SYNOPSIS:
It is midsummer's eve and the servants of the Count are busy with their revelry. Jean enters to report to Kristen the unseeming behavior of Miss Julie. Miss Julie enters and forces Jean to return to the peasant's dance and dance with her. Later, Jean returns to the kitchen, with Miss Julie coming quickly behind. Over drinks, Jean tells her of his love for her. They exit to Jean's bedroom and have sex, while the peasants storm the kitchen and dance. Jean and Miss Julie return from their encounter, and he tells her of his grand plan to start a hotel, to be run by him and funded by her, as the first step toward his becoming a nobleman. Miss Julie checks her funds and reveals that she hasn't enough money to help him. Jean then reveals that his professed love for her was a lie, and tries to convince her that the only recourse is for her to run away. They discuss their options into the night, and the next morning, Miss Julie goes to prepare herself to go. She steals money from the Count to fund their journey and (presumably) the hotel. She returns to the kitchen dressed for travel and carrying her birdcage. At Jean's insistence, she agrees to leave the bird if and only if Jean will kill it. He does, and Miss Julie is enraged and rescinds on her plans to travel with Jean. On the return of the Count, they are both paralyzed; Miss Julie by her fear, and Jean by his almost Pavlovian conditioning regarding servitude. In a panic, Miss Julie begs for death and asks Jean to order her to kill herself. He is at first unable, but finally relents and she leaves, presumably to kill herself.
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