A Sunny Morning Serafin and Joaquin
Serafin Álvarez 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.
Their 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-
Barker (1927–32). Their complete collection of plays was published in seven volumes
as Obras Completas in the early 1950s.
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 play is a sunny morning in Madrid, Spain on
a bench in the park.
Reading
Casting Characters
DONA LAURA
PETRA, her maid
DON GONZALO
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JUANITO, his servant
Scene: A park in Madrid, the capital of Spain
(A sunny morning in a retired corner of a park in Madrid. Autumn. A bench at
right. Dona Laura, a handsome, white-haired old lady of about seventy, refined in
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, Petra.
In her free hand she carries a parasol, which serves also as a cane.)
DONA LAURA: I am so glad to be here. I feared my seat would be occupied. What
a beautiful morning!
PETRA: The sun is hot.
DONA LAURA: 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.
PETRA: He is not mine, senora; he belongs to the park.
DONA LAURA: He belongs more to you than he does to the park. Go find him, but
remain within calling distance.
PETRA: I see him over there waiting for me.
DONA LAURA: Do not remain more than ten minutes.
PETRA: Very well, senora. (Walks toward right.)
DONA LAURA: Wait a moment.
PETRA: What does the senora wish?
DONA LAURA: Give me the bread crumbs.
PETRA: I don’t know what is the matter with me.
DONA LAURA: (Smiling.) I do. Your head is where your heart is—with the guard.
PETRA: Here, senora. (She hands Dona Laura a small bag. Exit Petra by right.)
DONA LAURA: Adios. (Glances toward trees at right.) Here they come! They know
just when to expect me. (She rises, walks toward right, and throws three handfuls of
bread crumbs.) These are for the spryest, these for the gluttons, and these for the little
ones which are the most persistent. (Laughs. She returns to her seat and watches, with a
pleased expression, the pigeons feeding.) There, that big one is always first! I know him
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by his big head. Now one, now another, now two, now three— That little fellow is the
least timid. I believe he would eat from my hand. That one takes his piece and flies up to
that branch alone. He is a philosopher. But where do they all come from? It seems as if the
news had spread. Ha, ha! Don’t quarrel. There is enough for all. I’ll bring more tomorrow.
(Enter Don Gonzalo and Juanito from left centre. Don Gonzalo is an old gentleman
of seventy, gouty and impatient. He leans upon Juanito’s arm and drags his feet
somewhat she walks.)
DON GONZALO: Idling their time away! They should be saying Mass.
JUANITO: You can sit here, senor. There is only a lady. (Dona Laura turns her head
and listens.)
DON GONZALO: I won’t, Juanito. I want a bench to myself.
JUANITO: But there is none.
DON GONZALO: That one over there is mine.
JUANITO: There are three priests sitting there.
DON GONZALO: Rout them out. Have they gone?
JUANITO: No, indeed. They are talking.
DON GONZALO: Just as if they were glued to the seat. No hope of their leaving.
Come this way, Juanito. (They walk toward the birds, right.)
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.
DONA LAURA: Then why do you complain that the priests have taken your bench?
DON GONZALO: Senora, we have not met. I cannot imagine why you take the
liberty of addressing me. Come, Juanito. (Both go outright.)
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DONA LAURA: What an ill-natured old man! Why must people get so fussy
and cross when they reach a certain age? (Looking toward right.) I am glad.
He lost that bench, too. Serves him right for scaring the birds. He is furious.
Yes, yes; find a seat if you can. Poor man! He is wiping the perspiration from
his face. Here he comes. A carriage would not raise more dust than his feet.
(Enter Don Gonzalo and Juanito by right and walk toward left.)
DON GONZALO: Have the priests gone yet, Juanito?
JUANITO: No, indeed, senor. They are still there.
DON GONZALO: The authorities should place more benches here for these sunny
mornings. Well, I suppose I must resign myself and sit on the bench with the old lady.
(Muttering to himself, he sits at the extreme end of Dona Laura’s bench and looks at
her indignantly. Touches his hat as he greets her.) Good morning.
DONA LAURA: What, you here again?
DON GONZALO: I repeat that we have not met.
