ring of foliage, through which the sea and horizon can be seen. The sky and water both burn yellow with sunlight, with only a bit of blue visible. The foliage is dark and lush. — August Strindberg was also an accomplished painter. This is his work *Baby’s First Cradle*, 1901.

Artwork by August Strindberg. Image courtesy of Strindberg Museum, Public Domain, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26124615

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Dramaturgy

Learn more about the themes, motifs, and scientific principles animating Miss Julie.

The Swineherd, Fairytales, and Horror: In Miss Julie, Julie and Jean dance to a piece referencing a folk tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Explore this source material and the convergence of fairy tales and horror that tinge the play!
Naturalism in the Theatre: Miss Julie is considered to be the most successful example of Naturalism in theatre, a movement that became popular in the 19th century with the work of French writer Emile Zola.
- Naturalism in Theatre Explained | Stanislavski & Life on stage in under 3 Minutes by Theatre Bites (2:11)
- Realism vs. Naturalism | Script Analysis for Theater | Berklee Online | Boston Conservatory by Berklee Online (1:08)
- The Science of Strindberg: Two variables and a constant. What happens next? Dive into this article by Production Dramaturg Abhi Shrestha to find out!
Darwinism: Miss Julie is widely considered to be a theatrical representation of Darwinism.
- Theory of Evolution: How Did Darwin Come Up with It? by BBC News (5:23)
- Darwin and Natural Selection: Crash Course History of Science #22 (13:09)
- What is Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution? by BBC World Service (5:23)
Victor Turner, Liminality, and Comunitas: This production is deeply informed by the concepts that make up anthropologist Victor Turner’s concept of “antistructure.” Learn more here.

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Design

Coming soon—watch this space!

Posted on February 5, 2026 in Learning Guides, Productions