Mourning Becomes Electra (Eugene O'Neill)

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 O'Neill would take up many of these themes and others in his own trilogy, Mourning Becomes Electra. While Aeschylus' drama is a conceptualization of a dysfunctional family, O'Neill 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 Adam's help to kill General Ezra, who is poisoned by Christine. Ezra is aware of Adam and Christine's 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

Related Essays

Mourning Becomes Electra Centuries later, Eugene O'Neill would take up many of these themes and others in his own trilogy, Mourning Becomes Electra. While .... (1244 5 )

The story of Electra .... Aeschylus, and modern American playwright Eugene O'Neill. .... Choephoroe, for example, Electra is a .... character; while in O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra, and the .... (2294 9 )

Eugene O'Neil Late Plays Existentialism .... the Provincetown Players in Massachusetts (Eugene 1). While .... in the later plays, O'Neill is concerned .... He did so earlier with Mourning Becomes Electra and Desire .... (10698 43 )

steia, for in Aeschylus' play there is no mother-son bond like we see in the devotion between Orin and Christine. It takes much more effort on behalf of Lavinia to convince Orin to avenge his father's death than it does for Orestes. Orin is driven to act primarily because of Lavinia, not his own will. In a way, the above situation illustrates that O'Neill's play is more modern in the sense that it revolves around a female. O'Neill departs from the action developed by Aeschylus in focusing much of the drama and plot on the attitudes of the daughter of the house, Lavinia, instead of the son. Lavinia is a much stronger character and more determined in Mourning Becomes Electra than is Electra in Oresteia. We see a more modern interpretation of family drama in O'Neill's play. In Oresteia, Electra's motives in avenging her father have only to do with the fact that her mother killed him. In Mourning Becomes Electra, Lavinia's motives are twofold. She not only wishes to avenge her father because Christine is responsible for his death, but she also seeks vengeance against Christine because Lavinia believes that her mother has stolen Adam Brant from her. Thus, in O'Neill's play there is a greater element of personal jealously invol

Category: Literature - M