DONA LAURA: I was responding to your salute.
DON GONZALO: “Good morning” should be answered by “good morning,” and that
is all you should have said.
DONA LAURA: You should have asked permission to sit on this bench, which is
mine.
DON GONZALO: The benches here are public property.
DONA LAURA: Why, you said the one the priests have was yours.
DON GONZALO: Very well, very well. I have nothing more to say. (Between his
teeth.) Senile old lady! She ought to be at home knitting and counting her beads.
DONA LAURA: Don’t grumble any more. I’m not going to leave just to please you.
DON GONZALO: (Brushing the dust from his shoes with his handkerchief.) If the
ground were sprinkled a little it would be an improvement.
DONA LAURA: Do you use your handkerchief as a shoe brush?
DON GONZALO: Why not?
DONA LAURA: Do you use a shoe brush as a handkerchief?
DON GONZALO: What right have you to criticize my actions?
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DONA LAURA: A neighbour’s right.
DON GONZALO: Juanito, my book. I do not care to listen to nonsense.
DONA LAURA: You are very polite.
DON GONZALO: Pardon me, senora, but never interfere with what does not concern
you.
DONA LAURA: I generally say what I think.
DON GONZALO: And more to the same effect. Give me the book, Juanito.
JUANITO: Here, senor. (Juanito takes a book from his pocket, hands it to Don
Gonzalo, then exits by right. Don Gonzalo, casting indignant glances at Dona Laura,
puts on an enormous pair of glasses, takes from his pocket a reading glass, adjusts
both to suit him, and opens his book.)
DONA LAURA: I thought you were taking out a telescope.
DON GONZALO: Was that you?
DONA LAURA: Your sight must be keen.
DON GONZALO: Keener than yours is.
DONA LAURA: Yes, evidently.
DON GONZALO: Ask the hares and partridges.
DONA LAURA: Ah! Do you hunt?
DON GONZALO: I did, and even now—
DONA LAURA: Oh, yes, of course!
DON GONZALO: Yes, senora. Every Sunday I take my gun and dog, you understand,
and go to one of my estates near Aravaca and kill time.
DONA LAURA: Yes, kill time. That is all you kill.
DON GONZALO: Do you think so? I could show you a wild boar’s head in my
study—
DONA LAURA: Yes, and I could show you a tiger’s skin in my boudoir. What does
that prove?
DON GONZALO: Very well, senora, please allow me to read. Enough conversation.
DONA LAURA: Well, you subside, then.
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DON GONZALO: But first I shall take a pinch of snuff. (Takes out snuff box.) Will
you have some? (Offers box to Dona Laura.)
DONA LAURA: If it is good.
DON GONZALO: It is of the finest. You will like it.
DONA LAURA: (Taking pinch of snuff.) It clears my head.
DON GONZALO: And mine.
DONA LAURA: Do you sneeze?
DON GONZALO: Yes, senora, three times.
DONA LAURA: And so do I. What a coincidence! (After taking the snuff, they await
the sneezes, both anxiously, and sneeze alternately three times each.)
DON GONZALO: There, I feel better.
DONA LAURA: So do I. (Aside.) The snuff has made peace between us.
DON GONZALO: You will excuse me if I read aloud?
DONA LAURA: Read as loud as you please; you will not disturb me.
DON GONZALO: (Reading.) “All love is sad, but sad as it is, it is the best thing that
we know.” That is from Campoamor.
DONA LAURA: Ah!
DON GONZALO: (Reading.) “The daughters of the mothers I once loved kiss me
now as they would a graven image.” Those lines, I take it, are in a humorous vein.
DONA LAURA: (Laughing.) I take them so, too.
DON GONZALO: There are some beautiful poems in this book. Here. “Twenty years
pass. He returns.”
DONA LAURA: You cannot imagine how it affects me to see you reading with all
those glasses.
DON GONZALO: Can you read without any?
DONA LAURA: Certainly.
DON GONZALO: At your age? You’re jesting.
DONA LAURA: Pass me the book, then. (Takes book; reads aloud.) “Twenty years
pass. He returns. And each, beholding the other, exclaims— Can it be that this is he?
