Electra Essay - 1348 Words

The House of Mannon Eugene O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra is a play of revenge, sacrifice, and murder conveyed through visible references to Aeschylus’ House of Atreus. O’Neill alludes to The House of Atreus in order to ground the play; attaching the plot to well-known aspects of history. As well, it brings a certain significance that otherwise would be neglected if their underlying manifestations went unnoticed. The most prominent of these allusions is that to Aeschylus’ House of Atreus. O’Neill specifically modeled Mourning around Aeschylus’ work, modernizing it, applying it to a new generation of readers. Agamemnon, a general in the Trojan War, becomes Ezra Mannon, a Civil War soldier of the same rank. Ezra â€Å"was a great man†¦he†¦show more content†¦This parallels Clytemnestra’s killing of Agamemnon in order to further explore her love interest, Aegisthus, as well as Orestes’ homecoming. Orestes later takes his own life, escaping certain agony and torment. Prior to Orestes’ suicide, however, he conspires with his sister, Electra, in attempt to prevent their mother from becoming romantically involved with Aegisthus. Ultimately, the only ample resolution to prevent such an event from transpiring is the murder of Aegisthus, which is executed by Electra and Orestes. This series of events directly parallels the actions of Lavinia and Orin in response to their mother’s display of love for Captain Adam Brant. Christine, in a moment of loss and severe depression, commits suicide with a revolver; her son follow suit, leaving Lavinia alone in the Mannon estate. With Lavinia left to endure a lifetime of guilt stricken sorrow, the Mannon dead plague her continuously, much like when Orin was still alive. The Mannon dead serve the same purpose as Aeschylus’ furies in that they â€Å"haunt† Lavinia and Orin, eventually leading to Orin’s suicide and Lavinia’s assumption of responsibility. There were no ghosts, spirits, or specters present, merely portraits that kept a vigil on the house and the Mannon name. O’Neill alludes to the House of Atreus with the intention of expressing the revenge, the hatred, the murderous contempt that threads itself throughout the play. Christine openly expresses her adulterous love for BrantShow MoreRelated Importance of the Tutor in Electra1623 Words   |  7 PagesImportance of the Tutor in Electra When delving into a novel, drama or other character-based text, analysts often focus their search around the supposed major characters who seem to most directly affect the work. In considering Electra, however, just as valuable as Orestes, Clytemnestra or Electra herself is a somewhat minor character, the Tutor. This attendant of Orestes emerges only three times and is on stage for less than twenty percent of the spoken lines, yet his role in driving theRead More A Comparison of Vengeance in Electra, The Bacchae and Frankenstein1265 Words   |  6 PagesVengeance in Electra, The Bacchae and Frankenstein      Ã‚   In todays world, vengeance is still in existence, bubbling below our calm facade, waiting for the catalyst it needs to break loose. Evidence can be seen right now in the reactions of the American people towards Bin Laden. He destroyed so many lives, and now, there is probably not one American that would not love to get their minute alone with him. The American people want to hurt him the way he and his followers hurt their fellow AmericansRead More Comparing Revenge in Aeschylus The Oresteia Trilogy and Sophocles Electra847 Words   |  4 PagesSophocles Electra  Ã‚   The act of revenge in classical Greek plays and society is a complex issue with unavoidable consequences. In certain instances, it is a more paramount concern than familial ties. When a family member is murdered another family member is expected to seek out and administer revenge. If all parties involved are of the same blood, the revenge is eventually going to wipe out the family. Both Aeschylus, through The Oresteia Trilogy, and Sophocles, through Electra, attempt toRead MoreThe Oedipus Complex And The Electra Complex1032 Words   |  5 Pagesday regarding mental health, childhood development, and human sexuality. Freud explored the inner life of children developing into adulthood by reviving mythological stories of incest, brutality, and obsessive self-love: The Oedipus Complex and the Electra Complex, both variations on the theme of destructive love, murdering the same-sex parent and marrying the opposite parent, and narcissism, destructive love of self, vividly allegorized the perils of the journey to adulthood. Freud approached treatingRead More Oedipal and Electra Complexes Essay1146 Words   |  5 PagesOedipal and Electra Complexes In Rebecca female sexuality is explored through the heroine’s symbolic development of a negative Oedipal complex followed by an Electra complex. Although avoidance of incest was believed by Freud to be the impetus for normal sexual development, the film explores the abnormal outcome of a negative Oedipal/Electra complex, i.e. replacement of the mother by the daughter as the father’s heterosexual love interest. The heroine is torn between her desire to merge withRead MoreEugene O’neill and the the Rebirth of Tragedy a Comparative Survey on Mourning Becomes Electra and Oresteia2317 Words   |  10 PagesEugene Gladstone ONeill is one of the greatest American playwrights, he is known for plays such as â€Å"Long Days Journey into Night† ,†Beyond the Horizon† (1920), â€Å"Anna Christie† (1922), â€Å"Strange Interlude† (1928), â€Å"Mourning Becomes Electra†(1931)and The Iceman Cometh (1946). His plays probe the American Dream, race relations, class conflicts, sexuality, human aspirations and psychoanalysis. He often became immersed in the modernist movements of his time as he primarily sought to create â€Å"modernRead MoreSophocles vs Euripides Essay1224 Words   |  5 Pages Sophocles’ and Euripides’ versions of Electra carry, among many similarities, a central theme of revenge. The characters, Electra and Orestes, must reunite to avenge their father’s murder. Misfortunately, in both versions the just solution leads the siblings to destroying their own mother. Both versions of Electra can be compared to Aeschylus’ Libation Bearers. However, they are both more dramatic, and more similar to each other than if each Electra was individually compared to the play byRead MoreEuripides And The Classic Greek Culture1243 Words   |  5 PagesOrestes is a dramatic tragedy to its very core. The play begins with a soliloquy by Electra, which is Orestes’ sister. H er soliloquy is about the events prior to the start of the actual play. She outlines that her brother, Orestes, killed his mother Clytemnestra to avenge the death of his father Agamemnon who was killed by his mother. Now Orestes is being tormented by Erinyes, the only person who can calm him is Electra herself. To make matters worse, Argos a political faction wants to put OrestesRead MoreHenry Walks Into Jared And Steals The Most Expensive Ring For His Girlfriend1560 Words   |  7 Pagesto take revenge by killing someone, even if they share the same blood. Furthermore, his sister Electra and a chorus of slave women try to provoke in him a deep urge to kill their mother by saying, â€Å"be bold, be strong, win back the House of your father!† Electra is implying that if he does not kill his mother, Orestes will not prove to be strong or bold, an insult to his manhood. Furthermore, Electra points out his familial duty to â€Å"win back† the House of Atreus. Clytemne stra nor Agamemnon receivesRead MoreComparing The, Electra, And Penelope1077 Words   |  5 PagesCameron Reynolds LAT 215 Position Paper November 29, 2015 Comparing individuals in such a pre- historic time is something that I see as rather challenging. Megara, Electra, and Penelope have characteristics of their own, but something in their gestures shows a comparison between them. They may seem to show honor, arrogance, and or shame, but figuring each one of them out is what can point them in one of those directions. Megara is what we call a prize, an award. She was a bride in reward to Hercules