Greek Mythology in Eugene O'Neill's "Desire Under the Elms"

Paper Summary:

The paper begins by looking at the characters who are similar to the Greek characters, but have differences as well. According to the writer, the plot differs from the Greek myth, but captures many of the same archetypal premises set forth by the story of Hippolytus and Phaedra.

From the Paper:

"O'Neill's play is set in rural New England during the 1850's. The main characters are Ephraim Cabot, his son Eben Cabot, and his two brothers Simeon and Peter. The Cabots work a farm and Simeon and Peter grow wary of laboring through the stone-plodded fields of New England. Eben, the youngest of the three has vowed to himself that he will one day take back the land that once belonged to his mother, who is dead. Eben believes that his father intently overworked his mother, creating her death so he could have say so over who will be heir to the farm. When Ephraim goes out of town for a spell, Eben offers Simeon and Peter three hundred dollars a piece to leave town. The elder brothers decide to take the money and run to California to work in the gold mines. Half of Eben's equation is solved, but Ephraim returns home married for the third time to a lady named Abbie."

More papers on Greek Mythology in Eugene O'Neill's "Desire Under the Elms":

• Analytical Essay # 105336 : "Eugene O'Neill's "Desire under the Elms"
• Analytical Essay # 3578 : "Biblical Themes from "Desire Under the Elms"
• Comparison Essay # 55620 : "Eugene O'Neill"

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