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Heavens, is it she?” (Dona Laura returns the book to DON GONZALO.)
DON GONZALO: Indeed, I envy you your wonderful eyesight.
DONA LAURA: (Aside.) I know every word by heart.
DON GONZALO: I am very fond of good verses, very fond. I even composed some
in my youth.
DONA LAURA: Good ones?
DON GONZALO: Of all kinds. I was a great friend of Espronceda, Zorrilla, Bécquer,
and others. I first met Zorrilla in America.
DONA LAURA: Why, have you been in America?
DON GONZALO: Several times. The first time I went I was only six years old.
DONA LAURA: You must have gone with Columbus in one of his caravels!
DON GONZALO: (Laughing.) Not quite as bad as that. I am old, I admit, but I
did not know Ferdinand and Isabella. (They both laugh.) I was also a great friend of
Campoamor. I met him in Valencia. I am a native of that city.
DONA LAURA: You are?
DON GONZALO: I was brought up there and there I spent my early youth. Have you
ever visited that city?
DONA LAURA: Yes, senor. Not far from Valencia there was a villa that, if still there,
should retain memories of me. I spent several seasons there. It was many, many years
ago. It was near the sea, hidden away among lemon and orange trees. They called it—
let me see, what did they call it—Maricela.
DON GONZALO: (Startled.) Maricela?
DONA LAURA: Maricela. Is the name familiar to you?
DON GONZALO: Yes, very familiar. If my memory serves me right, for we forget as
we grow old, there lived in that villa the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and I
assure you I have seen many. Let me see— what was her name? Laura—Laura—Laura
Llorente.
DONA LAURA: (Startled.) Laura Llorente?
DON GONZALO: Yes. (They look at each other intently.)
DONA LAURA: (Recovering herself.) Nothing. You reminded me of my best friend.
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DON GONZALO: How strange!
DONA LAURA: It is strange. She was called “The Silver Maiden.”
DON GONZALO: Precisely, “The Silver Maiden.” By that name she was known in
that locality. I seem to see her as if she were before me now, at that window with the
red roses. Do you remember that window?
DONA LAURA: Yes, I remember. It was the window of her room.
DON GONZALO: She spent many hours there. I mean in my day.
DONA LAURA: [Sighing.] And in mine, too.
DON GONZALO: She was ideal. Fair as a lily, jet black hair and black eyes, with an
uncommonly sweet expression. She seemed to cast a radiance wherever she was. Her
figure was beautiful, perfect. “What forms of sovereign beauty God models in human
clay!” She was a dream.
DONA LAURA: (Aside.) If you but knew that dream was now by your side, you
would realize what dreams come to. (Aloud.) She was very unfortunate and had a sad
love affair.
DON GONZALO: Very sad. (They look at each other.)
DONA LAURA: Did you hear of it?
DON GONZALO: Yes.
DONA LAURA: The ways of Providence are strange. (Aside.) Gonzalo!
DON GONZALO: The gallant lover, in the same affair—
DONA LAURA: Ah, the duel!
DON GONZALO: Precisely, the duel. The gallant lover was—my cousin, of whom
I was very fond.
DONA LAURA: Oh, yes, a cousin? My friend told me in one of her letters the story
of that affair, which was truly romantic. He, your cousin, passed by on horseback every
morning down the rose path under her window, and tossed up to her balcony a bouquet
of flowers which she caught.
DON GONZALO: And later in the afternoon the gallant horseman would return by
the same path, and catch the bouquet of flowers she would toss him. Am I right?
DONA LAURA: Yes. They wanted to marry her to a merchant whom she would not
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have.
DON GONZALO: And one night, when my cousin waited under her window to hear
her sing, this other person presented himself unexpectedly.
DONA LAURA: And insulted your cousin.
DON GONZALO: There was a quarrel.
DONA LAURA: And later a duel.
DON GONZALO: Yes, at sunrise, on the beach, and the merchant was badly wounded.
My cousin had to conceal himself for a few days and later to fly.
DONA LAURA: You seem to know the story well.
DON GONZALO: And so do you.
DONA LAURA: I have explained that a friend repeated it to me.
