5. A Sunny Morning.

ONE MARK QUESTIONS:

1) How many priests were sitting on Don Gonzalo’s usual bench?
Ans: Three priests.
2) What made peace between Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura?
Ans: A pinch of snuff.
3) Another word for Joking according to the lesson?
Ans: JESTING.
4) Who was a Gonzalo great friend of?
[OR]
Who was Gonzalo’s great friend?
Ans: Campoamar
5) Where did Gonzalo meet Campoamor?
Ans: In his native place- Valencia.
6) What was the name of the villa in which the silver maiden lived?
Ans: Maricela.
7) What was Laura Llorente also called as?
Ans: The Silver Maiden.
8) What do you mean by PROVIDENCE?
Ans: Fate.
9) Where, according to Gonzalo, did his cousin go after the duel?
Ans: He first came to Gonzalo’s place to take refuge, then went to Seville, then to Madrid and then to Africa
where in a trench, lost his life.
10) Where did Gonzalo actually run off to?
Ans: In three months he ran off to Paris with a ballet dancer.
11) After how many years of the duel did Dona Laura marry?
Ans: Two.
12) On what condition does Gonzalo agree to come to the park the next day as well?
[OR]
What answer does Gonzalo give to Laura when she asks him if he was going to come to the park the next
day?
Ans: He said he would come if it was a sunny morning.
13) What does Petra bring along when she returns?
Ans: The violets that the guard had sent for Laura.
14) How does Gonzalo bend down to take the violets that Laura dropped?
Ans: Trembling and with great effort, he stoops to pick up the violets.
15) What are the verses that Gonzalo and Laura repeat before they leave? By whom were they written?
Ans: Dona Laura says- Can it be that this is he?
Don Gonzalo says- Heavens, is it she?
 The writer of these verses is Campoamor.

LONG ANSWERS:
1) Describe about Dona Laura’s impression on Don Gonzalo at the beginning of the play.
Ans: “A Sunny Morning” is a romantic comedy which presents the story of Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura, who
were ardent lovers at their young age, but life demanded their separation.
Dona Laura had a very bad impression on Don Gonzalo in the beginning of the play. When Gonzalo enters the
park, he is very impatient because his usual bench has been occupied by three priests. While searching for a
vacant bench, he scares away the birds which were feeding on the bread crumbs thrown by Laura. She goes to
the extent of labeling him as an ill-natured old man and also remarks that people like Gonzalo become fussy and
cross when they reach a certain age and also she feels happy when he loses his bench.

2) What account does Don Gonzalo give to Dona Laura about his cousin’s life after the duel?
Ans:“A Sunny Morning” is a romantic comedy which presents the story of Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura, who
were ardent lovers at their young age, but destiny demanded their separation.
Gonzalo tells that he knows about the Silver Maiden from his cousin who was her lover. Narrating his cousin’s
unexpected duel with the merchant who wanted to marry the silver maiden, he says that the merchant was badly
wounded. Fearful of the consequences of a duel with a person highly regarded in the society, his cousin took
refuge at his place. Then from his place, the young man went to Seville, and then came to Madrid. He wrote
many letters, some in verse, but never got a reply, for her parents had intercepted them. His cousin then, in
despair, believing that he lost his love forever, joined the army, went to Africa, and there, in a trench, met a
glorious death, holding the flag of Spain and whispering the name of his beloved. Thus Gonzalo spins a story to
glorify his lost love.

3) Describe the fictitious story spun by Dona Laura.

Ans:“A Sunny Morning” is a romantic comedy which presents the story of Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura, who
were ardent lovers at their young age, but destiny demanded their separation.
Dona Laura spins a story that the Silver Maiden was her friend. She narrates that after his cousin left Valencia, her
friend waited eagerly for his letters but received none. Later one afternoon, just at sunset, being desperate, she
left her house, and with quickening steps went towards the beach, where her beloved had risked his life. She
wrote his name on the sand, and then sat upon a rock, her eyes fixed upon the horizon. The waves slowly crept
up the rock where the maiden sat and the tide rose with a boom and swept her out to the sea.
She also added that the fishermen of that shore often tell that the name that she wrote was washed away
much later and thinks in her mind that Gonzalo would never get ahead of her in decorating her own funeral.

