In the three-part Oresteia, the Greek dramatist Aeschylus described the tragic events that led to the destruction of the family of Agamemnon, events that include sacrifice of a beloved child, abandonment of children, and murder. Centuries later, Eugene OÆNeill would take up many of these themes and others in his own trilogy, Mourning Becomes Electra. While AeschylusÆ drama is a conceptualization of a dysfunctional family, OÆNeill used the model for a more contemporary or modern American family in terms of themes and gender roles.
Mourning Becomes Electra is a three-part drama, including Homecoming, Hunted and The Haunting. The events of the play revolve around the Mannon family in New England, just after the Civil War. Lavinia anxiously awaits the return of her father, Ezra, and her brother, Orin, from the war. Lavinia recognizes that her mother, Christine, is in love with another man, Captain Adam Brant. She is furious over this betrayal of her dad. Lavinia finally emits the truth of the affair, after a harsh session of questions. Lavinia threatens to tell Ezra if her mother does not end the affair. Terrified her husband will find out, Christine engages AdamÆs help to kill General Ezra, who is poisoned by Christine. Ezra is aware of Adam and ChristineÆs affections and attempts to no avail to resume cordial relations with his wife. As he suffers a heart attack, the General is poisoned by Christine, only to be avenged by his children, Orin and Lavinia.
The conflict in both the Oresteia and Mourning Becomes Electra is between passion and duty. In AeschylusÆ play, Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter, Iphigenia, to ensure success in the way against Troy. This infuriates his wife, Clytemnestra, who takes a lover while her husband is away at battle. She is subsequently killed by her son, Orestes, at the urging of their other daughter, Electra. Given the murder of his father, Orestes then appeals to the gods to judge ...