DON GONZALO: As my cousin did to me. (Aside.) This is Laura!
DONA LAURA: (Aside.) Why tell him? He does not suspect.
DON GONZALO: (Aside.) She is entirely innocent.
DONA LAURA: And was it you, by any chance, who advised your cousin to forget
Laura?
DON GONZALO: Why, my cousin never forgot her!
DONA LAURA: How do you account, then, for his conduct?
DON GONZALO: I will tell you. The young man took refuge in my house, fearful
of the consequences of a duel with a person highly regarded in that locality. From my
home he went to Seville, then came to Madrid. He wrote Laura many letters, some of
them in verse. But undoubtedly they were intercepted by her parents, for she never
answered at all. Gonzalo then, in despair, believing his love lost to him forever, joined
the army, went to Africa, and there, in a trench, met a glorious death, grasping the flag
of Spain and whispering the name of his beloved Laura—
DONA LAURA: (Aside.) What an atrocious lie!
DON GONZALO: (Aside.) I could not have killed myself more gloriously.
DONA LAURA: You must have been prostrated by the calamity.
DON GONZALO: Yes, indeed, senora. As if he were my brother. I presume, though,
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on the contrary, that Laura in a short time was chasing butterflies in her garden,
indifferent to regret.
DONA LAURA: No senor, no!
DON GONZALO: It is woman’s way.
DONA LAURA: Even if it were woman’s way, “The Silver Maiden” was not of that
disposition. My friend awaited news for days, months, a year, and no letter came. One
afternoon, just at sunset, as the first stars were appearing, she was seen to leave the
house, and with quickening steps wend her way toward the beach, the beach where
her beloved had risked his life. She wrote his name on the sand, then sat down upon
a rock, her gaze fixed upon the horizon. The waves murmured their eternal threnody
and slowly crept up to the rock where the maiden sat. The tide rose with a boom and
swept her out to sea.
DON GONZALO: Good heavens!
DONA LAURA: The fishermen of that shore who often tell the story affirm that it was
a long time before the waves washed away that name written on the sand. (Aside.) You
will not get ahead of me in decorating my own funeral.
DON GONZALO: (Aside.) She lies worse than I do.
DONA LAURA: Poor Laura!
DON GONZALO: Poor Gonzalo!
DONA LAURA: (Aside.) I will not tell him that I married two years later.
DON GONZALO: (Aside.) In three months I ran off to Paris with a ballet dancer.
DONA LAURA: Fate is curious. Here are you and I, complete strangers, met by
chance, discussing the romance of old friends of long ago! We have been conversing
as if we were old friends.
DON GONZALO: Yes, it is curious, considering the ill-natured prelude to our
conversation.
DONA LAURA: You scared away the birds.
DON GONZALO: I was unreasonable, perhaps.
DONA LAURA: Yes, that was evident. (Sweetly.) Are you coming again tomorrow?
DON GONZALO: Most certainly, if it is a sunny morning. And not only will I not
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scare away the birds, but I will bring a few crumbs.
DONA LAURA: Thank you very much. Birds are grateful and repay attention. I
wonder where my maid is? Petra! (Signals for her maid.)
DON GONZALO: (Aside, looking at LAURA, whose back is turned.) No, no, I will
not reveal myself. I am grotesque now. Better that she recall the gallant horseman who
passed daily beneath her window tossing flowers.
DONA LAURA: Here she comes.
DON GONZALO: That Juanito! He plays havoc with the nursemaids. (Looks right
and signals with his hand.)
DONA LAURA: (Aside, looking at Gonzalo, whose back is turned.) No, I am too sadly
changed. It is better he should remember me as the black eyed girl tossing flowers as
he passed among the roses in the garden. (Juanito enters by right, Petra by left. She has
a bunch of violets in her hand.)
DONA LAURA: Well, Petra! At last!
DON GONZALO: Juanito, you are late.
PETRA: (To Dona Laura.) The guard gave me these violets for you, senora.
DONA LAURA: How very nice! Thank him for me. They are fragrant. (As she takes
the violets from her maid a few loose ones fall to the ground.)
DON GONZALO: My dear lady, this has been a great honour and a great pleasure.
