A Sunny Morning
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| Serafin and Joaquin Alvarez |
(Translated from the Spanish by Lucretia Xavier Floyd)
About the author
· Serafin Alvarez Quintero 1871-1938) and Joaquin Alvarez Quintero (1873-1944) were Spanish dramatists
· They grew up in Utrera, a small town near Seville in the region of Spain called Andalusia.
· They began writing for the theatre at a young age.
· They were popularly known as the Golden Boys of the Madrid theatre.
· They collaborated in almost 200 dramas depicting the life, manners and speech of Andalusia.
· The first stage piece, Gilito, was written in 1889. Among the brothers’ best-known works are the comedies The Flowers (1901), A Sunny Morning (1905), and The Merry Heart (1906), as well as the uncharacteristically serious Malvaloca (1912). Several of their plays were translated into English by Helen and Harley Granville-Baker (1927-32). Their complete collection of plays was published in seven volumes as Obras Completas in the early 1950s.
Central Idea
A Sunny Morning is a light comedy that narrates the reunion of two lovers now in their 70s meeting at a park who in their youth were passionate lovers but torn apart by the cruelty of fate. The setting of this paly is a sunny morning in Madrid, Spain on a bench in the park.
Setting
The setting of this play is a sunny morning in Madrid, Spain on a bench. It is a public park. The season is autumn. The beauty of the month and the park is increased by the sunny morning. There seem to be only two benches for the visitors. One is occupied by three priests and another is by one of the main characters Dona Laura. Therefore, the bench on which Dona sits, covers the main part of the setting.
Characters
Don Gonzalo
One of the main characters in the play. He is an old gentleman of seventy, gouty and impatient. He enters from the left centre of the park with Juanito. He can’t walk himself. He needs support of others. He leans upon Juanito’s arm and drags his feet somewhat he walks. He is the former lover of Dona Laura and recognizes her at the park in Madrid in the sunny morning. As soon as he recognizes her, he spins a fictious story to keep his identity secret. Gonzalo, before leaving with Juanito, trembling and with a great effort, stoops to pick up the violets Laura dropped.
Dona Laura
Dona Laura is one of the main characters of the play. She is handsome, white-haired old lady of about seventy, refined in her appearance, her bright eyes and entire manner giving evidence that despite her age her mental faculties are unimpaired, enters leaning upon the arm of her maid. She is fond of feeding birds/ pigeons in the park where she goes to enjoy sunny morning. She recognizes her former lover Don Gonzalo only after she hears many things about herself from him. She spins a fictious story of herself to keep her identity secret. While leaving the park, she drops the violets to be picked up by her aging former lover.
Petro
Dona Laura’s maid who takes care of her and supports her walking to the park and returning from there. She seems to be in love with the guard of the park as she leaves to meet the guard after giving Laura a small bag. She brings a bunch of violets for Laura while returning to the bench.
Juanito
Male servant of Don Gonzalo who helps aging Gonzalo walking to the park and returning home from there. He takes a book from his pocket and hands it to Don Gonzalo.
Understanding the text
Answer the following questions.
a. What makes Dona Laura think that Don Gonzalo is an ill-natured man? Why do neither Dona Laura nor Don Gonzalo reveals their true identities?
Don Gonzalo’s act of scaring birds and making a complain that priests have taken his bench make Dona Laura think that he is an ill-natured man. Neither Dona Laura nor Don Gonzalo reveals their true identity because they come to know that they are former lovers and they are ashamed of being known each other at this old age.
b. At what point of time, do you think, Laura and Gonzalo begin to recognize each other?
I think they begin to recognize each other when Dona Laura talks about the villa named Maricela near Valencia. When Dona Laura says that she spent several seasons in Maricela, Don Gonzalo says that he knows and vividly remembers Laura Llorente. This is the point at which they begin to recognize each other. Being suspicious, they keep on telling and listening from each other, ultimately, they confirm their guess that they are the former lovers.
c. When does Dona Laura realise that Don Gonzalo was her former lover?
Dona Laura realizes that Don Gonzalo was her former lover as soon as he starts appreciating Laura Llorente as an ideal and describes her as a lady having face fair as lily, jet black hair and black eyes, uncommonly sweet expression, beautiful and perfect figure. Additionally, his expression ‘she was a dream’ confirms her that he was Gonzalo.
d. Why do Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo spin fictious stories about themselves?
They spin fictious stories about themselves to keep their identities secrets. They are former lovers who unexpectedly meet at the old age (Dona Gonzalo is the man of seventy and Dona Laura is the lady of about seventy) at a park in Madrid, the capital of Spain. They are ashamed of revealing their true identities to each other after so long time at the old age.
e. How do Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo feel about each other?