4) Give an account of what had actually happened to Gonzalo and Laura after they were separated. How is it
different from what they tell each other?
Ans: “A Sunny Morning” is a romantic comedy which presents the story of Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura, who
were ardent lovers at their young age, but destiny demanded their separation.
Gonzalo ran way to Paris with a Ballet dancer within three months of their separation, while Laura married two
years later. But both of them conceal the truth and narrate false stories to each other. They narrate rather a
tragic story, where Gonzalo states that his cousin, after realizing that he lost his love for ever as he received no
reply from her, joined the army, went to Africa to fight for his country and in a trench*, met a glorious death
holding the flag of Spain and whispering the name of his beloved Laura.
On the other hand, Laura reveals the story of her friend who had risked her life on the same beach, where her
beloved had fought for her with the merchant saying she went towards the same beach where her lover had
risked his life, wrote his name on the sand and went and sat on a rock and tides rose with a boom and swept
her out to sea.
The stories that they narrate to each other and the actual truth are entirely contrasting. *Trench: Border

5) Why are Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura annoyed with each other?
Ans: “A Sunny Morning” is a romantic comedy which presents the story of Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura, who
were ardent lovers at their young age, but destiny demanded their separation.
Dona Laura seems to be enjoying her time in the park feeding bread crumbs to the birds. When Don Gonzalo
enters the park, he finds that his usual bench is occupied by three priests. He walks around the park with Juanito
in search of a vacant bench. While walking, he unintentionally scares away the birds that were feeding on the
bread crumbs and this annoys Laura. When asked, Gonzalo says he doesn’t care about the birds and Laura says
she does. Then Gonzalo tells her that it was a public park and she counters him by asking him why he was
complaining about his bench then. The fact that Laura was questioning him unnecessarily annoys him. But, as he
couldn’t find a vacant bench for himself, he is forced to share the bench with Laura.
Laura teases Gonzalo when she sees him clean his shoes with his hand kerchief and asks him if he used his shoe
brush instead of his hand kerchief like he was using his hand kerchief as his shoe brush. Annoyed Gonzalo asks
her what rights she had to criticize his actions to which she replies, “A neighbor’s right.” Gonzalo takes out a book
and starts reading it to avoid talking to Laura. When he takes his reading glasses out, she comments that she
thought he was taking out a telescope. She also comments on his sight and when he says that he hunts, she
expresses her disbelief by saying he would kill time and nothing else and also asks him that if she could show him
a tiger skin in her boudoir, what it would prove. Later, they share a pinch of snuff and read the verses in the book
and forget all their annoyance and become friends.

6) Describe the scene where Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo recognize each other.
Ans:“A Sunny Morning” is a romantic comedy which presents the story of Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura, who
were ardent lovers at their young age, but destiny demanded their separation.
Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura meet in the park as strangers. They get annoyed with each other for silly reasons.
Later, Gonzalo shares the bench with Laura. They still continue to get irritated with each others’ actions. They
later share a pinch of snuff and read lines form a book written by Campoamor together and become friendly with
each other.
While speaking to each other, Gonzalo tells Laura that he was great friends with Espronceda, Zorrilla, Becquer,
and many others. He adds that he was a good friend of Campoamor and he had met him in Valencia which was
his native place. On hearing this she is surprised. She reveals that not far from Valencia there was a villa which
retains many memories of her and says that the name of the villa was Maricela. Gonzalo is startled by hearing
the name of the villa. He tells that the villa was familiar to him and the most beautiful woman, Laura Llorente
lived there. On hearing her own name, Laura is startled too. She then recovers herself and tells him that the
beautiful lady who was also called ‘The silver maiden’ was her friend. This way, Laura first realizes that the man
sitting with her was no one else but the Gallant lover and hides her identity from him.
Gonzalo, after hearing of the duel from Laura confirms about her true identity. He too hides his identity and tells
her that the gallant lover was his cousin of whom he was very fond. When they narrate their stories to each
other, they silently recognize each other and recall their past days.

