A Sunny Morning

                          A Sunny Morning

                                                  -Serafin & Jaoquin Alvarez Quinter

Summary of the play

                A Sunny Morning by the Quintero brothers is a refreshingly new romantic comedy. It tells the story of Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura, who were ardent lovers at their young age. But their affair was not a successful one as they had to part with each other in life. They meet each other in a park in Madrid during their old age. The story is presented in a new pattern unlike the conventional romantic stories.

                              The play begins on a sunny morning in a park in Madrid. An old woman, named Dona Laura enters the scene and she is described by the authors as "a handsome, white-haired old lady of about seventy, refined in appearance." She leans upon the arms of her maid Petra. At the first reference itself the old lady is described quite differently as 'handsome' which is a word usually associated with men. The woman is happy about feeding pigeons with bread crumbs.

                  It is at that point an old man enters with his attendant. The old man is none other than Don Gonzalo, who is seen to be quite irritated as he finds no bench in the park to be vacant. Moreover the one that he usually uses during his visit to the park is occupied by three priests. Quite grudgingly he comes near Laura and shares her bench. Laura gets infuriated as the old man has tried to scare the pigeons and she calls him "an ill-natured man." But after a few moments of disagreement, both of them have a pinch of snuff and reconciles with each other. Gonzalo says that he is from Valencia and to his surprise Laura reveals that she is from Maricela, where she lived in a villa. Gonzalo is startled by the revelation and he says that he knows a woman named Laura Liorente who lived in a villa there, who was perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Both Laura and Gonzalo realise that they were young lovers once. But they pretend not to reveal their identities.

                        Laura and Gonzalo devise stories of their own deaths. The old Laura says that she knows the woman named Laura, known as ‘The Silver Maiden' and that she was her friend during her young age. She also lies that she knows the tragic story of her love affair with a gallant young man named Gonzalo. The old Gonzalo says that he is the cousin of the young man. According to him the young Gonzalo had to leave his place as he was involved in a fight with a merchant, the suitor of Laura. Then he joined the army and went to Africa where he met with a glorious death. The old woman reveals that without finding her lover the young beautiful Laura committed suicide. Both realise that they are lying but pretend to be unaware. 
         The play ends with a promise that they will meet the very next day with a feeling of harmony. The authors Serafin and Jaoquin Alvarez Quintero have succeed in presenting a story which is quite free from stereotypical depictions.

                      A Sunny Morning

Comprehension I:

1. Do you think Laura was a regular visitor to the park? What makes you think so?

Ans: Laura came to the park with a fear whether she would get her usual bench to sit.

2. Why ate Don Gonzalo and Laura annoyed with each other ? Ana: Gonzalo disturbs the birds which are eating bread crumbs given by Laura. So Laura is annoyed. Both exchange hot words.    

 3. Dona Laura reads without her glass as

a. she has keen eyesight.

b. she wants to impress Gonzalo.

c. she knows every word by heart.

Ans: (c) she knows every word by heart.

4. Gonzalo and Laura keep up humorous conversation because they:

a. have nothing else to do.

b. enjoy being with each other.

c. have the same temperament.

Ans: (c) have the same temperament.

5. Laura and Gonzalo's friendly conversation begins with

a. Gonzalo reading the poems.

b. Laura's witty remarks.

c. a pinch of snuff.

Ans: (c) a pinch of snuff.

6. Do you think Laura is an effective narrator

Ans: She is a successful narrator.

7. Gonzalo does not reveal his identity because

a. he no longer loves her.                              

b. his appearance has changed.

c. he looks grotesque and old.

Ans: (c) he looks grotesque and old.

                       A Sunny Morning

Comprehension 2

1. Precisely at what point of time, do you think, Laura and Gonzalo begin to recognize each other?

Ans: We find Laura coming to the park and feeding the birds with bread crumbs. Don Gonzalo arrives there with his dragging leg. The birds are scared, So Laura blames Gonzalo. Both of them accuse each other and blame. Then they talk of many things. Don Gonzalo mentions of his history of visiting America and he belongs to Valencia. Dona Laura tells about her place Maricela. Then Gonzalo refers to the most beautiful woman he noticed. He tries to recollect her name by calling Laura-Laura. At this point Dona Laura comes to know about Don Gonzalo. When Don Gonzalo explains the story of his friend, he comes to know the real identity of Dona Laura. So both recognize each other like this in the play.

2. What were the circumstances that led Gonzalo to flee Valencia?

Ans: Gonzalo told Laura about a beautiful woman who lived in Maricela and precisely she was called ‘The Silver Maiden.’ He praised her beauty. Then he told about his cousin who loved that Maiden. Actually it was himself who loved Dona Laura. A merchant loved her and he insulted him and there was a quarrel and later a duel took place. He had to flee then so he came to Valencia.

