Eugene O'Neill was the greatest playwright in the America of the 1920's but his life was also like a tragic drama. He keenly quested after man psychie as well as man's agony by reflecting his own image in almost all his works.
In his late plays, repr...
Eugene O'Neill was the greatest playwright in the America of the 1920's but his life was also like a tragic drama. He keenly quested after man psychie as well as man's agony by reflecting his own image in almost all his works.
In his late plays, representative autobiographical works are Long Day's Journey into Night and A Moon for the Misbegotten. These plays are overly descriptive of himself and his domestic tragedies.
The aim of this thesis is to analyse O'Neill's tragedies, and through them O'Neill, using the Tyrones and how they, in both of his major works, overcome their own personal agony.
The Tyrones' tragedy in Long Day's Journey into Night and A Moon for the Misbegotten starts from their agony that occurrenced on account of the influences of the environment and fate.
The Tyrones are sunk in the depths of despair due to their alienation from society beeing Irish Immigrants, the rupture and isolation of the individual, guilt and loss; discord and spiritual loss are shown by way of Edmund and Jamie's Oedipus Complex.
Still, the important thing is that they are by no means only tragic because , even if the action is dark, O'Neill makes them go on with their tragic struggle by giving them the characteristic powers of Dionysus and thus they can't quit life.
O'Neill's 'hopless hope' and 'survival' philosophy helped him to achive world wide fame. This philosophy was merely a way to overcome an agony that on the surface, appears to be darkness, constant quarreling and escapism into a state of illusions moreover, O'Neill enlarges his vision of the blessing by using man's sacrifice and love, amibilities and forgiveness through which he creates Josie who has all of the attributes of women and the Earth Mother and thus he gives his family and himself consulation and peace.