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WOMAN IN STRINDBERG'S PLAYS.   Term Paper ID:30614 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Background of the Swedish playwright.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Background of the Swedish playwright. Ambivalent feelings toward his mother. Role of women in "The Father," "Miss Julie," and "The Ghost Sonata." Husband-wife battleground of "The Father." Struggle between the sexes in "Miss Julie." Society's moral and social codes. Gender wars of "The Ghost Sonata." Harsh treatment of women in the plays. Paper Introduction: Introduction According to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, a misogynist is defined as one who has or shows a hatred and distrust of women (1981). Such is the name that many have called Johan August Strindberg. Yet, as seen in his plays and writings, his feelings towards women are much more complex than simple hatred and distrust. In some cases, Strindberg demonstrates a genuine sympathy, if only because it fits in with his worldview at that moment. This paper will discuss the role that women played in the world of August Strindberg, specifically looking at the plays “The Father,” “Miss Julie,” and “The Ghost Sonata.” Background Johan August Strindberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1849 to a serving woman and a bankrupt gentlemen. Although he Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Indeed, the Dark Ladycan't help herself, according to Strindberg, she is after all the daughterof an adulteress -- another form of "Eve" -- as all women are (294). Drama for Students. In Bertha, Strindberg depicts the young and innocent female who isstill malleable enough to fit into Strindberg's view of the world. Although shetook no independent action to live away from the sin (Strindberg would viewany independent action as sin (Parker 378)) she did choose to remain in thevicinity of such sin. "The Father." Strindberg: Five Plays. In fact, "The Ghost Sonata"has been called a "Parodied Fairy Tale on Original Sin" (Glenn n.p.) andStrindberg does set up all the women to be like the original "Eve" in theGarden of Eden who chose to eat of the Apple first and then offered it toAdam. -We've broken up and gone our separate ways an endless number of times, butwe're always drawn back together again" (Strindberg 294). Miss Julie, the daughter of a count, spends Midsummer'sEve with Jean, the valet, and ends up "a fallen woman". Vol. Virtually everybody over a certain age is a"ghost" of some type, and all of them have afflictions they have to workoff. "The Spectator Seized by the Theatre: Strindberg's 'The Ghost Sonata'". Although he resented his mother'slower class background, he still fought for her attention. Additionally, theColonel's wife, Amelia, is beautiful until she lies about her age andmarries a man she doesn't love (Strindberg 292-3). Yet, asseen in his plays and writings, his feelings towards women are much morecomplex than simple hatred and distrust. Adele has "lived too long in the polluted air of thehouse, and now suffers like a vicarious sinner" (Glenn n.p.). New York: Signet Classic, Penguin Books, Inc. Strindberg has Miss Juliedescribe her own mother as if she were mentally ill. . Carlson, translator. . Since she belongs to the "weaker" sex, sheeventually succumbs to death because of this (Glenn n.p.). In ActI, Bertha is shown as a devoted daughter, who wants to please her fatherwithout hurting her mother or grandmother (Strindberg 18). His harsh view of the world, the way it was andthe way it should be, influenced everything he wrote. Following the example of The Father, none of the children in the playbelong to the fathers that their mothers are married to. Already planted at the beginningof the play, the belief that women have no morals and the father could beanybody, is what finally drives the Captain into insanity and death.Although the Captain is not necessarily depicted in a sympathetic manner,he is seen as the victim of a scheme dreamt up by a controlling andconniving woman.Miss Julie "Miss Julie" (1888) involves class struggle as well as the strugglebetween the sexes. In the end, itis Amelia who drives Hummel to kill himself (3 ). Introduction According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, a misogynist isdefined as one who has or shows a hatred and distrust of women (1981).Such is the name that many have called Johan August Strindberg. 14, pp. 1981. New York: Signet Classic, Penguin Books, Inc. In Strindberg's view, the world was a place where humans worked offthe debt of original sin to pay the penance of guilt, mental anguish, andphysical pain (Glenn n.p.). Modern Drama. Miss Julie'smother was a feminist, and a commoner as well, and did not believe inmarriage. 