The Analysis And Interpretation Of Classic Images In Eugene O'Neill's Works

Eugene O'Neill is regarded as the founder of American modern tragedy. Utilizing various artistic techniques and combining different literary theories, he was artistically skillful at portraying human spiritual world and exposing their inner conflicts. He presented the American society of the early 20th century, analyzed the universal human desires and dreams, as well as sought the mysterious but invisible force behind life. His writing exerts a strong artistic impact. Therefore, he fully deserves the title of"the father of American serious theatre". In addition, O'Neill is the only dramatist who has won the Nobel Prize for Literature in American history so far.Eugene O'Neill is considered to be a unique dramatist as well, because his works are mostly characterized as autobiographic. As a result, it is reasonable to analyze and interpret his plays from the overall perspective of his own background in combination with then American society and values. Throughout his long playwriting career, however, aesthetic image always performs as a crucial technique to expatiate on the themes of his works.Image is viewed as a core category in theatric creation. Dramatic image is permeated through the multi-aspects of playwriting and reception, referring to the perceptual and implicative images of objects, characters and scenery consistent with the specific theatric scene. The use of dramatic image is not only in pursuit of the poetic expression of the stage but in creating artistic conception between actors and audience as well.O'Neill created a great number of images in his writing, which may be seen as the most distinguished characteristic of his plays. These images not just express his emotions but reinforce his theme, and therefore they can be viewed as classic. Classic images have become the symbol and the soul of his plays, which establish O'Neill's prior status among his contemporaries.Therefore, in this thesis, I will analyze and interpret O'Neill's plays by means of scrutinizing them from the perspective of the four classic aesthetic images—the sea, fog, family and the moon.