The presentation of "Mourning becomes Electra" presented at MKBU Department of English for M.A external guidance lectures. The presentation contains every aspects which play explores. It will be fruitful to grasp the concepts of the play by this presentation.

1. Mourning Becomes
Electra (1931)
Play by Eugene
O'Neill
Kaushal Desai
kaushaldesai123@gmail.com
SlideShare: https://www.slideshare.net/kaushal111

2. HELLO!
I am Kaushal Desai
By designation, ‘Lecturer’ of English Language &
Literature.
You can know more about me on my site:
https://sites.google.com/view/kaushaldesai
2

3. Index
▸About playwright
▸About the title
▸The play is retelling of Greek tragedy
▸Theme
▸Characterization
▸Plot construction
▸Various concepts of the play
▸References and For further reading…
3

4. “ "Death made me think of life.
Before that, life had only made me
think of death!"
Ezra Mannon, Homecoming, Act 3

5. 1.
About playwright:
Eugene O’Neill
5

6. About playwright: Eugene O’Neill
▸ Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (1888 - 1953) was an American
playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature.
▸ His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce
into U.S. drama techniques of realism earlier associated with
Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian
playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish playwright August
Strindberg.
▸ O'Neill's plays were among the first to include speeches in
American English vernacular and involve characters on the
fringes of society.
6

7. About playwright: Eugene O’Neill
▸ They struggle to maintain their hopes and aspirations, but
ultimately slide into disillusionment and despair. Of his very
few comedies, only one is well-known (Ah, Wilderness!).
Nearly all of his other plays involve some degree of tragedy
and personal pessimism.
▸ His other well known works include:
▹ Long Day's Journey into Night (produced
posthumously 1957)
▹ Beyond the Horizon (1920)
▹ Anna Christie (1922)
▹ Strange Interlude (1928)
▹ The Hairy Ape (1922)
7

8. Eugene O’Neill’s inspiration about writing this
play
▸ O’ Neill reflects the psychological conflicts in the mind
of characters and got inspiration from Freud.
▸ Unlike the Greek and Elizabethan tragedies in which
the protagonists are confronted with the conflicting
forces.
▸ O’ Neill like T.S.Eliot, went to the Greek for inspiration.
▸ Thus, O'Neill takes the old-fashioned conventions of
Greek tragedy and brings them to modern theater in
this trilogy.
8

9. 2.
About title
“Mourning becomes Electra”
9

10. Title:
“Mourning becomes Electra”
▸ It was traditional for 19th-century women to wear only dark colored clothing, mourning
attire sometimes simply called Mourning for a time following the death of a family
member.
▸ As the play chronicles many deaths in the Mannon family, Lavinia is often wearing
mourning, becoming forever "bound... to the Mannon dead." The title can have two
interpretations.
▸ Mourning may become Lavinia/Electra in the sense that she looks attractive in mourning
attire or mourning suits her. The character of Lavinia/Electra, in fact, becomes more and
more attractive as the play wears on, contrary to what would usually happen to someone
who has experienced multiple tragedies.
▸ A second meaning also applies, which is to change into or transform into something else
for example, a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Lavinia transforms into a personification of
mourning as she devotes herself to the Mannon dead.
10

11. 3.
Retelling of
the Oresteia by Aeschylus
11

12. Greek tragedy presented in modern period
▸ The story is a retelling of the Oresteia by Aeschylus. The
characters parallel characters from the ancient Greek play.
▸ For example, Agamemnon from the Oresteia becomes
General Ezra Mannon.
▸ Clytemnestra becomes Christine
▸ Orestes becomes Orin
▸ Electra becomes Lavinia
▸ Aegisthus becomes Adam Brant, etc.
12

13. ▸ As a Greek tragedy made modern, the play features murder, adultery,
incestuous love and revenge, and even a group of townspeople who
function as a kind of Greek chorus. Though fate alone guides characters'
actions in Greek tragedies, O'Neill's characters have motivations
grounded in 1930s-era psychological theory as well.
▸ The play can easily be read from a Freudian perspective, paying
attention to various characters' Oedipus complexes and Electra
complexes.
13

