Abstract
Abstract Eugene O'Neill's treatment of the subject of adult love in the early Desire under the Elms and his concluding work, A Moon for the Misbegotten, finds expression on the dual planes of the maternal and the romantic. The distinction between the two appears in the terms of Oedipal transgression. The former is associated with motherly warmth, security, wholeness of being, and the latter a distracting, erotic passion that only augments desire and self-destruction, leading the concerned protagonists to the threshold of tragedy. For O'Neill, there are semiautobiographical overtones to these depictions. The unsanctioned but conscious alignment of the two dimensions of love raises the specter of incest, which requires a process of exorcism and sublimation for equilibrium to prevail.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callSimilar Papers
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