3. Did Laura and Gonzalo pine for each other after they were separated by circumstances? Who is more passionate? How do they react to each other now?

Ans: We notice from the conversation between Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura that they were separated by circumstances. When Gonzalo begins reading from the book he brought, we come to know everything. We feel Dona Laura very passionate which is evident through her narration of the incidents. Both of them came to know their real identity but they didn't reveal. They concealed their emotions. In the end they go smiling. So we understand that they pine for each other. They decide to meet next morning. Dona asks him if he would go to his bench. He answered her that he would come to the same bench if she didn't object. Then she says, "This bench is at your disposal" and he says, "I will surely bring the crumbs." Laura picks up the violets and gives to him. They smile and disappear.

4. What makes Dona Laura conclude that Don Gonzalo is an ill-natured man?

Ans: Don Gonzalo comes to park and finds his bench occupied by three priests. He becomes impatient. He comes to know that they do not get up and go. He tells Juanito to take him to the right. There Dona Laura is giving bread crumbs for the birds. Here Don Gonzalo drags his feet and the birds are scared. So Laura is angry with him and accuses him. He says to her that he doesn't care about the birds as she does. Then both talk of public  park and Laura asks him why he complains about the priests who occupied his seat. At this point, Don Gonzalo speaks to her rudely and tells her not to take any liberty of addressing him. He goes right this behavior of Don Gonzalo makes Laura calling him an ill-natured old man.

5. Laura and Gonzalo create themselves so that they can:

a) fool each other

b) forget the past

c) conceal their emotions.

Ans: (a) fool each other.

                       A Sunny Morning

Comprehension III

1. Trace how the irony is built in the play? Did you guess the characters' past even before they did so?

Ans: The play "A Sunny Morning' is a comedy of Madrid in one act. Dona Laura is feeding the pigeons in the Park. Don Gonzalo appears there. The conservation between the two seventy years old begin sarcastically. Both of them had loved each other yet they go for fictitious stories in order to fool each other. This is an example of irony. We find some ironic remarks in the one act play. Don Gonzalo wanted a bench to sit for himself makes him selfish and ironic. So also the case of Dona Laura.

2. Why do Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo spin fictitious stories about themselves?

Ans: We meet Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo when they are seventy years old in the park. Don Gonzalo reads from a book and passes it to Laura. She also reads. They remember their past days. She talks of Maricela and he remembers the name Laura. Both of them come to know that they were lovers. Laura wants to hide the fact that she had married the merchant after two years waiting for Don Gonzalo. Don Gonzalo ran off to Paris with a ballet dancer. So they hide their real identities. For this they go on for fictitious stories.

3. Bring out the feelings of Laura and Gonzalo as they leave the park. Is it different from what they felt about each other in the beginning of the play?                                                                  Ans: In the beginning of the play both Laura and Gonzalo are irritated. Laura blames Gonzalo. He also blames her. Both are at logger heads. When they come to know about their real identities, their attitude change about each other. They show more concern and affection. They behave in a congenial way. As they leave the park, they decide to meet each other next day. Dona Laura asks him, "Will you go to your bench?" Don Gonzalo replies her, "No, I will come to this - If you do not object." Dona Laura says, "This bench is at your disposal." When we see the above conversation between them, they are reconciled and they have come to know the circumstances that separated them. In the end, Gonzalo tries to pick up the violets, but Laura turns her head and surprises him picking up the flowers. Both smile and wave farewell. They smile once more as if she was again at the window and he below in the rose garden.

4. What do you think would have happened if they had revealed their identity? Do you think they know who they are towards the end of the play?

 Ans: Gonzalo doesn't reveal his identity because he looks grotesque and old. Laura creates stories to fool Don Gonzalo. Dona Laura says aside "What an atrocious lie". Don Gonzalo says aside, "I could not have killed myself more gloriously." Both tell lies. So Gonzalo says, "She lies worse than I do". Both say, “Poor Laura, poor Gonzalo." Now their appearance has changed. They have come to know about their real identity. Both know the circumstances that separated them. Had they revealed their identity. They wouldn't have gone for cock and bull stories. There was no necessity of spinning stories.

5. Do you think a blend of romance and comedy justifies the title of the play "A Sunny Morning"?

Ans: "A Sunny Morning" is a humorous one act play in which we see a blend of romance and comedy. The senile old lady is Dona Laura. The ill-natured old man is Gonzalo. But they really loved each other but circumstances separated them. They used to be active, agile, romantic and lively which suits the atmosphere of sunny morning but now they inactive, moody and irritated.. But the past it experiences make them forget their age and think that it is a sunny morning. Even in the end. Offering of flowers is romantic and comic. There are many incidents in the story which evoke laughter.