14. 4.
Theme
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
14

15. 15
Themes
The
Absence of
Gods
Puritanism
Incest
Revenge
Themes:

16. Revenge
▸ At its most elemental level, Mourning Becomes Electra is a
revenge tragedy. At times over the course of its long,
exhaustive narrative, it seems like every character is out for
revenge: Christine wants payback for a crappy marriage,
Orin is headlong into a Hamlet complex over Brant going to
bed with his mother Lavinia is out to settle her dead father’s
score with the person responsible for killing him: her mother.
Family intrigue is everywhere and the breakdown of the
family unit is creating primitive psychological responses.
16

17. Puritanism
▸ Puritanism is a particularly harsh and rigid religious doctrine that has an
intense focus on sin, guilt, and punishment. As traditional Puritans, the
Mannons espoused these stringent beliefs on morality and sought to
stamp out any behavior or belief that did not adhere to them. As a result,
Mannons such as Christine and Lavinia struggle with their subjugation
and repression of their normal sexual impulses.
▸ They are crushed under this patriarchal structure that demands they
submit to their husbands and to God; it is no wonder Lavinia revels in the
freedom and openness of the Blessed Isles. Puritanism is part of the
familial curse, and the ancestors who carry out that curse use it to
deleterious effects.
17

18. Incest
▸ Incest is prevalent as a theme throughout the play and is manifested both
literally and figuratively.
▸ It not merely coincidence that the family at the center of the play seems to
be disintegrating before our very eyes.
▸ The sins of the present can be traced to the sins of the past and the
guiding iniquity driving all is willingness of the clan to remain insulated
from much of the outside world. While the incestuous desires and
emotions are literally present, it is the repression of the drive to act upon
them that becomes perhaps an even insidious force of division within the
family structure.
18

19. The Absence of Gods
▸ There is certainly a sense of fate, or destiny, that moves the characters inexorably
toward their doom. However, unlike traditional Greek tragedies, this is not
orchestrated by gods. In fact, there are no gods in the text despite the allusions to
Puritanism.
▸ O'Neill wrote in his letters of "the Force behind" and how he desired to create a
"tragic expression in terms of transfigured modern values." The fatalistic forces do
not exist in the present, though; they are firmly within the past -they are the family
ancestors, the sins of the father. There are no forces beyond the family itself; the
family contains the seeds of its own destruction.
▸ Critic Miriam Chirico notes that O'Neill had a "theory that the forces that determine
one's fate are no longer external to the human being's world." The religious
obsession, sexual frustration, selfishness, and trauma are more than powerful
enough to guide characters to their ignoble deeds and ends.
19

20. 5.
Characters
20

21. 21

22. Lavinia Mannon
▸ Lavinia Mannon is the daughter of
Ezra and Christine Mannon and
sister of Orin Mannon. Deeply
devoted to her father, her family is
her greatest concern.
22

23. Brigadier General Ezra Mannon
▸ Ezra Mannon is the husband of
Christine Mannon, father of Orin
and Lavinia Mannon. He is
murdered by his wife in the first
play, which is the catalyst for
the rest of the action.
23

24. Christine Mannon
▸ Christine Mannon is the wife of
Ezra Mannon and the mother of
Orin and Lavinia Mannon. A
skilled manipulator, she murders
Ezra to be with her lover.
24

25. Orin Mannon
▸ Orin Mannon is the son of
Christine and Ezra Mannon. He
has been away fighting in the
American Civil War (1861–65).
25

26. Captain Adam Brant
▸ Captain Adam Brant is Christine
Mannon's secret lover. He is
bent upon taking revenge on the
Mannon family.
26

27. Peter Niles
▸ Peter Niles, Hazel's brother, is the
Mannons' neighbor and longtime
friend. As the play begins, he
wants to marry Lavinia Mannon.
27

28. Hazel Niles
▸ Hazel Niles, Peter's sister, is the
Mannons' neighbor and longtime
friend. She hopes to marry Orin
Mannon.
28

29. Seth Beckwith
▸ Seth Beckwith has been the Mannons‘
gardener for 60 years and knows many family
secrets. While not listed by O'Neill as one of
the play's chorus characters, he comments on
the action and moves it forward through his
interactions with the characters.
29

