The result is an angry and unhuman tirade which suggests that Strindberg (as his preface indicates) views “half-women” as monstrous, non-human creatures. In addition to being patronizing, Jean’s “sadness” at Julie’s descent indicates his respect for the structures of nobility, even as he disdains the people it protects. Julie retreats into her imagination to craft a story in which escape is possible, forgetting the reality of her social positon and irrevocably tarnished reputation. Yet again, Strindberg flatly portrays men as naturally superior to women in the “sexual aristocracy.”
She begs Jean to join her. Robinson, Michael. This naturally plays on her desire for dominance, which Jean observed with her fiancé. For other uses, see Meyer, Michael, translator. "Strindberg wrote this play with the intention of abiding by the theories of "naturalism"–both his own version, and also the version described by the French novelist and literary theoretician Strindberg believed that French playwrights had been unable to make naturalism, and he felt that he could do it. Julie, a headstrong yet confused aristocratic lady who has just broken off her engagement. By being so sexually aggressive, he suggests, she has lost her right to command Jean as a member of the upper class. The setting is an estate of a count in Sweden. Both Julie and Jean view their respective escapes from the bounds of their social classes in terms of climbing. Julie's mother suggested to Julie's father that he should borrow money from a friend of hers to rebuild the farm. It is theirs. Inner conflict with Ibsen leads to ideas; with Strindberg it leads to chaos. Disgusted, Christine decides that she cannot remain in the house. Julie asks Jean if he has ever been in love. Jean begins to gain a more dominant position in his relationship with Miss Julie when he makes it clear that he has been studying her life and remembering even her most intimate and salacious conversations. He drops the Count's boots off to the side but still within view of the audience; his clothing shows that he is a valet. Legendary acting teacher Stella Adler lectured extensively on Strindberg (and other playwrights), and these lectures have been published in a wonderful volume, "Stella Adler on Ibsen, Strindberg, and Chekhov." He warns her at one point that by flirting with him, she is playing with fire.

This suggests that, although Jean possesses the soul and intellect of a nobleman, his low class resolutely places him in an inferior position to Julie. The Count’s return reestablishes the class hierarchy within his home and strips Jean of his sense of power, which cannot measure up to the power of the Count’s social station. But the acting is so good it creates its own mood, outside of anything cinematic that Ullmann could have chosen to add to it; it creates its own atmosphere of claustrophobia, hysteria, and self-loathing. Faced with the immovable reality of their social positions, Julie and Jean must both resort to imagination to escape.

Julie wants to tell him about her life first. Here, Strindberg indicates that one of the ways that “half-women” control men is by seducing them and then pretending that they have been taken advantage of. He further says that she is wild as her engagement is broken because of her indecent treatment to her fiancé. Without the dominance afforded by her title, Miss Julie can only define herself based on Jean’s insults, so she agrees that she is “wretched.” In Ibsen, you don't break the social form. Strindberg’s empty stage set meant that the actors had to pantomime. By brazenly and autonomously pursuing sex, especially with a member of the servant class, Julie has lost the respect of her staff, who disdain her for acting in a way unworthy of her noble station. Miss Julie agrees and steals some of her father's money, but angers Jean when she insists on bringing her little bird along–she insists that it is the only creature that loves her, after her dog Diana was "unfaithful" to her. She asks Jean if he knows of any way out for her. Julie accepts Jean’s story as true, though it is later revealed to be false, because it plays into her own conception of poverty as a dramatic, exciting, and freeing condition that will strip her of the stifling responsibilities of nobility. Sheila O'Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Master's in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. Furiously, Miss Julie tells him of how her mother raised her to be submissive to no man. Jean is immediately conscious of Miss Julie’s reputation and social position, while Julie seems to be willfully ignorant of it. The servants enter and sing and dance around the kitchen before exiting.