DONA LAURA: It has also been a pleasure to me.
DON GONZALO: Good-bye until tomorrow.
DONA LAURA: Until tomorrow.
DON GONZALO: If it is sunny.
DONA LAURA: A sunny morning. Will you go to your bench?
DON GONZALO: No, I will come to this—if you do not object?
DONA LAURA: This bench is at your disposal.
DON GONZALO: And I will surely bring the crumbs.
DONA LAURA: Tomorrow, then?
DON GONZALO: Tomorrow! (Laura walks away toward right, supported by her
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Maid. Gonzalo, before leaving with Juanito, trembling and with a great effort, stoops
to pick up the violets Laura dropped. Just then Laura turns her head and surprises him
picking up the flowers.)
JUANITO: What are you doing, senor?
DON GONZALO: Juanito, wait—
DONA LAURA: (Aside.) Yes, it is he!
DON GONZALO: (Aside.) It is she, and no mistake. (Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo
wave farewell.)
DONA LAURA: “Can it be that this is he?”
DON GONZALO: “Heavens, is it she?” (They smile once more, as if she were again
at the window and he below in the rose garden, and then disappear upon the arms of
their servants.)
CURTAIN
NOTES
Senora: a Spanish way of addressing a married woman, similar to ‘Madam’. Senorita
is the term used to address unmarried women, and senor is used to address men.
Adios: a courteous way of saying ‘goodbye’ in Spanish
Mass: a religious celebration held regularly in the Roman Catholic Church
Aravaca: a village near Madrid
Campoamor: Ramón de Campoamor (1817–1901), a Spanish poet and philosopher
Espronceda: José de Espronceda (1808–1842), a Spanish romantic poet
Zorrilla: José Zorrilla (1817–1893), a Spanish romantic poet and dramatist
Bécquer: Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (1836–1870), a Spanish poet
Ferdinand and Isabella: the king and queen of Spain who financed Christopher
Columbus’s voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in the late 1400s
Valencia: a city on the eastern coast of Spain
Seville: a city in southern Spain
Glossary
atrocious (adj.): very bad; disgusting; horrifyingly wicked
boudoir (n.): a woman’s bedroom
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caravels (n.): ships built in Spain and Portugal in the fifteenth century
duel (n.): a contest between two people with deadly weapons in order to settle a point
of honour
glutton(n.): a person who is greedy for food
gouty (adj.): suffering from the swelling in the joints
snuff (n.): powdered tobacco
graven (adj.): carved
grotesque (adj.): comically or repulsively ugly or distorted
indignant (adj.): feeling or showing anger because of something unjust or unfair
parasol(n.): a small, colourful umbrella used for protection from the sun
Providence (n.): a force that determines human fate; God
spryest (adj.): active and lively
threnody (n.): a song of lament for the dead
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 reveal their true identities?
Gonzalo frightens all the pigeons Laura is feeding breadcrumbs to in a park. He even responds to Laura's question in an impolite manner. These behavior make her think he is an ill-natured man.
Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo do not reveal their true identities because they are aware that they were lovers in the past. They are both quite old now and have outlived their youth. They believe that it is preferable to conceal their identities and to be happy through admirable words from both sides.
b. At what point of time, do you think, Laura and Gonzalo begin to recognise each
other?
When Dona Laura takes the book from Don Gonzalo and begins to read aloud, I believe Laura and Gonzalo begin to recognize each other. When she reads the line "Twenty Years Pass," they both look at each other with scepticism.
c. When does Dona Laura realise that Don Gonzalo was her former lover?
When Dona Laura tells him about the villa in Maricella and Gonzalo tells her about the Silver Maiden named Laura Llorente, Dona Laura realizes that Don Gonzalo was her former lover. To hear his admirable description of her, she recognizes him as her former lover.
d. Why do Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo spin fictitious stories about themselves?
Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo make up stories about themselves because they don't want to reveal their true identities to one another. They are now quite old and have moved on from their romantic past. They are dissatisfied with their aging appearance. In this old age, they prefer to hear admirable words from one another. They believe it is better to interact with each other when they are unfamiliar with each other.
e. How do Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo feel about each other?
Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo are irritated with each other at the start of the play. They lash out at each other with harsh and stinging words. However, when they establish a friendly relationship, they discover that they are former lovers. They begin telling their past stories while concealing their true identities. They don't want to reveal their reality at the age of seventy, preferring to reminisce about their happy romantic past through their conversations. They like each other and enjoy their admiration and past stories through fictitious means. They'd rather meet again in the park.
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?
Dona Laura is the speaker.
ii. Who does ‘you’ refer to?
You' refers to Dona Laura's maid Petra.
iii. Who is the ‘guard’ the speaker is talking to?
The 'guard' is the 'park's guard' the speaker is talking to.
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 in the park feeding breadcrumbs to pigeons.
e. Who scared the birds? Are they pet birds?
Don Gonzalo scared the birds. They are not pet birds.
f. Where are the speakers at the time of the conversation?
At the time of the conversation, the speakers are in a park.
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?
A flashback is a dramatic device in which earlier events are interjected into a narrative's normal chronological flow. Flashback has played an important role in making this romantic comedy very interesting in this play. When Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura discovered that they had been lovers in the past, their flashback stories began to tell us about various events from their romantic youth. This play has been expanded with a variety of hidden facts as a result of their flashback. Because of its use, the play has a variety of concealing and revealing twists, as well as a satisfying climax. Both characters continue to use flashback stories with various information, which has made the entire audience pay attention and enjoy every single dialogue of the play. The foundation of this amusing play can be thought of as a flashback.
h. Discuss how the play is built around humour and irony.
This play is built around irony and humour. The play is the ideal combination of humour and irony. This romantic comedy was created with the goal of entertaining all audiences through humour and irony. This play begins with old Dona Laura's amusing dialogue. Following Don Gonzalo's entrance into the park, the sarcastic arguments between both old people created an extremely humorous environment in the play. There's a lot of irony in both characters' pinching words. When they realize they know each other, they begin telling their flashback stories, which piques the readers' interest and makes them want to hear more from the characters. Their way of interacting with ironic remarks, their false stories about their deaths, their methods of concealing their identities to fool each other, their promise to meet the next sunny morning, and so on have added to the humour and irony of the play.
i. How is the title ‘A Sunny Morning’ justifiable? Discuss.
This play is set in a park in Madrid, Spain on a sunny morning. In this setting, the entire play has been presented. A sunny morning has provided an ideal setting for a reunion of two former lovers in their golden years. They argue, know each other, conceal their identities, admire, tell fabricated stories about their deaths, prefer to meet again the next sunny morning, and so on. From start to finish, the entire play continues to make us laugh hysterically while remaining in this setting of a sunny morning. As a result, the title 'A Sunny Morning' is quite appropriate, as it depicts a reconciliation of former lovers in a park with great humour. In this way, the title ‘A Sunny Morning’ is justifiable.
Reference beyond the text
a. What do you predict will happen in the next meeting between Dona Laura and
Don Gonzalo? Discuss.
I predict they will be much more enthusiastic at the next meeting. They will once again express their emotions through fictitious means. They will both try to make each other happy. Don Gonzalo will undoubtedly be more forthright this time. He will make an effort to show his appreciation for her. Readers will be able to see their shyness. They will undoubtedly have a lot more fun with their pretentious acts.
b. Was it wise for Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo to keep their identities secret?
How might their secrets affect future meetings?
Yes, Dona Laura and Don were wise to keep their identities hidden. They both realized, at the age of seventy, that they were former lovers who had split up due to their misfortune. They did, however, a good job of concealing their true identities. They were both quite old and in poor physical condition. They were dissatisfied with their old appearance. The revelation of their true nature would be futile at this age. They reasoned that it would be best if they concealed their identities and pretended to be strangers. They decided that the best way to relive their sweet youthful memories was through deception. If they continue to lie in this manner, their secrets may have an impact on future meetings. Secrecy is never maintained for an extended period of time. Because of their older age, they are at a high risk of revealing secrets. If they unknowingly reveal their realities, they will not attempt to meet in the near future.
c. Write the summary of the play.
A Sunny Morning – Serafin and Joaquin Alvarez Quientero
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