1983.Strindberg, August. All of these werechoices she made; bites of apple that she took. Carlson, translator. She also had an affair with the Baron (Strindberg 293-4). His charactersplayed out his "intense concern with the problems of guilt and class-sexstruggle" (Parker 374). She wanted to train her daughter to learn everything that a sonmight and experiment with the women servants doing man's work and the maleservants doing the women's work (Strindberg 85). "Overview of 'The Ghost Sonata'". Another example is theelderly fiancée who is unable to look right out onto the street anymore.She must use mirrors because she let herself be seduced away from Hummel bya younger man, who is now married to Amelia, who was seduced by Hummel andhad his child (while married to the Colonel). 1983.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. .she has no rights over her own child?" (Strindberg 9). The Student isthe only character left by the end of play, but he has lost his innocenceand now understands that "any expression of the will to live, that is, thewill to choose and act" is sin (Parker 378).Conclusion Strindberg's was a vision "characterized by moral and intellectualturbulence" (Parker 373). This paper will discuss the role that womenplayed in the world of August Strindberg, specifically looking at the plays"The Father," "Miss Julie," and "The Ghost Sonata."Background Johan August Strindberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1849 to aserving woman and a bankrupt gentlemen. 1983.Strindberg, August. Laura, themother, is a type of suffragette who wants her daughter to learn feministprinciples. 2 1.Parker, Gerald. 373-86.Strindberg, August. Since Strindbergviews this type of behavior as a type of mental illness as can bedemonstrated in his preface to the play, calling Miss Julie a victim of hermother's crime and a "man-hating half woman" (Strindberg 54). In the strugglethat takes place between them, the discussion is not only crossing theboundaries between man and woman, but across the class lines. His ambivalentfeelings towards his mother continued to influence him, causing him to dropout of Uppsala University twice because he felt that he, "a son of aservant" did not belong among the privileged students, as well ascontributing to his three failed marriages. Springfield, Massachusetts: G.&C. "The Ghost Sonata." Strindberg: Five Plays. The Gale Group. The struggle isespecially intense between Laura and the Captain, with Laura wantingcomplete control of the raising of her daughter, as does the Captain. The females who are portrayedin "The Father," "Miss Julie," and "The Ghost Sonata" display hiscomplicated feelings towards women, the characters ranging from innocentyoung girls to bitter middle-aged matrons to sneaky elderly ladies (Carlsoni; Glenn n.p.).The Father "The Father" (1887) is known as the Captain, and is an atheist whobelieves men and women fit into a Darwinian social system. He was especially harsh with his women characters,seeing them not only as the innocent young daughters or pure madonnas, butalso (and most especially) as "Eve" - the one woman who brought humankindtumbling down into original sin. "Miss Julie." Strindberg: Five Plays. Carlson, translator. Amelia chose lie to the Colonel about her age (though she blames iton her mother, another woman), then had an affair and another man's childwhile married to him, then told him the truth, but he wouldn't believe her. Merriam Company. Works CitedGlenn, Lane A. Vol. She died whenhe was thirteen, his father married the housekeeper, and for the rest ofhis life Strindberg vacillated between being attracted to madonna-typemotherly women and being repulsed by women that he saw as promiscuous whore-types, often projecting these feelings onto the same woman. Harry C. Itis during this exchange that she introduces the idea that no man may besure of the paternity of his offspring. AlthoughStrindberg casts Kristine in a sympathetic light, it is only because sherepresents the conscience and is playing the motherly type, a type thatStrindberg views is the correct place for a woman (Strindberg 56).According to Strindberg, Miss Julie's suicide is the only way out since sheis weaker than man is and has chosen to break society's moral and socialcodes.The Ghost Sonata "The Ghost Sonata" (19 7) is a fusion of the spiritual and genderwars. The only characters that seem to be exempt from Strindberg's bittertake on original sin are the Milkmaid, the Student, and Adele. New York: Signet Classic, Penguin Books, Inc. The daughter, Bertha, is the battleground that the adults fightover. To besure, most of the characters in "Sonata" have committed some crime or sin,as Amelia points out "Crimes and secrets and guilt bind us together! Amelia is not the only "Eve", however, the superintendent's wife oncehad an affair with Consul (who has hung himself at the beginning of theplay) which produced the Dark Lady, who is marrying the Baron, who isdivorcing his current wife to marry the Dark Lady. TheCaptain says in Act I, "According to the law, the children will be raisedin the father's faith." Laura replies, "And the mother has nothing to sayabout it? In some cases, Strindbergdemonstrates a genuine sympathy, if only because it fits in with hisworldview at that moment. Harry C. TheMilkmaid is dead, killed before she could commit any grave sin andrepresents the type of purgatory that the rest of the town is now goingthrough (Glenn n.p.). 9. Harry C. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.