30. Other minor characters
▸ Amos Ames - a carpenter
▸ Louisa Ames - his wife
▸ Dr. Joseph Blake - a physician in Mannon family
▸ Emma Borden - Josiah’s wife
▸ Josiah Borden - Manager in Mannon shipping company
▸ Marie Brantôme - She is Captain Adam Brant's mother
▸ The chantyman - functions as the chorus, he comments
on the death around them
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31. Other minor characters
▸ Everett Hills - a minister
▸ Mrs. Hills - Everett’s wife
▸ Ira Mackel - discuss the haunted nature of the Mannon house
▸ Abe Mannon -He is Ezra and David Mannon's father
▸ Abner Small - bets Seth Beckwith $10 that he can stay in the haunted
Mannon house.
▸ David Mannon - He is Ezra Mannon's brother and Captain Adam
Brant's father.
31

32. 6.
Plot construction
32

33. “▸Mourning Becomes Electra is actually
three separate plays based upon the
three plays of the Oresteia (458 BCE) by
Greek dramatist Aeschylus. O'Neill's
three plays are usually performed
together.

34. 34
• A Trilogy
• Homecoming in four acts
• The Hunted in five acts
• The Haunted in four acts
• Based on Greek myth

35. Homecoming
▸ The American Civil War (1861–65) has ended. The town awaits the return of
wealthy, powerful Brigadier-General Ezra Mannon and his son, Orin Mannon, from
war.
▸ One of those waiting is Ezra's daughter, Lavinia Mannon. An awkward young girl,
Lavinia is deeply attached to her father such that she believes she can never love
another man. She has recently returned from New York with secret and disturbing
information.
▸ Captain Adam Brant, Lavinia's suitor, has evil intentions. He is the son of Lavinia's
uncle, who was ostracized from the family after making an unfortunate marriage.
▸ Brant is bent on revenge. Moreover, while he pretends to woo Lavinia, he is
actually courting her mother, Christine Mannon, with whom he is not related.
Lavinia confronts her mother, Christine.
35

36. ▸ Christine admits she's in love with Brant. Angry at her mother's deception and her
statement that Lavinia was born of her hatred for her husband, Lavinia threatens
to expose Christine.
▸ Cornered, Christine sets out to procure poison to use on her husband, Ezra.
Since Ezra has a heart condition, his death will seem like an accident.
▸ Ezra arrives home. He says he regrets that he and his wife, Christine, aren't as
close as they once were. He wants this to change. The two have sex. However,
later that night Christine confesses her affair with Brant. When Ezra has heart
pains, she gives him something from a bottle that isn't his medicine.
▸ He dies but not before angrily accusing Christine to Lavinia. As the curtain falls,
Lavinia finds the bottle containing the pills Christine gave Ezra.
36

37. The Hunted
▸ Two days later the townspeople speculate about Ezra Mannon's death, and
Orin Mannon is on his way home for the funeral.
▸ He arrives home, much changed by his experiences in battle. He has
suffered a head injury, and he sees death everywhere. Christine Mannon,
meanwhile, is wracked with guilt.
▸ She tries to talk to her daughter, Lavinia Mannon, to find out what she
knows and keep her from reporting that Christine murdered her husband.
▸ Alone with her son, Orin, Christine coddles him like a baby. He responds
well to this petting and also to the suggestion that he not listen to his sister.
Christine says Lavinia is crazy.
37

38. ▸ He's always been closer to his mother and dreams of going with her to
exotic islands like the ones described in a book he read. He promises to
believe her.
▸ However, as soon as Lavinia gets Orin alone, she persuades him of the
facts. After all, she has no reason to lie to him, and she's not crazy. Orin
threatens her with being sent to an asylum, but Lavinia has a suggestion.
When Christine goes on a trip, they should follow her. She'll go on Adam
Brant's ship, and then they are sure to find out all of it.
▸ These events come to pass. In the dead of night a few days later Orin and
Lavinia hide on Adam Brant's ship. Christine arrives and tells him exactly
what she's done and that Lavinia is suspicious of her.
38

