Previous
Julie’s Mother
Although he doesn’t appear onstage during the play, the Count is manifested in the play in other ways: his large pair of boots sits on the chair, and late in the play the shrill double-ringing of the bell signals his return. After Miss Julie’s mother’s death, the Count, who is Julie's father, regained control of his estate, but not without sustaining significant damage to his reputation. When he returns to the estate near the end of the play, his presence is enough to reinstate the social hierarchies that seemed to gradually deteriorate over the course of the paly, sapping Jean of his virility and his resolve to escape. In addition, the specter of the Count hangs over Julie’s final decision to end her own life, because she views it as the only way to preserve his already-tarnished reputation and to end his bloodline without causing further damage to his house.
The Count Quotes in Miss Julie
The Miss Julie quotes below are all either spoken by The Count or refer to The Count. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Miss Julie
Quotes
There will be barriers between us as long as we stay in this house… there is the count – and I have never met another person for whom I felt such respect. If I only catch sight of his gloves on a chair I feel small. If I only hear that bell up there, I jump like a shy horse.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
But he was the one who reared me in contempt for my own sex—half woman and half man! Whose fault is it, this that has happened? My father's—my mother's—my own? My own? Why, I have nothing that is my own.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Command me, and I'll obey you like a dog! Do me this last favor – save my honor, and save his name! You know what my will ought to do, and what it cannot do-now give me your will, and make me do it!
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
I cannot command you – and now, since I've heard the count's voice – now – l can't quite explain it – but – Oh, that damned menial is back in my spine again. I believe if the count should come down here, and if he should tell me to cut my own throat – I'd do it on the spot!
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Miss Julie LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Count Quotes in Miss Julie
The Miss Julie quotes below are all either spoken by The Count or refer to The Count. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Miss Julie
Quotes
There will be barriers between us as long as we stay in this house… there is the count – and I have never met another person for whom I felt such respect. If I only catch sight of his gloves on a chair I feel small. If I only hear that bell up there, I jump like a shy horse.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
But he was the one who reared me in contempt for my own sex—half woman and half man! Whose fault is it, this that has happened? My father's—my mother's—my own? My own? Why, I have nothing that is my own.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Command me, and I'll obey you like a dog! Do me this last favor – save my honor, and save his name! You know what my will ought to do, and what it cannot do-now give me your will, and make me do it!
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
I cannot command you – and now, since I've heard the count's voice – now – l can't quite explain it – but – Oh, that damned menial is back in my spine again. I believe if the count should come down here, and if he should tell me to cut my own throat – I'd do it on the spot!
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