7) Bring out the feelings of Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura as they leave the park.
Ans: “A Sunny Morning” is a romantic comedy which presents the story of Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura, who
were ardent lovers at their young age, but destiny demanded their separation.
Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo meet at a park as strangers. They get annoyed with each other over silly thing. Then
they share a bench, share a snuff and read verses of a book together and become friendly. As the conversations
go on, they slowly realize that they were not strangers and that they loved each other during their youth. Aware
of each others’ identities, they still don’t reveal their identities to each other. They spin stories and narrate them
to each other to hide their true selves. After exchanging the made up stories, they become soft towards each
others.
Laura’s maid Petra comes back and presents her a bunch of violets. Gonzalo bids good bye to Laura until the next
day. He also assures that he would share her bench and get bread crumbs along to feed the birds if it was a
sunny morning the next day. When Laura walks away, she drops a few violets and Gonzalo, stoops to pick them
up. Laura turns back and is surprised to see Gonzalo picking up the flowers. They smile to each other as if they
were the Gallant Horseman and the Silver Maiden. Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura still have feelings for each other.
When they leave the park, they still feel their meeting unbelievable.

8) Bring out the humor in the play [OR] Justify the title “A Sunny Morning.”
Ans: “A Sunny Morning” is a romantic comedy which presents the story of Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura, who
were ardent lovers at their young age, but destiny demanded their separation.
Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo meet in the park as strangers. They get annoyed with each other for a few silly
matters. But as the conversation progresses, they become friendly with each other. From the beginning of the
play, the story is presented humorously.
Laura enters the park and is happy to find her bench vacant. She sends her maid Petra to talk to the guard. She
comments humorously about Petra’s affair with the guard of the park. Don Gonzalo enters the park and is
annoyed to find his usual seat already occupied. While searching for the vacant bench, he scares the birds that
were feeding on the bread crumbs that Laura threw which annoys her. Gonzalo then has to share the bench with
Laura. Though he doesn’t wants to speak to her, she still comments humorously about him using his hand
kerchief as a shoe brush.
Gonzalo tries to avoid her and takes a book to read. When he takes out his reading glasses, she comments that
she thought he was taking out a telescope. Later, with their conversation, they become friends and forget their
annoyance. When they recognize that they were lovers during their youth, they try to hide their identities. They
spin stories to prove their love to be the best. The way they narrate their made up stories brings in the humor.
Throughout the play, we find humor which makes the title “A Sunny Morning” appropriate.
9) ‘The ways of providence are strange.’ How is this true in the case of Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura?
Ans: “A Sunny Morning” is a romantic comedy which presents the story of Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura, who
were ardent lovers at their young age, but destiny demanded their separation.
This lesson presents the story of two young lovers who were passionately attached to each other. They were
separated by a cruel blow of fate. However, the ways of providence being strange, both the lovers Don Gonzalo
and Dona Laura who are now in their 70s meet again in a retired corner of a park in Madrid. Though initially they
make rude remarks about each other, they gradually discover that they were the very same lovers of their youth
when Laura lived in Maricela in Valencia.
Both of them are in their 70s and have changed a great deal in their appearance, Hence, they fail to recognize
each other in the park initially. Again it is by a stroke of providence that Don Gonzalo happens to reveal that he is
a native of Valencia on hearing the name, Dona Laura mentions Maricela and thus both of them present before
the reader their love story. Incidentally, we come to know that Laura married two years after Gonzalo had fled
the place, while Gonzalo had run off to Paris with a ballet dancer. The ways of providence are strange and it is
undoubtedly true in the case of Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo.
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