39. ▸ They have to flee. They make plans to travel to the exact same
islands Orin mentioned to Christine. Orin is indignant at both
the murder and that his mother is planning to go to his islands
with someone else, to run away from him! After Christine
leaves, Orin kills Brant. He and Lavinia make it look like a
robbery. They return home and tell Christine what happened.
Christine shoots herself.
39

40. The Haunted
▸ A year later siblings Orin and Lavinia Mannon return from a trip East, where
they have visited some islands. Orin is gaunt and sickly looking. Lavinia,
meanwhile, has undergone a complete transformation from an awkward girl
who dresses only in black to the picture of her mother. Beautiful and
sexually aware, she is determined to forget the past and the ghosts of the
Mannon house.
▸ Peter Niles, neighbor of the Mannons', and Lavinia plan to marry. However,
Lavinia is concerned about Orin's bizarre behavior, including taunting her
for flirting with men in the islands. She worries he'll reveal their part in
Adam Brant's and Christine Mannon's deaths. She tries to keep him from
saying anything to Hazel Niles, to whom Orin is engaged.
40

41. ▸ Orin writes a letter in which he enumerates all of his and Lavinia's sins. He
gives it to Hazel, instructing her to reveal it in the event of his death or if
Lavinia tries to marry Peter.
▸ Lavinia begs for the letter back, promising to do anything to get it. Orin
agrees. Then, he begins to caress her hair and talk of their lives together.
Seeing the horror on her face, he begs her to confess. Then, he begins to
speak to her as if she is Christine.
41

42. ▸ Peter arrives, and Orin announces he is going into the study to clean his pistol. A
shot is heard. "Orin! Forgive me!" Lavinia cries out. Then she hides the envelope
Orin was going to give Peter.
▸ Shortly after Orin's death, Lavinia plans to marry Peter and flee the Mannon house
and its ghosts forever.
▸ The Niles family objects to this plan, believing that marriage to Lavinia will transfer
the Mannon bad luck to Peter. He plans to marry her anyway. They embrace, and
Lavinia calls out, "Take me, Adam!"
▸ Realizing what she has done, Lavinia releases Peter from their engagement. She
tells Seth to board up the house with her inside it. She says, "I'm not bound away
not now, Seth. I'm bound here to the Mannon dead!" She will live a long time in full
memory of what has happened, the last of the Mannons.
42

43. 6.
Various concept of the play
43

44. 20th-Century Realistic Drama
▸ One group of dramas shows the daily lives of ordinary people
in a realistic way. They often contain social and political
criticism.
▸ mythical Greek origins, Mourning Becomes Electra falls into
the category of realistic drama. Audience members can relate
to the characters' desires to love and be loved and to avenge
the murder and suicide of their parents.
▸ The characters are fighting a losing battle with cruel fate,
which causes them to be tied to a house and family marked
by death.
44

45. Freudian Psychology
▸ Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), an Austrian
neurologist, founded psychoanalysis. He is
known for his theories about the interpretation
of dreams and about sexual development.
Some of these theories are applicable to the
characters in Mourning Becomes Electra.
45

46. 46

47. Oedipus Complex
▸ In Mourning Becomes Electra the character Orin
Mannon exhibits signs of Oedipus complex,
continuing into adulthood.
▸ He is obsessed with his mother, Christine Mannon,
and envious of men who love her, whether that is
his father, Ezra Mannon, or Captain Adam Brant.
Finding out about his mother's relationship with
Brant throws him into a murderous rage.
47

48. Electra Complex
▸ The Electra complex is the female equivalent of
the Oedipus complex. It is named after Electra, a
character in the Oresteia who helped slay her
mother.
▸ In the play Lavinia rejects marriage and love with
eligible men, preferring to stay at home with her
father. She tells Ezra Mannon, "You're the only
man I'll ever love! I'm going to stay with you!"
48

49. 49
THANKS!
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You can find me at
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50. References and For further reading….
http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks04/0400141h.html
https://www.coursehero.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_O%27Neill
Quiz:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd70ppmJOKtGFV5nH
5Sx-2wjftyfSIEzJlBLtVUSLRMO3Exaw/viewform
50