They feel strange about each other, so they are ashamed of revealing each other’s true identities. They may feel good or pleasant for being met after so long time, but their fate of being separated make them difficult to be exposed to each other as they really are.
Reference to the context
a. Look at the extract below and answer the questions that follow:
“Yes, you are only twenty. (She sits down on the bench.) Oh, I feel more tired today than usual. (Noticing Petra, who seems impatient.) Go, if you wish to chat with your guard.”
i. Who is the speaker?
The speaker is Dona Laura.
ii. Who does ‘’you’ refer to?
‘You’ refers to Petra.
iii. Who is the ‘guard’ the speaker is talking to?
The ‘guard’ refers to the guard of the park. He seems to be in love Petra.
b. Read the extract dialogue from the play and answer the questions that follow:
DONA LAURA: (indignantly) Look out!
DON GONZALO: Are you speaking to me, senora?
DONA LAURA: Yes, to you.
DON GONZALO: What do you wish?
DONA LAURA: You have scared away the birds who were feeding on my crumbs.
DON GONZALO: What do I care about the birds?
DONA LAURA: But I do.
DON GONZALO: This is a public park.
c. Who is Dona addressing by saying “Look out”?
By saying “Look out”, Dona is addressing Don Gonzalo.
d. What was Dona doing?
Dona was feeding the birds on her crumbs sitting on the bench, at a park in Madrid.
e. Who scared the birds? Are they pet birds?
Don Gonzalo scared the birds. They are not pet birds. They are the birds that come to the public park with the hope of being fed by the visitors like Dona Laura.
f. Where are the speakers at the time of the conversation?
The speakers are at a public park in Madrid, the capital of Spain. They are sitting on a bench in the sunny morning.
g. What is the effect of flashback in the play when Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo knew that they were the lovers in the past?
The effect of flashback in the play is exciting and also for some, it is sad. When people think about their fate of being separated and being met after so long time at the age of seventy, they feel sorry for the unfortunate lovers. But some readers get excited and cheered to know their relation in the past and the coincidence of meeting in such a fine setting at about the age seventy. It creates some sort of humour on the part of readers.
h. Discuss how the play is built around humour and irony.
The play is built around humour and irony. The first meeting of Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo at the Madrid park leads the audience to humorous conversation between them. The coincidence of their meeting itself is full of humour. Both of them claim the benches in the park where they used to sit were of their own. Laura entertains feeding birds but Gonzalo scares them innocently. The act of taking snuff and sneezing by the both characters seem little humorous.
‘Irony’ here means the amusing or strange aspect of a situation that is very different from what one expects. The reunion of the main characters Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura in the sunny morning was unexpected. Being former lovers, the spinning of fictious stories of themselves itself is unexpected and amusing. Keeping their true identities secret is also amusing for the readers. The pleasant ending with unexpressed affection also amuses the audience.
i. How is the title ‘A Sunny Morning’ justifiable? Discuss.
The title ‘A Sunny Morning’ is justifiable since the sun is shining beautifully in the morning when the main characters Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura meet at a park in Madrid. The charm of morning is increased with the shining sun. The characters are there to enjoy sunny and lovely morning.
The title also gives green signals to the unfortunate former lovers Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura. It signifies their reunion at least in their old age but in a different form. Though they feel pleasant; they keep their true identities secret by spinning a fictious stories of themselves. Thus, both in literal as well as literary sense, the title is fully justifiable.
Reference beyond the text
a. What do you predict will happen in the next meeting between Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo? Discuss.
It can be predicted that the next meeting between Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo will be comfortable and interesting. They can’t stand waiting for the next morning. They will have pleasant talk and will be sharing their past that they have come across after their separation. There will not be any conflicts between them regarding the birds feeding. They will share the same bench, but will keep their true identities secret. Uncovering the secret at this age doesn’t allow them to enjoy their love.
b. Was it wise for Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo to keep their identities secret?
How might their secrets affect future meetings?
They have created a fictious stories about themselves to keep their identities secret. Yes, it was wise form them to do so. As they are former lovers, they are ashamed of themselves to reveal their identities at this old age.
Their secrets might make them feel easy and comfortable in their future meetings. They will feel pleasant and affectionate each other. They will talk freely and happily as if they are new acquaintances respecting. Their relation will remain formal, but friendly. Whenever they feel bore, they will meet in the park and enjoy talking about the things around them and also about their past in disguise. To conclude, their future meeting might be free of monotony and tension. There will not be any conflicts as they have in their first meeting in the park concerning the birds.
