Mourning Becomes Electra

Q1: Q2: Q3: Q4: Q5 Q6: Q7: Q8: Q9: Q10: Q11: Mourning Becomes Electra is an adaptation of the Greek Tragedy Oresteia, Discuss? is there any modern touch ONeil has presented in play Mourning Becomes Electra, point it out? Discuss or justify the title of the play Mourning Becomes Electra? Present the psycho-analysis, we find in Mourning Becomes Electra? critically evaluate Mourning Becomes Electra as a modern play? ONeils Realism is his psycholism; do you agree? Explain with reference to the plays psycho-analysis, ONeil uses the expressionistic technique in Mourning Becomes Electra? Thematically discuss Mourning Becomes Electra? Is Mourning Becomes Electra an allegory or allegorical play? Mourning Becomes Electra by ONeil is melodrama discuss? Critically analyze the significant role of Lavinia or Vinni in the development of plot construction Mourning Becomes Electra?

Ans: Thematically Mourning Becomes Electra tells us that when a person crosses the limits of Nature, Reason and Truth, his doom becomes certain. It implies that there is no role of fate in mans destruction, death or life. It is only the Poetic Justice which is the base of mans happiness or sadness. Hence, the sense of doom and fate which the Greek Tragedian intensified through the judgment of gods and goddesses has equally well achieved and intensified through judgement of ones own guilt complex or by self-punishment in Mourning Becomes Electra. That is why Orin is caught in the guilt of matricide which drives him to suicide. Moreover, according to the psycho-analysis of the play, it is Oedipus Complex and Electra Complex that disturb according to ONeil, Oresties and Orin, Electra and Livinia respectively. Now, we may safely say that in Mourning Becomes Electra ONeil has discarded the Greek concept Fate is Character. We can add to the introduction of the play by saying that it is a Melodrama as it satisfies all the requirements of a Melodrama. We know that Melodrama is a kind of romantic, sensational, sentimental and conventional drama with strict attention to poetic justice and happy ending. Further we can claim that Mourning Becomes Electra not only bears the melodrama plot but allegorical as well, as it is an adaptation of the Greek Tragedy Oresteia by Aeschylus. No doubt, Mourning Becomes Electra is an adaptation of the Greek Tragedy Oresteia by Aeschylus and is an allegorical work of ONeil but at the same time it has modern touches also. These elements of modernity are:

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Expressionistic Technique and psycho-analytical approach Poetic Justice Use of symbolism

Since the play is an adaptation of the Greek Tragedy Oresteia of Aeschylus, we prove it as first, Oresteia of Aeschylus contains three parts: 1 2 3 Agamemnon Choephroey( the Libation bearer) Eumenides( the furies goddesses of vengeance)

Similarly, Mourning Becomes Electra is also a trilogy: 1 2 3 Home coming The hunted The haunted

Secondly, in the first part of Oresteia the victorious Agamemnon returns from Trojan War and is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. Similarly, in the first part of Mourning Becomes Electra Brigadier General Ezra Manon returns from Amerian Civil War and is given poison by his wife Christine and her lover Adam Brant. Thirdly in the second part of Oresteia Agmamnons daughter Electra prays for the safe return of Oresties, her brother, who arrives and kills his mother and her lover. Similarly, in the second part of Mourning Becomes Electra Lavinia longs for her brother, Orin who comes and kills Adam Brant. His mother becomes horror-struck at her guilt before her son. She goes to Ezras room and kills herself with a pistol, she found in Ezras study room. Here one thing may please be noted that in Oresteia, Oresties committed matricide but in Mourning Becomes Electra Orin actually did not kill his mother rather he goaded her into suicide. Fourthly, Aeschylus judgment is based on tribal trial. Oresties is investigated in this way, the goddess Athena intervenes and the furies are pacified. So he is absolved of his guilt of matricide. But his guilt drives him near to the madness. On the other side, Orin of Mourning Becomes Electra pays the price of his guilt by shooting himself as he thinks that he is responsible for the death of his mother. Fifthly, Levinia of Mourning Becomes Electra plays the same role as of Electra of Oresteia. Electra is left alone after the death of all her family members. Levinia also suffers the pangs of solitude and long mourning after the expiry of her family. Since, Levinia suffers long Mourning and becomes Electra of the Greek trilogy, Oresteia, the title Mourning Becomes Electra is justified, and we may safely say that Mourning Becomes Electra is an adaptation and allegorical presentation of Oresteia. Last but not the least point of parallelism/adaptation between the two tragedies is the introduction of Chorus. In Mourning Becomes Electra Seth performs the duties or function of Chorus in the Greek tragedy when he sings:

Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you Oh Shenandoah, I cant get near you So far as the modern touches in Mourning Becomes Electra are concerned, we come to explain first the expressionistic technique or psycho-analytical approach. Expressionistic technique deals with the inner world of a character. Since, it goes round the psychology of the character; it gives the true picture of the inner world of that character. Nevertheless, ONeil himself confesses that he did not study Freud before writing, Mourning Becomes Electra. Rather he tried to portray the inner reality found in the consciousness and sub-consciousness of his characters. Hence, we conclude that Oresties and Orins tragic ends are caused by the Oedipus complex. Similarly, Electra of Oresteia and Livinia of Mourning Becomes Electra are caught in the web of Electra Complex. In the same way, Orin after the death of his mother is desirous of incestuous desire with his sister Vinni due to Oedipus Complex because Vinni takes after her mother physically. The same case is with Adam Brant who loves Christen and Levinia simultaneously because both the ladies take after Brants mother. It is also psycho-analytical attitude of Christine who cannot withstand before Orin when he experiences the illicit love incident between his mother and Brant, and shoots herself with a pistol, she finds in her husbands bedroom. It is also a guilt complex that drives Oresties and Orin to their tragic end. Hence, the psycho-analysis given by ONeil is strongly in accordance to the modern psychology. Still another modern touch introduced by ONeil in the play, putting aside the adaptation of this play to the Greek Trilogy, is melodramatic plot. Here we find that the plot of Mourning Becomes Electra thoroughly revolves round the Poetic Justice. The end of all the characters is not only justified but at the same time it is sensational as well. Not only sensational but gives birth to our satisfaction too. That is why one can say that ONeils plot is no doubt a melodramatic one. Still an other modern touch to this plot is the use of symbolism. For instance, the Mannon house stands for Agamamnons classical abode. The Mannon portraits stand for mourning, depression and selfpunishment. That is why Livinia exclaims with sorrow: I have got to punish myself. Living alone here with the deads is a severe punishment. Moreover, the symbol of masks stands for smoke screen which the Mannons sustain on their faces. Whereas the symbol of Uniform symbolizes sexual attraction between a male and a female. The blessed isles stand for tension-free life, security and freedom of thought and sexual activities. Christine speaks: I love these islands because they make me free; they make me forget death. Conclusively, although the play under discussion is an allegorical representation or adaptation of the Greek trilogy Oresteia, yet ONeil has given it some of modern touches, which have been already discussed above.