Whore, sick and good-for-nothing. Those are just some of the derogatory words used to describe Miss Julie. Taking place in the 1880s, it was not uncommon for women to be perceived a weak and subordinate to men. This theme can be found in many instances throughout the short play.

Miss Julie was independent in nature at the beginning of the play. She believed that women should take care of the finances due to her experience as a child. She broke off her engagement to the Count Attorney because of her financial stance – she did not want him to make all of the money. Similarly, she did not care about the social norm, which stressed that social classes should marry into the same class. This was evident in her attraction for Jean.

Jean, the manor’s thirty-year old valet, manipulated and pretended to be chivalrous in order to become Julie’s lover. He was not only verbally abusive towards her but he also used hypnosis to instill dominance over her. Although Julie was of higher class than him, he made her feel like she was nothing in order to gain power over her. Her independence evidently was hurt through his words and actions, as she believed that he was the only one who could save her from her current situation.

Supporting this misogynistic theme, Jean offers Miss Julie money claiming he does not want to be in her debt. He then says that “the law provides no punishment for a woman who seduces a man” (page 24). Instead of admitting that he too was involved in the seduction, he puts the full blame on Miss Julie as if it was solely her fault. This instance provides insight into the unequal expectations of the two genders. Unfortunately the play ends on a similar note when Jean exclaims that Miss Julie is taking away his strength by thinking. Maybe Miss Julie wasn’t actually crazy but was manipulated into thinking she was only worth killing herself.